Easy Butter Chicken Recipe that delivers on taste without the long prep. This quick, 55-minute version features tender chicken in a creamy, rich tomato gravy. Perfect for dinner tonight!

Easy Butter Chicken Recipe brings a globally loved dish right to your kitchen table quickly. This version focuses on big, aromatic flavors using fewer steps and simple ingredients. You will get tender pieces of chicken enveloped in a velvety, slightly sweet, and tangy tomato gravy. It’s the perfect fast alternative to takeout when you need a comforting meal.

Key Takeaways

This recipe is designed to be ready in less than one hour.
Searing the chicken first adds depth of flavor and texture.
The sauce relies on basic pantry spices and heavy cream for richness.
Serve it with basmati rice or warm naan for a complete meal.

To make this Easy Butter Chicken Recipe, you sear the chicken first for flavor and texture. Next, you quickly sauté aromatics and bloom the spices with tomato purée to create the base. Finally, stir in the cream and the chicken, then simmer until everything is cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly. This simplified process ensures a delicious dinner fast.

Easy Butter Chicken Recipe: Why This Version Is So Fast

**Easy Butter Chicken Recipe** brings a globally loved dish right to your kitchen table quickly. This version focuses on big, aromatic flavors using fewer steps and simple ingredients. You will get tender pieces of chicken enveloped in a velvety, slightly sweet, and tangy tomato gravy. It’s the perfect fast alternative to takeout when you need a comforting meal.

This quick method skips the traditional overnight marinating and complex simmering stages without sacrificing the rich taste you expect. We use quick-searing and strategic spice blooming to build depth fast. By keeping the ingredient list tight and focusing on the core steps, you can have a restaurant-quality meal ready in under an hour.

Understanding the Quick Sear Technique for Chicken

Searing the chicken is key to adding a layer of flavor that **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe** needs. When you brown the chicken pieces on the outside, you create a slightly crusty texture and develop savory, caramelized notes. This technique also helps the chicken hold its shape and juiciness as it finishes cooking in the sauce later.

You should use medium-high heat and work in batches to ensure the pan doesn’t get overcrowded, which would steam the chicken instead of searing it. Once the chicken has a nice brown color, you remove it temporarily, allowing the remaining steps to build the sauce without overcooking the meat. This ensures your final result is tender and moist. For more fast dinner options, check out our selection of quick dinner recipes.

Essential Pantry Spices for Maximum Flavor

The complex taste of this dish comes from a few core spices you likely already have on hand. The most important spice is **garam masala**, which is an aromatic blend that provides warmth and depth to the **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe** sauce. Cumin adds an earthy, savory base note that balances the richness of the cream and butter.

Chili powder or paprika provides color and a hint of heat; you can adjust the amount based on your preference for spice level. To see the historical origins of these spices, you can read more about Indian spice blends on Wikipedia. Using pre-ground spices makes the process faster and still gives fantastic results.

Ingredients for the Best Easy Butter Chicken Recipe

Making sure you have all the components prepped and ready will make the cooking process simple and stress-free. Your ingredients should include the chicken, the cooking fats (oil and butter), and the aromatics like ginger, garlic, and onion. This focused list keeps the preparation time very short.

Remember that the quality of your main ingredients affects the final taste of your meal, so choose fresh aromatics where possible. Having everything measured out before you start ensures you can move quickly from one step to the next, which is the secret to this fast-paced recipe.

Choosing the Right Cut of Chicken

You have a choice between using boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs for your **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe**. Chicken breasts are leaner and cook very quickly, making them a great choice for this fast recipe. They stay tender when seared and then simmered briefly in the creamy sauce.

Chicken thighs are inherently more flavorful and stay moister due to their higher fat content. If you want a richer-tasting dish, thighs are the way to go, though they may require a couple more minutes of simmering time. Cut the chicken into even ¾-inch chunks for uniform cooking.

Dairy Options for a Silky Smooth Sauce

Heavy cream is the traditional choice for Murgh Makhani and gives the sauce its signature richness and velvet texture. One cup of heavy cream is enough to coat all the chicken beautifully and create a luxurious mouthfeel. This is what truly finishes the **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe**.

If you want a slightly lighter version, you can substitute the heavy cream with half & half, or even plain Greek yogurt. If using yogurt, stir it in gently near the end and avoid boiling the sauce afterwards, as this can cause the yogurt to curdle. This small change allows you to control the calorie count while keeping the creamy texture.

Step-by-Step Cooking: Building the Flavor Base

After searing the chicken and setting it aside, the focus shifts entirely to building the foundation of your creamy gravy. This flavor base is what makes the **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe** so satisfying, and it takes only a few minutes. You are essentially creating a concentrated paste of aromatics and spices.

Cooking this base properly ensures the finished sauce is not raw-tasting and that all the complex spice notes are activated. The heat needs to be low during this process to prevent the spices from burning, which would result in a bitter flavor.

Sautéing Aromatics: Garlic, Ginger, and Onion

In the same pan used for the chicken, you add the diced onion, cooking until it softens and becomes translucent. This gentle cooking brings out the sweetness of the onion, which balances the tangy tomato purée. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits left by the chicken, as these add bonus flavor.

