EASY! One-Pan Butter Chicken (In 30 Minutes)

Easy! One-Pan Butter Chicken Recipe in 30 Minutes!
Looking for a quick lunch or dinner? This simplified version of the classic Indian butter chicken is cooked all in one pan with easy-to-find simple ingredients. It’s a really simple dish that actually doesn’t take too much time or effort. And you can adjust the recipe to your taste preference and make it healthier by adjusting the ingredients used.

This butter Chicken is quite a mild curry so it is a perfect curry for those who prefer milder dishes and it is family-friendly as well as a kid-friendly chicken dish. It is creamy, buttery (after all it is butter chicken!) packed full of flavors with a deliciously mild rich gravy, and goes great with a side of rice or naan. I assure you it’s worth every spoonful and you’ll surely love it.

What is Butter Chicken?

Butter Chicken is one of the most popular Indian curries across the world and is commonly found on almost any Indian restaurant menu. In I ndia, it’s known as Murgh Makhani (Chicken with Butter) and it hails from Northern India and is quite a mild curry compared to many Indian curries.

Marinated and grilled chicken is cooked in a rich, creamy, and buttery fragrant tomato-based gravy or curry sauce. Traditionally this recipe uses leftover shredded tandoori chicken. The butter and cream add richness, while the spices give curry flavor, and the tomato sauce balances it all out with a hint of sweetness.

Simplified Butter Chicken Recipe

I love experimenting with food recipes and I’ve also been experimenting with butter chicken recipes and I’ve finally created the easiest-ever one. You don’t need to spend long hours in the kitchen. This recipe takes 30 minutes to an hour from start to finish. However, if you get more creative, you can make it in 30 minutes. I have shared a lot of useful info and helpful tips.

Make it In 3 Simple Steps

1. Make the marinade and marinate the chicken for about 2 hours or up to overnight
2. Fry the marinated chicken in a frying pan with minimum oil
3. Make the sauce in the same pan and add the fried chicken and cook

One-Pan Dish

To make it easier, I make the curry sauce in the same pan that I use for frying the marinated chicken. Once the chicken is fried, remove them from the pan. Make the curry sauce in the same pan and then cook the fried chicken in that gravy. I used a minimum oil that need to fry the chicken and used the leftover oil to make the sauce. You can remove some if there is a lot of leftover oil before making the sauce. Those charred bits on the pan make the sauce more flavorful. So I don’t discard them, however, you can discard some of them if you wish.

How to Make it in 30 Minutes?

Prepare the marinated chicken in advance and then cover and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to make the sauce. Fry the chicken while you prepare the ingredients for making the sauce. If you have some leftover tandoori chicken or chicken tikka, you can use them skipping the whole process of marinating and pan-frying the chicken. Using store-bought grilled chicken or frozen grilled chicken is also a convenient option.

use Pan-Fried Chicken

In this recipe, I used pan-fried chicken instead of grilled or baked chicken. So, you can make this recipe without an oven. In this recipe, I used chicken breast, and chicken breast is a “healthier” option when compared to other types of meat because it is low in calories and fat. Frying chicken breast in a frying pan with oil is by far the easiest and most tasty way to cook the breast because the baked chicken breast is easy to dry out.

requires no blending

In the traditional way, you first make the sauce, and then once the mixture is cool, you need to blend it until smooth. And transfer the puree back to the pan and cook with the grilled chicken. I hate troublesome things. So in this recipe, I used finely chopped ingredients to make the sauce and didn’t use a blender to make the curry sauce.

WHAT SPICES GO IN BUTTER CHICKEN

Traditionally Tandoori masala (spice mix) is made with coriander, cumin, chili, cloves, mace, fenugreek, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, and nutmeg. However, in this recipe, I used an easy homemade spice mix made with garam masala, coriander, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and chili powder. Garam masala is a quick and easy substitute that you can easily find at your local Indian grocery store.

MAKE AHEAD OPTION

You can prepare the sauce ahead of time if you want. Allow it to cool completely, store it in an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. It is also a freezer-friendly sauce and can be frozen up to 3 months ahead of time. Just simmer the cooked chicken (homemade or store-bought) in the sauce the day you want to serve it.

Ingredients

Chicken-Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Spices-Garam masala, coriander, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and red chili Powder. (use paprika as a substitute for a milder version)
Ginger-Use ginger paste or finely minced or grated ginger.
Garlic-Use garlic paste or finely minced or grated garlic.
Yogurt-Use unsweetened plain yogurt. Acts as a tenderizer.
Lemon Juice-Use lemon juice or lime juice.
Salt-Use salt as needed.
Oil-Olive oil, or use your choice of oil.
Onion– Use finely chopped onion
Tomato– Use either crushed fresh tomato or canned tomato. If the tomatoes are too tart, it’ll make the gravy or sauce too tangy
Tomato juice-I used some tomato juice as it adds a little extra flavor. You can use 1 tablespoon of ketchup instead of juice. Not authentic ingredients and optional.
Peanut Butter– Add flavor and creaminess. Traditionally cashew paste is used.
Heavy Cream– Adds the creaminess. You can use evaporated milk or half and half for a lower-calorie option.
Butter-You can add as much as you want but contrary to popular belief, butter chicken doesn’t need a lot of butter.

Helpful Tips

You can use either chicken breasts or chicken thighs (boneless and skinless). Chicken thighs are higher in fat, juicier, and more flavorful. Chicken breasts, on the other hand, are leaner and have a milder flavor.

Don’t skip the marination. It helps to make flavorful chicken so that every bite is tasty. Marinate chicken for about 2 hours, or overnight if time allows. The longer it marinates, the more tender your chicken will be.

If you like mild dishes, reduce the chili powder or use paprika powder. If you like it spicy, add more chili powder.

To make a richer sauce, add the butter right at the end, letting it melt through the sauce. You can add butter as much as you want, after all, it is called butter chicken.

To thin out the sauce, add a small amount of water at the end of cooking, and gently simmer it through.

What to Serve with Butter Chicken

Serve over basmati rice and naan bread! It pairs also with biryani, pulao, roti, or chapatis. A crisp green salad or a fruit salad are good accompaniments.

How Do You Store Butter Chicken

Your curry needs to cool down to room temperature before placing it in the fridge. Store leftover chicken curry in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. If you like to freeze it, put it in a zip lock bag and then in the freezer for about 3 to 4 months. You can reheat chicken curry in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Looking for More Chicken Recipes? Try these!

One-Pan Butter Chicken
Step-by-Step Recipe

Prep: 15 mins
Marinating Time 2 hrs to overnight
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins

Ingredients

For Homemade Spice Mix
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 garam masala
1/2 ground turmeric
1/2 chili powder

For the Chicken Marinade
400g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon garlic paste (or finely minced)
1/2 tablespoon ginger paste (or finely minced)
1 teaspoon homemade spice mix
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For Frying the Chicken
3 tablespoons cooking oil

For the Sauce
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic paste (or finely minced)
1 tablespoon ginger paste (or finely minced)
2 teaspoons homemade spice mix
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt, to taste
200g crushed tomatoes (or tomato paste)
100g tomato juice, optional
1 tablespoon peanut butter
200g heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 to 2 tablespoon butter (or more)

Instructions

Gather the ingredients for making homemade spice mix; garam masala, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chili.

Mix the spices in a small bowl. This spice mix is used to make the marinade as well as the sauce.

Gather the ingredients for making the marinade; homemade spice mix, ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt.

Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

Use either boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.

In a bowl, combine chicken with marinade. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 2 hrs or overnight.

Heat oil in a large frying pan/skillet over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces. (make sure not to crowd the pan.) Add only the chicken pieces without adding the marinade.

Fry until browned on each side.

Set aside the fried chicken while you prepare the sauce.

Gather the spices for making the sauce. Chopped onion, ginger, and garlic paste, homemade spice mix, black pepper, salt, crushed tomato or tomato puree, tomato juice, peanut butter, sugar, cream, and butter.

Heat the leftover oil after frying the chicken in the same pan. Fry the onions until slightly brown (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. If you use a lot of oil for frying the chicken, remove some leftover oil before start making the sauce.

Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.

Next, add the spice mix, ground pepper, and salt. Stir-fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.

Add crushed tomatoes and tomato juice. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown-red color.

Mix in the cream, sugar, and peanut butter.

Add the fried chicken and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes at low heat but don’t boil it. Check once or twice in between and give the curry a stir. If the gravy is too thick, add some water at this stage and give it a good stir.

Turn the heat off. Add butter and let melt. Adjust salt as needed.

Serve with cooked basmati rice, naan, bread, or pulao.

One-Pan Butter Chicken
Printable Recipe

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