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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!
I had my boyfriend try butter chicken from a restaurant and I was so disappointed because it was not good and I wanted him to love it! I tried this recipe and OMG I never comment on these things but I’m in shock at how good this was THANK YOU ❤️
Lol thank you so much Michelle! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, it’s a family fave around here as well:) Happy Wednesday! xT
This recipe tastes amazing!! Creamy, fragrant, rich and a kick of heat. Utterly delicious. The only thing I didn’t do was add the cup of water as after adding the coconut milk it seemed way too thin. In the end I added some ground almonds to thicken the sauce which also added to the flavour.
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it and your review! xT
This is delicious, extremely flavorful, and aromatic! The sauce is rich so it is easy to fill up fast when eating. I’ve tried the vegetarian version with cauliflower and it is also just as yummy.
Hi Nancy,
Love it!!🍪🍦 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review!! xx
My palate thanks you.
Hey Jeremy,
Happy Sunday!!😃🍊 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was delish! xx
I’ve made this twice and the sauce keeps coming out thin. Any tips?
Hi Erin,
Thanks so much for making this recipe!! Sounds like you may need to reduce the water slightly and then just simmer longer:) I hope this helps for next time! xT
This is one of my favorite recipes…I’m not ashamed to say I’ve made it so many times at this point that I know it by heart. Leftovers the next day are even better! I crave this constantly. I will say it takes me longer than 30 minutes to make, but absolutely worth it!
Hey Laura,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe is always a hit, thanks so much for making it so often:) It’s a family fave over here too! xx
Hey!! I’ve made this a few times and it’s SO GOOD!!! Do you have any tips for freezing it? I want to make a few batches and freeze them for quick and delicious family meals. Thanks!
Hey Krista,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, I am thrilled that it turned out well for you! Sure, I would just freeze as is, we do that all the time!☀️🍉
SO good! Next time I will up the sauce amount so I have plenty leftover for naan.
Love to hear this Heather!! Thanks so much for making this dish, so glad it turned out well for you! xT
This is ridiculously good. My fiancé actually had to put his face in his hands when he tasted it because it was so good lol! The only thing I really changed is I added the juice of 1/2 a lime in at the end with the cilantro. That added the tiny acidic kick I was looking for, and made this dish really brighten up. THANK YOU!!
Hey Alissa,
Happy Monday!!🌞 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Amazing so buttery and flavorful
I added sweet paprika instead of cayenne was amazing
Hey Rand,
Happy Friday!!🌼🐰 I really appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Excellent!
Love to hear this Carien!!
This recipe is a regular at my house. Super easy to make and really flavorful! I also love the spicy madras chicken recipe in your new cookbook!
Hey Maggie,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Good recipe but can´t for the life of me understand why you felt the need to add 2 full pages of irrelevant text before providing the recipe. Moving forward I would suggest to place the actual recipe and the instructions on top of the page, so people like myself don´t have to scroll through 2 pages of text to find what I am looking for
Hi Daniel,
Simply click the “skip to recipe” button next time! Happy Saturday! xx
Love this recipe!
Hey Gloria,
Happy Wednesday! ⛅️🌈 I’m so glad to hear that this recipe worked well for you and I appreciate you giving it a try! xx
May or may not have commented on this before but it is SO GOOD. Mix spices in 1st and 3rd step at the same time to save time for all those saying it takes too long. I don’t always have yogurt on hand and sometimes skip it. Still tastes amazing. I use this recipe and add cauliflower, sweet potato, chickpeas and spinach in addition or instead of chicken as a variety. It’s even better next day ….
Hey Brittany,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)