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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 so good! I couldn’t wait to heat up the small container of leftovers for lunch and it’s even better the next day. I’ll be saving this one to use regularly!
Hi Malea,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for giving it a go!? xT
I’ve made this recipe twice now and LOVE it. The layering of cooking the spices really brings the flavors out. My husband and I love hot and spicy food so the spice level was perfect. I agree with the other commenter about the timing. I just planned the second time accordingly. This recipe will be a regular for us! Tha nk you for sharing your gift with the rest of us.
Hey Grace,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
HI – do you any suggestions of dairy free substitutes for the 1/4 C greek yogurt? I tried a cashew version and it just curdled. Thank you
Hi there,
How about a coconut version? That might work better! Let me know if you give it a try! xx
I would cut down on the cayenne pepper and chili flakes and it would still be spicy enough. Excellent dish overall
Hey Lulu,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you taking the time to make this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Happy Wednesday:)
My husband asked me to make this recipe regularly! I am doing a short cut today and making it in the slow cooker:).
Hey Beth,
Amazing!! Thanks a lot for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was tasty for you! xT
This recipe is one my my husband and I’s favorites! We love spicy food, so we don’t have a problem using the full amount of spices called for, but for the average person, the spice level in this recipe might be too high. Try cutting in half if that’s you.
I agree with the other reviews about unrealistic recipe time. Def not 30 minutes. More like an hour. But I always add an extra 30 minutes to EVERY recipe because they usually take longer than the recipe claims.
Anyways, great recipe with tons of flavor, just not a “quick” one.
Hi Emily,
Happy Friday! I am so excited to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Thanks for your feedback, sorry this takes longer than expected. ?xx
This is so good! Can I cook, freeze and reheat?
Hey Sara,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Yes, that would be okay for you to do! xT
Loved this! Added some Serrano pepper with the onions to kick up the heat, and it tasted amazing! Thanks for the great recipe.
Hey Sky,
Happy Wednesday! I really appreciate you taking the time to make this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! xT
This was the first HBH recipe that I ever made and it is sooo good! Perfectly spicy, perfectly comforting. Will make again and again.
Hi Bri,
Happy Wednesday! I really appreciate you taking the time to make this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! xxT
I made this recipe and it’s delicious! I took off 1 star because it takes much longer than thirty minutes, closer to one hour. I would also recommend marinating the chicken thighs at least an hour. If you do, your prep and cook time will be about an hour and 45 minutes. I would still make this again, just plan accordingly!
Hey Marcia,
Happy Friday! Thanks a ton for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was a hit! ?Tieghan
Delicious! Like others have said, it’s definitely not a “quick” meal. I did choose to marinate the chicken for a few hours, so that lessened my prep at dinner time, but even then it was about 45 mins. That included getting the rice going. Also, I found it was rather hard to get a crisp on the chicken because there was so much liquid from the marinade. Not sure how to remedy that? Maybe cook in 2 batches next time…Or maybe pull out my cast iron instead of the nonstick? Also, when I went to cook the onions it didn’t say to add more olive oil so I just added some of the juice coming off the cooked chicken into the onions. I also wasn’t sure if I should be leaving my heat so high the whole time. I ended up putting it down to medium and taking the pan off the heat while I did some steps, so the spices wouldn’t burn. Oh, and the spice… we both like spice but even doing half the called for amount was still spicy. I didn’t want to go too spicy with toddlers eating it. My husband and I both enjoyed it (toddlers were so so on it haha). We used to live in an area with a large population of Indian people and lots of Indian restaurants. So we were missing Indian food and this sure cured the craving! I liked that the recipe was made lighter with the coconut milk versus the traditional cream. TY!
Hi Katherine,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner and really appreciate you making it:) Sorry this took you longer than expected. The chicken shouldn’t be crispy. Next time I would skip the chili flakes to reduce the spice. xTieghan
I made this for dinner tonight and the whole family LOVED it! So, so yummy!!
Hey Holly,
Happy Friday!!? Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a hit! xT
Made it for dinner today. Delicious!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for your feedback and trying this recipe out! I love to hear that it was a hit:) Have the best weekend?
Loved it! So delicious
Can you substitute coconut milk for cream in your other Indian curry dishes?
Hey Loretta,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad it was a hit! Totally, that will work well for you! Happy Thursday! xx
This was yummy. I’m cooking for a family who loves Indian food but a hubby who does not. He ate three helpings so maybe I’m on to something here. I’m feeding a family of four so I doubled it. I agree with the prior comment that the prep and cook time estimates are way off. It takes ten minutes to properly clean and chop the cilantro garnish, let alone cut the chicken, measure the spices and yogurt, etc. Ten minutes is the minimum amount of time the chicken is in the marinade maybe, but unless you have a sous chef at home, I suggest adding an extra 30 minutes to the whole process if you want to serve dinner at a specific time. It was worth the extra time for sure.
Hi Dorothy,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and making this recipe! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xTieghan
This is a winner at our house over and over again! I’ve learned so much about cooking through you! Thankful for your content and all the hard work you put in behind the scenes to perfect these recipes for us!
Hi Shelby,
Amazing!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback:)