Note: By popular demand, we’re featuring this recipe again. Great reports across the board!
I originally loved the looks of this recipe, submitted by Tasty Kitchen member lillieknits, because I knew I had almost all the ingredients in my kitchen (important, since I don’t live around the corner from a grocery store)…and because the sauce contained both tomatoes and cream. Yum. My favorite.
But after I made it…oh, boy. Was I a believer. Definitely delicious and flavorful, but also extremely easy to throw together. It’s a great addition to any dinner rotation!
You need these spices…AND ground coriander, which I didn’t have in my pantry.
Chop up several cloves of garlic.
And throw everything in a mixing bowl! Chicken breasts, garlic, all the spices…and the juice of a whole lime. Cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge for several hours, just to let everything meet and fall in love.
After marinating the chicken, dice up a whole onion.
Heat 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter in a large skillet.
Let the onions cook for several minutes…
…Until they’re golden brown and translucent.
Next, Add the chicken breasts to the pan. I sort of scooted the onions over so the chicken would go right against the pan.
Cook the chicken for a couple of minutes, then flip it to the other side.
Pour in the tomato sauce…
And the diced tomatoes. Now cover the pan and cook it for 30 minutes.
Right before serving, pour in the cream. Of course.
Try to pour it all around the edges of the pan to make it easy to stir together.
Come on. This is absolutely too much for me. And you should smell it!
Just slowly stir around the chicken—you could even remove the chicken for a minute or two to make it easy to stir.
When it’s all combined, throw in a bunch of chopped cilantro.
Stir it to combine, and make sure the sauce heats back up.
And that’s it!
The recipe says to serve it over Basmati rice, but I didn’t have any…so I just used plain white rice.
The Verdict: It was splendid! The tomato/cream mixture combined with the spices…oh, man. I loved it. (FYI: According to Erika, Butter Chicken is also known as “Chicken Makhani”.)
Here’s the printable recipe:
Thank you for sharing, lilliekits!





























bamacurl on Thursday, September 2
had this recipe on my to-do list for a while. Made it 2 weeks ago - the family loved it and already asking for it again!201
Ra on Thursday, September 2
I have lived in India for several years and constantly run into "western" foods that are made in Indian style...they do not taste the same at all! They do the same thing to Chinese food here. So I wouldn't worry about making an Indian dish in America that seems a little Western. This looks great:)202
Sally on Friday, September 3
Oh my! Made this for dinner last night. What a treat! It was great! Thank you. Sally203
Bonnie in Michigan on Friday, September 3
My 16 year old son made this for our dinner last week. Easy and delicious. Less complicated than the Indian version, but wonderful flavor.204
Susan Barrera on Friday, September 3
Made this last night and...OH MAY! I poured the sauce down my throat and drank it like hot chocolate. KEEPER KEEPER KEEPER205
Susan on Friday, September 3
We really enjoyed this. The only problem was too much sauce and not enough chicken. Next time I'll cook more chicken breast. Wonder how this freezes? Would be good to take for lunches.206
Paula on Friday, September 3
Yummy to my tummy! Husband also likey!207
Gidget on Friday, September 3
Thank you for reposting this recipe. We all loved it, my husband says this is a keeper!208
anne on Friday, September 3
I love this one. I didn't have chicken so I used pork tenderloin and insted of heavy cream I used half and half....heavenly good!!!!209
MaryBeth on Friday, September 3
**sniff sniff** I smell it from here! Deeeeelish!210
Shawnee on Friday, September 3
Fixed this the other night. Absolutely delicious!211
Mama Bear on Friday, September 3
I made this recipe, almost exactly, and it was delicious! Since I live in Smallcity, USA, I was unable to find cardamom, surprise! So I skipped it, and instead of rice I served it over whole grain couscous. Also since I had skipped the cardamom and held wayyyyyy back on the cayenne, I added 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of Red Curry Powder with the tomatoes. Instead of 30 minutes on the stove, I threw it in my dutch oven and it sat at 350 or so until my girls got home from swim practice, which ended up being much longer than 30 minutes. I did not have the cream in it at that point, but added it just before serving. All was well and it was delicious!212
Shar on Saturday, September 4
Loved this recipe but made a few changes so it wouldn't be so "soupy". After I cooked the bite-size chunks of chicken for 10 minutes, I ended up with lots of liquid so drained it from the pan. Then strained the liquid from the diced tomatoes before adding them with the tomato sauce. Also only added 1/2 pt. heavy cream and it was perfect.213
Cynthia Conciatu on Saturday, September 4
This looks delicious!214
claires on Saturday, September 4
Making this tonight. Chicken and spices and garlic are getting friendly as I type. Anxious to see my family's reaction to it .... the marinating chicken smells so much like the food we enjoyed when we lived in the Maldives. Also, I'm a little heavy handed with the cayenne, so we may be drinking lots and lots of water. :)215
Lindie on Saturday, September 4
my son in law made buttery chicken last Sunday and I've been wanting it again ever since! He used a mix he got at World Market but this looks simple.216
Melody on Saturday, September 4
what kind of cream is this in the receipe217
Angela on Sunday, September 5
This is a delicious dish! My husband loved it. A little time consuming, however very worth it. I loved the sauce so much that I made the sauce another time and added shrimp and served it over pasta.218
Regina Williams on Sunday, September 5
This recipe is amazing! I just cooked it for my family and they loved it! I don't care what you call it, it's good. Thanks Ree219
Nancy in KC North on Sunday, September 5
Had the butter chicken this evening and it was a hit at our house. I also fixed spicy green beans and purchased some pre-made Naan. Almost as good as going to our local Indian restaurant.220
Judy on Monday, September 6
I am rookie cook, but I managed to pull this recipe off. Delicious!!I will definitely do it for my husband and son when I return home.221
Miss Heidi on Tuesday, September 7
Well, as usual I can not make a recipe without changes, but OH MY, we loved this. I converted it to a crock pot recipe,Had to drive soon, sauteed the chicken first, then added chunky tomato sauce and chili blend seasoning , which included pepper, coriander and garlic, added the lime and extra onion, cooked on low and YUM! over rice.Thanks for the timely recipe !222
Maria on Thursday, September 9
I made this on Tuesday, and it was great! However, when I brought my bowl to the table last night, it flew out of my hands and definitely has left some orange stains on our new-ish beige carpet. Don't hold bowls of this if you're klutzy like me!223
Bob on Friday, September 10
Can someone tell me if Cardamom a new spice or you in a cardigan? I think you mean Cardamon love.224
Patricia on Sunday, September 12
This looks wonderful! The chicken is now marinating! I will be cooking it tonight for supper!225
emily v. on Wednesday, September 15
Made this last night...my first ever attempt at Indian and it was AWESOME!! So easy. Everyone loved it! Thanks!226
Ellie on Saturday, October 2
Just made this for my flatmates tonight, and it turned out amazing. I added a lot more cayenne than is called for, but we like it hot. :) Thanks for the recipe!227
Sara on Monday, October 4
This recipe is fantastic! My brother, who is the pickiest 21 year-old alive, requests this recipe when he comes over for dinner. The last time he was over, he stole the left-overs! This dish is so delicious and easily one of my favorites.228
Steve on Monday, October 4
My wife made this the other night and it was great!229
Christy on Wednesday, October 20
This looks fabulous! I will definitely add this to my recipe list this week. Thanks for sharing.230
PATRICIA on Monday, November 1
what u think about this recipe .231
Arta on Monday, November 22
I made it for this weekend - simply wonderful. I could not get enough of it.232
Amanda on Monday, November 22
Yum, yum, YUM! It was delicious.233