Indian Butter Chicken

When my husband travels for work, he gets to eat out on the company dime. Nice, huh? He's all about trying new restaurants, too. So when he came home and told me how much he enjoyed having Indian Butter Chicken, I knew I wanted to find a recipe that was similar.

I found one here, at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Of course, I tweaked it a bit, leaving out the jalapenos because my family isn't fond of them. I also played around with the spices until I found a combination we liked.

When all was said and done, Charles declared this version of Indian Butter Chicken to be a winner!

Here's what you need:

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 TBSP ginger, chopped
2 teas minced garlic
2 teas garam masala
1 teas curry powder
1 teas chili powder
1/2 teas ground coriander
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half or cream
3 TBSP butter, cut into chunks
cilantro for sprinkling over each serving

Sprinkle the cut-up chicken with salt and pepper; set aside. In a skillet or pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is translucent.


Stir in the spices. Here's a helpful tip if you have to add a few spices at once. Measure all of them out and place them in a small bowl together. This will save you some time and hassle, especially if you're trying to stir what's in the pot!


Keep stirring for about a minute. You want everything in the pot coated with the spices. And let me tell you, this smells wonderful as the spices heat up.


Remove from the heat and scrape the mixture into a blender. Add the tomato paste and chicken broth.

Blend until the mixture is smooth.


Pour back into the pot and add the half and half or cream. Bring to a gentle simmer.


Add the chicken pieces and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. You probably want to fish out a piece and cut through it to be sure. When it's cooked, add the butter and stir until it's completely melted.

Serve over rice and garnish with some chopped cilantro.


Charles loves this version more than the one he had at the authentic Indian restaurant. He says the sauce is so smooth and rich! And leftovers the next day are even better. The spices have had a chance to meld together and deepen. It's lovely!

For a printable recipe, click here.