Easy Butter Chicken Curry - Friday Night Fakeaway Recipe

Friday night is CURRY NIGHT and this easy butter chicken is the recipe that will stop you ordering takeaway again. Rich, creamy, deeply spiced and honestly so much better than anything that arrives in a foil container. The marinade does all the heavy lifting, and then the whole thing comes together in under 30 minutes of actual cooking. Let's cook!

Why This Butter Chicken Works

A proper homemade butter chicken, about 40 minutes of real cooking once the chicken has marinated, serving four generously.

The technique that makes it is the two-stage marinade. Lemon, garlic, ginger and salt go on first to season the meat right through, then yoghurt and spices, which tenderise the chicken and carry all that flavour into it as it sears.

What makes this version rich rather than merely creamy is that the butter goes in three separate times: to sear the chicken, to soften the onions, and once more at the end alongside the cream.

If you can leave the chicken in the marinade overnight, do it. The difference between ten minutes and overnight is remarkable, and it is the single easiest thing you can do to make this taste like a restaurant made it.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus at least 10 minutes marinating (overnight is best)
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes, plus marinating
• Serves: 4
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Large frying pan or wide saucepan with a lid, fine grater or microplane

The sear is the step people skip and it matters far more than it looks. You are not cooking the chicken through at that point, only building colour, and those sticky brown bits left behind in the pan are exactly what the 50ml of water lifts back into the sauce when you deglaze. Everything after that is patience with the onions, which want a full eight to ten minutes after the deglaze to go properly soft and sweet, and then restraint with the cream. Cream goes in off the heat or on a very low one. Boil it hard in a tomato sauce and it splits, and once it has split you cannot bring it back.

Ingredients

Stage 1 Marinade:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• Small knob of fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Stage 2 Marinade:

• 1/2 cup (approximately 125g) natural yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

For the Sauce:

• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 100g butter, divided (30g + 50g + 20g)
• 50ml water
• 3 whole cardamom pods, lightly bruised
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 jar (approximately 680g) passata
• 100 to 150ml double cream

To Serve:

• Fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• Steamed rice or flatbreads

How to Make Butter Chicken

1. Stage 1 marinade: Cut the chicken breasts into generous chunks and add to a bowl. Add the salt, chilli powder, grated ginger, 2 grated garlic cloves and the lemon zest and juice. Mix well to coat, cover, and pop in the fridge for 1 hour if you have time.
2. Stage 2 marinade: Add the yoghurt, cumin, garam masala, turmeric and curry powder to the chicken and mix well until everything is evenly coated. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 10 minutes, but please try to do this overnight if you can. The difference in flavour and tenderness is absolutely worth it.
3. Sear the chicken: Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add 30g of butter and once foaming, add the marinated chicken pieces in a single layer. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes each side until you have some lovely golden colour on the outside. You are not cooking them through at this stage, just getting colour. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Cook the onions: Reduce the heat to medium and add 50g of butter to the same pan. Add the sliced onion and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 50ml of water to deglaze the pan, scraping up all those gorgeous sticky bits from the bottom. That is pure flavour right there. Continue cooking the onions for a further 8 to 10 minutes until soft, sweet and golden.
5. Add the spices: Add the bruised cardamom pods, garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric to the onions. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the spices are fragrant and toasted.
6. Add the passata: Pour in the passata, stir everything together, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce has deepened in colour and flavour.
7. Finish cooking the chicken: Add the seared chicken back into the sauce, stir to coat, and put the lid on. Cook over a medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. If you have a meat thermometer, you are looking for 72C internal temperature.
8. Add the butter and cream: Remove the lid and add the final 20g of butter and 100 to 150ml of double cream. Stir gently until everything combines into a rich, silky, glossy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
9. Garnish and serve: Scatter generously with fresh coriander and serve immediately with steamed rice or warm flatbreads. Get it on the table while it is hot.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Better than takeaway: Richer, fresher and far more satisfying than anything from a delivery app.
• The overnight marinade is a game changer: Do the prep the night before and dinner practically makes itself.
• Pantry friendly: Most of the spices are ones you already have sitting in the cupboard.
• Crowd pleaser: Kids, adults, fussy eaters, everyone loves a butter chicken.
• Great for leftovers: The flavour genuinely gets better the next day.

Chef's Tips for Butter Chicken

Overnight marinade equals next level results: If there is one thing you take from this recipe, let it be this. Even an hour helps, because the yoghurt transforms the chicken, but overnight is truly another thing entirely.

Do not skip the sear: That golden colour on the chicken before it goes into the sauce adds enormous depth. A hot pan and a bit of patience, and do not move the chicken too soon or it will tear rather than release.

