This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
Half Baked Harvest At Home
20+ new recipes for wholesome comfort food made with everyday ingredients. Pre-order today! HBH At Home will be released on Tuesday, February 23rd!
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.
Meh, not much flavor….
Hi Jeff,
Sorry to hear you felt this didn’t have much flavor. Please let me know how I can help! xT
Super delicious & easy to make. I will be making this a ton in the future. I put in on top of spaghetti squash, it was perfect. Reminds me of Kevins, but this is way better!
Hey Kelly,
Wonderful!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out well! Have a great weekend! xT
This is a great dish, but I made some adjustments:
1. Sub the water for chicken bone broth.
2. I use whole milk not coconut milk.
3. Must marinate overnight. 15 minutes won’t cut it.
Thank you for this feedback Rachel! xT
I have to say, this recipe was phenomenal. The texture and flavor get better every night we eat the left overs and minimal prep. Will definitely make this again!
Thank you so much! Always loveee to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
Absolutely delicious!!
Took longer to make because it was my first time!! My family loved it!
Thank you
Keep recipes coming.
None of your recipes have failed me yet!
Hey Lisa! Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
Made this for dinner tonight and I really enjoyed it! The spice combo in the chicken marinade & sauce was perfect for our tastes. We had this with the HBH garlic butter naan and basmati rice. Yum!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
Made this tonight, and my family of 4 (including 3 and 5 year olds) loved it! I was going to make the crockpot butter chicken recipe from the HBH cookbook but didn’t start it in enough time. Just had to get on here and say thank you for such a wonderful recipe – the flavors were incredible! I am so grateful you share your talents with the world.
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
Such amazing flavors. I had a butter chicken recipe I really liked but never made it again after this. And I’ve probably made this one 20 times. It’s a 60 minute recipe for sure which is my standard HBH math for times but it’s a fantastic and you should/need to make it.
So glad you’re enjoying this butter chicken! 🙂 xT
I made this last night. It was so easy and so good.
Thank you so so much Jennifer! xT
made this last night following the recipe precisely and it came out AMAZING! and the leftovers on day 2 were even more delicious. this is for sure going in the weekly rotation!
Thanks so much Alexa! xT
Oh my gosh, made this last night and it was so nicely spicy and the whole house had a wonderful aroma. Will definitely make this again.
Thank you SO much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing rest of your week! 🙂 xT
I made this tonight and although I love eating Indian inspired food out, I have never prepared it at home. Followed this recipe as written and it was amazing!! Easy to prepare, didn’t take a lot of time but tasted like I spent hours in the kitchen! I now have a few new spices in my kitchen and this dish will be in my meal rotation, Thank you!!
Thank you so much Theresa! Love to hear that this butter chicken turned out well for you! xT
So flavorful! So easy. Weeknight favorite 🙂
Thank you so so much! Sooo glad you enjoyed this recipe! Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂 xT
Made this again tonight…so delicious. Was in a flying hurry and this comes together quickly, even though I threw all the garlic and ginger in the marinade…oops! But it’s a forgiving recipe, even if you don’t read it carefully 🙂 My family are insanely picky and they all love this recipe. Thank you Teaghan!
Hey Pauline,
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
My family love this warm, spicy yummy butter chicken. Do you know if freeezes well?
Thanks xxx Becca
Hey Rebecca,
So glad to hear that your family enjoys this recipe! Yes, you could totally freeze it! xT
Made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! However, the sauce missed a sweetness in flavoring. I’m wondering if it was the garam masala spice I used with was heavy in paprika. I’ve noticed that garam masala spices come in different spice varieties. I’ve seen some with cloves and cinnamon. Which would you recommend that would provide a sweeter sauce?
Can you make this ahead and reheat? Or, could you prepare chicken ahead of time and then combine awhile later?
Hi Pam,
Yes, you could easily make this in advance and reheat, simmering the chicken even longer will give it more flavor:) I hope you love this dish! xT
This recipe took 2 hours and 40 mins for me to cook. I am an experienced cook and it was delicious however I think you need to adjust the overall times on your recipes. I’ve made several of your recipes for our family and again all are delicious. The overall cook times are a little deceiving.
Hi Diana,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear this took longer than expected! xx