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30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken…the perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s incredibly delicious. Indian inspired butter chicken made with plenty of spice and creamy coconut milk for a slight twist. It’s cozy, creamy, a little spicy, and filled with warming Indian flavors. Finish each bowl off with steamed rice and serve with fresh naan. You’ll have the perfect dinner that can be enjoyed any night of the week. Bonus? This is quickly made on the stove, with one skillet, and in just about 30 minutes. And…the leftovers are even more delicious the next day.
I’ve said this before I’m sure, but the reason I love to cook so much is because I really love cooking for others. I find so much enjoyment in creating meals for the people I love most. It’s really what inspires me to keep cooking away every day. There’s nothing I love more than having a friend or family member inspire a recipe.
I love the opportunity to make something for someone with the hope that it will be a dish they’ll truly love…one of those dishes my brothers would say is, “fire”. Those are the words I strive for when creating a recipe, but especially when a recipe is created with a specific person in mind.
That was the case with today’s Butter Chicken. This one was inspired by my oldest brother, Creighton. He’s here in Colorado working remotely right now, and the one thing about Creighton?
He loves to eat…like really loves to eat. And one of his favorites foods? Anything Indian inspired and anything spicy. This leads me right into today’s recipe. With Creighton in town, I excitedly have been testing out a new Butter Chicken recipe, and last week I finally got it just right.
Creighton’s exact words…”it’s fire!”
What Is Butter Chicken?
For any of you who are are not familiar, Butter Chicken it’s one of the most popular Indian curries served around the world. I’ve made a few variations in the past, but aside from the coconut milk, today’s recipe is the most traditional.
Butter chicken is made with spices, tomato, butter, and cream. It’s rich and warming, but the spice blend is really what makes this dish. Using a mix of Garam Masala, turmeric, garlic, and plenty of ginger is key to getting an authentic flavor.
Traditionally, Butter Chicken is marinated for many hours in yogurt and spices, but I’ve adjusted that slightly to create a quicker but still super flavorful recipe!
Here’s how to make this 30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken.
With such a quick cook time, I’m sure you guessed, but this is pretty simple, quick, and easy.
Start with the chicken. Just like in a traditional butter chicken recipe, we’re first tossing the chicken with yogurt and spices. But instead of marinating overnight, I found that a quick ten-minute soak in the spices really does the trick.
While the chicken is sitting, I like to start in on the prep for everything else, chop the onion, garlic, and ginger, grab that coconut milk and tomato paste and get everything for the remainder of the recipe ready to go.
Once the chicken has had some time to sit, pan-sear it in a skillet until crisp.
To that same skillet, add the onion and all those remaining spices and a whole can of tomato paste. Just like my pasta alla vodka, I like to cook the tomato paste together with the spices for a bit to really help intensify the flavors in the sauce.
Then just stir in the coconut milk, or if you don’t enjoy coconut milk, use cream. Either is truly delicious and just as creamy. But I love the subtle coconut flavor paired with these Indian spices, they’re delicious.
Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken, then just stir in a bit of butter and plenty of fresh chopped cilantro. And that’s it, super simple, so delicious.
As this cooks, the aroma in the kitchen is truly incredible. It’s just like your favorite Indian spot in town…but maybe just a touch better. I always find anything made at home to be even more delicious.
I like to serve my butter chicken over steamed rice with some fresh naan for scooping up the creamy, coconutty sauce. Absolutely DELICIOUS. You can’t skip the naan either. It’s reason enough to make a good butter chicken.
So how are the leftovers?
I swear they taste even better the following day. The flavors have time to mend and the sauce is just that more intense.
I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe and how much Creighton loved this recipe. I already know he’s looking forward to it for dinner tonight. This butter chicken is SO flavorful, SO full of color, and a nice switch up from the usual cheesy December pasta dishes I’m always sharing (don’t worry, they’ll be back soon). The best part, well aside from all the deliciousness, is that this requires only one pot and is ready in just about 30 minutes. Perfect for these crazy busy cold December days.