Next, you add the minced ginger and garlic. These fresh aromatics are incredibly potent, so they only need about one minute of sautéing until they release their fragrance. Cooking them too long can cause them to burn, so keep the heat moderate and stir constantly during this step.

Bloooming Spices with Tomato Purée

This step is the secret to getting a great flavor in your **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe**. Once the aromatics are soft, reduce the heat to low and stir in your spices, including the garam masala and cumin. Cook them for less than a minute directly in the oil and butter mixture.

This quick cooking process, called blooming, releases the essential oils from the spices, intensifying their flavor dramatically. Immediately after, stir in the tomato purée and cook for a few minutes. The tomato purée binds the spices and creates a rich, reddish-orange base for the creamy sauce.

Cooking the Easy Butter Chicken Recipe to Perfection

With the flavor base complete, the rest of the cooking is straightforward. You bring the seared chicken back into the pan and gently combine it with the rich, aromatic tomato mixture. The chicken will absorb the spices as the final sauce comes together.

This is when you can taste and make final adjustments to the seasoning, ensuring the dish is perfectly balanced. This seamless process takes only minutes and results in a deeply satisfying meal that tastes like you spent hours on it. You can find more helpful cooking tutorials on our official Tumblr page.

Simmering the Chicken and Cream Mixture

After the chicken is coated, you pour in the heavy cream and bring the whole mixture to a gentle simmer. Do not let the sauce boil vigorously; a gentle simmer is all you need to finish cooking the chicken and thicken the sauce. The cream integrates with the tomato base, creating the desired silky texture.

This simmering should take about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the size of your chicken chunks. The sauce will gradually reduce slightly, concentrating the flavors and allowing the chicken to become incredibly tender. Taste the sauce at the end and adjust the salt and pepper as needed before garnishing.

Serving Suggestions for Your Easy Butter Chicken Recipe

While the **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe** is delicious on its own, pairing it with the right accompaniments turns it into a complete and unforgettable meal. The rich, creamy sauce needs something to soak it up, and something fresh to cut through the richness. Simple pairings are always best.

Consider what you will serve alongside your curry while the chicken is simmering to save time and ensure everything is hot and ready simultaneously. A few minutes of extra planning can mean a perfectly plated dinner. For another great appetizer to go with your meal, try this simple appetizer idea.

Best Bread Pairings (Naan and Roti)

Warm naan bread is arguably the ideal companion for **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe**. The soft, pillowy texture and slight char from baking are perfect for scooping up the thick, creamy sauce. Garlic naan, with its added flavor, is a popular choice that enhances the overall experience.

Roti, which is a simpler, unleavened flatbread, offers a lighter alternative to naan. Either choice allows you to enjoy every bit of the delicious gravy. You can buy these breads fresh or frozen and heat them quickly while the chicken finishes cooking.

Simple Side Dishes (Rice and Salads)

Basmati rice is the classic base for serving this dish. Its long, slender grains are light and fluffy and complement the rich curry without overpowering it. Cook the rice while you prepare the curry so it is ready when the sauce is finished.

To add a refreshing contrast, serve a simple side salad of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion, dressed lightly with lemon juice. This freshness cuts through the richness of the butter and cream, making the whole meal more balanced and enjoyable. You can also explore simple soup ideas for a light starter.

Common Questions About Easy Butter Chicken Recipe

Even with an **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe**, you might have questions about customizing the dish or managing leftovers. Knowing how to adjust the heat and how long the finished curry lasts will help you make this a regular part of your meal rotation. These tips help you get the most from your effort.

Addressing these common concerns ensures that your cooking experience is successful from start to finish. Proper storage and minor adjustments for taste are simple matters when you have a delicious base recipe to work with.

Can I Make This Ahead of Time?

Yes, this curry is excellent for making ahead of time, as the flavors actually deepen after a day in the refrigerator. Prepare the **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe** completely, then let it cool before transferring it to an airtight container. It will keep well for three to four days.

When you are ready to serve, gently reheat the curry on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or cream if the sauce seems too thick. Reheating slowly prevents the cream from separating and keeps the chicken tender. You can also freeze the finished curry for up to three months. Read more about the history of Murgh Makhani.

Tips for Adjusting the Spice Level

The spice level in this **Easy Butter Chicken Recipe** is naturally mild, relying on the warmth of the garam masala rather than heat. If you prefer a spicier curry, you can easily increase the amount of chili powder you add to the sauce base. Use cayenne pepper for a significant heat boost.

If you find the finished dish is too spicy, stir in an extra tablespoon or two of heavy cream or a pinch of sugar to help balance the heat. Serving the curry with a cooling yogurt raita or a large dollop of sour cream also helps to moderate the fiery flavor.

**Easy Butter Chicken Recipe** is truly a standout meal because it delivers complex, comforting flavors without the usual long wait. By prioritizing the quick sear and proper spice blooming, you manage to create a rich, creamy, and satisfying dinner in under an hour. You now have a foolproof, delicious recipe you can rely on for any night of the week.

This fast preparation method proves you do not need to spend hours in the kitchen to enjoy great Indian cuisine. Give this creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet Murgh Makhani a try tonight with your favorite side of naan or rice. It is guaranteed to be a new favorite in your cooking repertoire.