Bruise those cardamom pods: Use the flat side of your knife to lightly crush the pods before they go in. This cracks them open just enough for the flavour to infuse into the sauce. Fish them out before serving if you spot them, because nobody wants to bite down on a whole cardamom.

Deglaze properly: When you add that 50ml of water after the onions, really scrape the bottom of the pan. Those sticky brown bits are concentrated flavour and they are what make the sauce taste like it took far longer than it did.

Cream at the end only: Add the cream right at the end, off the heat or on a very low one. Boiling cream splits and you lose that beautiful silky texture for good.

Substitutions & Variations

• Chicken thighs instead of breasts: Boneless, skinless thighs are arguably better here, juicier and far more forgiving if slightly overcooked. Highly recommended.
• No double cream? Single cream or coconut cream both work well. Coconut cream gives a slightly different but equally delicious result.
• No passata? A 400g tin of crushed tomatoes blended smooth works perfectly, though you may want a splash of water to loosen it.
• Dairy free: Use coconut yoghurt for the marinade, a dairy-free butter, and coconut cream for the sauce.
• Add vegetables: Spinach stirred through at the end, or roasted cauliflower added with the chicken, are both brilliant.
• Make it spicier: Add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder to the sauce, or stir a teaspoon of your favourite hot sauce through at the end.

Storage

Best eaten fresh: Butter chicken is wonderful straight off the stove, but it genuinely improves overnight as the flavours meld, so it is excellent either way.

Fridge: Cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently over a low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Do not boil it hard or the cream will split.

Freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove, adding a small splash of water to loosen if needed.

Avoid: Do not reheat it more than once, and never let it boil hard when reheating. That is what splits the cream sauce and costs you the silky texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use chicken thighs instead of breasts for butter chicken? Yes, and I would argue they are better. Boneless, skinless thighs stay juicier and are far more forgiving if you overshoot the cooking time slightly. Cut them into the same generous chunks and marinate exactly as written.

Why is my butter chicken sauce too thick? Passata varies a lot between brands, and some reduce faster than others. Add a splash of water or chicken stock to loosen it to the consistency you want, stirring and tasting as you go.

Why has my butter chicken sauce split? The cream was boiled. Dairy splits when it is heated hard in an acidic sauce, and tomato is acidic. Add the cream off the heat or on the lowest setting, and when reheating leftovers keep it at a gentle warm rather than a simmer.

Can you make butter chicken ahead of time? Absolutely, and it is a brilliant make-ahead dish. Make it the day before, cool it and refrigerate, then reheat gently before serving. Hold off adding the cream until you reheat and it will be perfect.

Can you make butter chicken in a slow cooker? Yes, with one important step kept on the stove. Sear the marinated chicken and build the onion and spice base in a pan first, because a slow cooker cannot brown anything, then transfer everything with the passata and cook on low for 4 hours. Stir the butter and cream in at the very end.

Can you make butter chicken without all the individual spices? You can use a good quality curry powder as a shortcut for the sauce base, about 2 teaspoons. It will not have quite the same depth, but it will still be delicious. Keep the garam masala if you have only one spice to spare, as it does the most work here.

Can you freeze butter chicken? Yes, it freezes very well for up to 3 months. Cool it completely, portion it into containers, and defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating gently. If you know in advance that you are freezing it, leave the cream out and stir it in when you reheat.

What do you serve with butter chicken? Steamed basmati rice is the classic and never wrong. Honestly though, my 2-ingredient yoghurt flatbreads are INCREDIBLE with this and take about 10 minutes, and they use up the rest of the yoghurt from the marinade. A cucumber raita and a sharp pickle round it out.

You Might Also Like

Potato and Tomato Curry (Alur Dom): A brilliant vegetarian curry to serve alongside, or to save for a meat-free curry night.

Saag Halloumi: A quick, deeply flavoured Indian spinach curry with halloumi instead of paneer.

Insane Beef Rendang Curry: When you want to go the other way entirely, a slow, dry, intensely spiced curry worth every minute.

There is nothing quite like a homemade butter chicken to make Friday night feel properly special. That two-stage yoghurt marinade, the deeply spiced onion base, and all that butter and cream coming together into the silkiest sauce you have made in your own kitchen. This is the kind of recipe you make once and then put straight into the weekly rotation. Once you have had it homemade, reaching for the phone stops making any sense at all.

Enjoy!

Del x

Rich, creamy homemade butter chicken with a two-stage yoghurt marinade, the Friday night fakeaway that beats any takeaway.