Looking for other Indian inspired dinners? Here are my favorites:
30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs
Super Simple Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Gingery Coconut Sweet Potato and Rice Stew with Chili Oil
Lastly, if you make this 30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Spicy Coconut Butter Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 561 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, use to your taste
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, use to your taste
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk (or sub 1 cup cream)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro roughly, chopped
- steamed rice and naan, for serving
Instructions
- 1. in a bowl, toss together the chicken, yogurt, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 teaspoons garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit 5-10 minutes. 2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until browned, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter and toss to coat the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate. 3. To the skillet, add the onion and cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add 2 tablespoons butter, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and the chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking another 3-4 minutes. 4. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 cup water and the coconut milk. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a simmer, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter. If the sauce seems thick, thin with 1/2 to 1 cup additional coconut milk. Add the chicken and any juices on the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.5. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan. Enjoy!
This might be my new favorite meal, I didn’t realize how much I LOVE Indian dishes.
Another amazing recipe from you, THANK YOU!
Hi Courtney,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Made this tonight and it was fantastic!
Similar to what others said it did take longer than 30 min (~1 hr 10 min) but I did not mind.
I blended the base before adding back the chicken so that there were no chunks and I would recommend that if you prefer a smooth sauce.
I also added additional cilantro and hot chilies (I like it extra spicy!)
Hey Laura,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Made this tonight and it was soo delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe, so yummy!
Hey Yashira,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This recipe was absolutely delicious! It was our first time trying butter chicken at home and it definitely did not disappoint! We will definitely keep making this!
Hi Lorayne,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Best recipe. I love butter chicken from a restaurant but wanted to try it at home. This recipe is soooo amazing! I used a little less water and only half the spice because of the kids. Next time I’m gonna use all of the spices! Both kids loved it and my daughter is usually picky as heck. I agree with everyone else that said it took way longer than 30 minutes – about an hour and 15 minutes but SO worth it!!! Will be making this again for sure!
Hi Elizabeth,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Sorry this took you longer than expected. xTieghan
This recipe was fire and easy. I didn’t use coconut milk I used heavy whipping cream
Hi Marcia,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This turned out AMAZING! Definitely making again! I made naan bread to go with it!?
Hi Summer,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was delicious, with a lot of very spicy sauce that was perfect on rice. I do, however, agree with other commenters that total time to make this was far longer than 30 minutes (more like an hour and 30 minutes for me). Great if you can do it, but I could never cut 2 pounds of chicken into bite-sized pieces, peel and mince 6 cloves of garlic, grate 2 tbsp of ginger by hand, chop a large onion and measure out all the many other ingredients in 10 minutes! (Plus I had to cook it longer than directed.) We liked it so much I’ll be making it again, but next time will set a more realistic time table for it!
Hi Helen,
Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Could I sub tofu for chicken?
Hey Jamie,
Sure, that should work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Pretty simple to make and got me out of my comfort zone of spices!
Was very delicious and perfect for this chilly January night .
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Mary,
Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Found it a little too spicey any suggestions on how to reduce the punch. My husband loved it. But it was a little over the top for me. Super easy to make and the smells were fantastic.
Hi Steph,
So sorry about the spice, next time just reduce or omit the cayenne and chili flakes. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Super delicious. I made this tonight and had to stop myself from taking a third (!) bowl…. It took quite long for the sauce to thicken/reduce so I’d suggest halving the water…honestly a holy grail recipe. I’ll definitely make next time I’m hosting xx
Hi Megan,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
This came out really tasty but took me a long time to make (longer than recipe anticipated). I used about half of the tomato paste and water, and I think that was a good decision. Also added spinach which went really nice with the sauce.
Hi there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sorry this took you longer than expected! xTieghan
Have made this very often for myself and husband and we love it! Hosting another couple for dinner and there is a dairy allergy. Can this be made without the yogurt? Any sub?
Hi Neve,
I would just use a dairy free yogurt, there are great options available these days:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Super tasty and very flavor-forward! It’s definitely a layering of spice, but we loved it. It took me about an hour start —> finish, but there were plenty of left overs.
Hi Katie,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! xxTieghan
Super simple to follow and absolutely delicious! Also works with Paneer.
Hi Amber,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Made this tonight, as usual Tieghan knocks it out of the park.
Hint of spice, warm and creamy. Mine was significantly saucy and not too thick.
I will say it probably took me more than 45 min-to an hour from start to finish. If I had a sous chef, it would have been less!!
I will be making again, much like any recipe from Halfbakedharvest I’ve tried.
Hi Tina,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT