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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.
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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
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This is one of my absolute favorite meals!! It’s super easy to make and so flavorful. It’s a comfort dish for me and perfect for the cooler weather we’ve been getting.
Hey Erin,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
Butter chicken is a fan favorite in our home, and so I was excited to see this recipe pop up. Made tonight and it was a huge hit! We loved sopping up the delicious sauce at the end with the still warm naan. And the addition of the fresh cilantro was money. Only change I made was to reduce just a bit the amount of garam masala; otherwise followed to the T. Can’t wait to make again!
Hey Delia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
I ate the leftovers like soup. Best soup ever!!!
Hey Dan,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
One of my favorites of yours! Do you have the full nutritional value??
Hey Katie,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! So sorry I don’t, just the estimated calorie count. xTieghan
It’s difficult to find good Indian food where we live and it’s usually a but pricey. This recipe is easy and beats going out! We love it!
Hey Heather,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it. Have the best week:) xT
This was fantastic! Better than any butter chicken we’ve had from an Indian restaurant! Definitely a keeper
Hey Lindsay,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it. Have the best week:) xT
I made this for dinner tonight. It was pretty good, but felt like something was missing. Maybe it’s because I made it mild because of my kiddo.
Hey Marie,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
This was amazing! Had to use what I had, which was a quarter of a yellow onion and one green bell pepper. I also used the squeeze fresh minced ginger. In total I used 1tsp cayenne and 1/2tsp red pepper flakes. It was perfect heat for our family(maybe a tad to much for the kids) but if I ever made this for guests I would half that amount to stay on the safe side. Definitely will be making this again!
Hey Lisa,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Have the best weekend!! xTieghan
Really, really delicious
Will put into the rotation!
Hi Virginia,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
Love all your recipes! So delicious and fun to cook. This one is amazing as well ! Thank you very much!
Hey Simona,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
The best Indian chicken I’ve ever cooked! Easy and definitely going on the rotation.
Hey Emily,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I’ve never cooked Indian cuisine before, and it turned out so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, except I kept the spice heat to mild/med. Thanks!
Hey Amy,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Made this eve. Yum! Added chopped carrots when cooking the chopped onion. Also added fresh spinach from my friend’s garden when I added the chicken back to the sauce. This is a keeper!
Hey Joanne,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
This was incredible. We used heavy cream since my fiancé doesn’t like coconut milk and it was absolutely delicious, added some cauliflower and red bell pepper as well. So so good. Thank you Tieghan!
Hi Jenna,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
Is it possible to make this in a crockpot?
Hey Brittany,
Yes, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can you use reduced fat coconut milk? Or does it have to be full fat? Love this recipe so much – my mom made it for me for my birthday 🙂
Hi Brooke,
Reduced fat coconut milk would work just fine for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan