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30-minute butter chicken

A bowl of curry topped with fresh cilantro sits on a rustic wooden table. The curry is rich orange with creamy swirls, set against a dark background.

By Tom · Updated

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  • About 40 min
  • Easy

This Fast 30-minute recipe delivers all the flavours of your favourite takeout dish-right from your kitchen. Fast 30 minute butter chicken | quick and easy recipe.

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The recipe

30-minute butter chicken

This Fast 30-minute recipe delivers all the flavours of your favourite takeout dish-right from your kitchen.

  • 20 min prep
  • 20 min cooking
  • Easy

Times and difficulty are our estimates from the method, not stopwatch figures.

Quantities
Measurements

Ingredients

The marinade

The sauce

Tick things off as you go — they stay ticked if you close the page.

A dotted underline means the amount has been rounded to something you can measure.

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cut your chicken into slices and place them into a mixing bowl. Next, add the garlic (4 garlic), ginger (15 g), garam masala (7 g), Kashmiri chilli powder (3 g) and salt. Mix everything until the chicken is fully coated.

  2. Step 2

    Place 10g of the butter (50 g) into a pan over medium heat. Sear the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes and remove it from the pan. Add the onions (1 onion) and cook until soft. Next, add in the garlic (4 garlic), and ginger (15 g) and cook for 1 more minute before placing in the spices and cooking for a further 30 seconds.

  3. Step 3

    Pour in the chopped tomatoes (300 g) and water (60 ml), and simmer for 5 minutes until everything is soft. Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Then pass it through a sieve to make it extra smooth.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the sauce back into a pan and bring to a simmer, stir through the remaining butter (50 g) and add in the cream (150 ml). Place the chicken back into the sauce and gently simmer for 10 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Season to taste with salt and squeeze in the juice of one lemon or lime. Serve immediately with rice or naan bread and garnish with a drizzle of cream (150 ml) and some fresh coriander.

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Questions people ask

How long does 30-minute butter chicken take?

About 40 min from start to finish, of which 20 min is prep and 20 min is cooking. That figure is worked out from the method rather than timed with a stopwatch, so give yourself a little more the first time.

How much does this make?

The original recipe did not state a yield, so nothing has been invented for it. The scale control on the recipe card multiplies the quantities instead, which is the honest version of the same thing.

Can I see the ingredients in ounces and pints?

Yes. The metric and imperial switch on the recipe card converts every quantity, rounded to amounts you can actually weigh or measure rather than to four decimal places. Your choice is remembered for every recipe on the site.