My Indian takeout butter chicken recipe is made with tender chicken breast, canned tomato sauce, heavy cream, and just a touch of spice. It’s simple comfort food you can make in under 30 minutes! We love serving it with steamed rice and naan.
Easy Butter Chicken Recipe
This butter chicken recipe is about to become a game-changer in your kitchen. I’ve always loved ordering Indian takeout (Chickpea Curry is another favorite), but wow—it adds up fa$t. That’s why I’ve been testing and perfecting this simple easy butter chicken recipe at home. Instead of yogurt, I use tomato sauce to create the perfect balance of tangy, creamy flavor, and after a lot of trial runs, I can finally say this recipe is ready to share!
The best part? I love that I can make this recipe in under 30 minutes on the stovetop for a quick weeknight dinner. My recipe isn’t spicy, making it great for the whole family. Even my three kids devour it, happily licking their bowls clean after pouring all that extra rich, saucy goodness over fluffy Indian basmati rice.
We love serving it family-style: big bowls of fluffy rice topped with saucy butter chicken, with warm naan on the side to scoop up every last drop. Honestly, it might just be better than takeout.
I Use Tomato Sauce, Not Yogurt
Traditional butter chicken often uses yogurt to add tang and creaminess to the sauce. But I’ve found that tomato sauce works even better for a few reasons:
- Always on hand – Let’s be real: I almost always have a can of tomato sauce in the pantry, but not always a tub of plain yogurt. This swap makes the recipe super easy to whip up anytime.
- Better flavor balance – Tomato sauce gives the butter chicken a rich, tangy depth that pairs perfectly with warm spices. It brightens the dish without making it too heavy.
- Creamy without the dairy overload – Since butter and cream are already in the recipe, using tomato sauce instead of yogurt keeps the sauce silky without going overboard on dairy.
- Family-friendly – Yogurt-based sauces can sometimes taste a little sour for kids. Tomato sauce mellows things out so it’s flavorful but not too sharp.
The result? A simple easy butter chicken recipe that’s saucy, tangy, and completely delicious!
How to Make Butter Chicken Quickly
Cook onions, fresh ginger and minced garlic in a large skillet.
Add chopped up chicken breast, tomato sauce and spices into the skillet.
Stir to fully coat the chicken with spices and sauce.
Cook until the chicken is fully cooked inside, stirring occasionally. This takes around 8 minutes.
Add heavy cream and lemon juice, stirring, and then simmer for 10 minutes for the sauce to thicken up.
Serve over rice with naan and enjoy this easy butter chicken! Hope you love it as much as we do!
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30-Minute Butter Chicken with Tomato Sauce
PrintIngredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite size pieces
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Add olive oil and butter into a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add fresh ginger and garlic, stirring for 30 more seconds.
- Add chopped up chicken breast, tomato sauce, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper into the skillet. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked inside, about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add heavy cream and lemon juice, stirring to combine and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat, simmering for 10 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Serve this butter chicken over rice with naan next to it. Enjoy!
Jack Kirchhoff says
I will definitely try this delicious-sounding recipe, but if you don’t mind me asking, what’s wrong with yoghurt?
Pamela Reed says
I’m not a big yogurt fan, so I’m always looking for ways to make recipes without it. Also, we always have tomato sauce in our kitchen! 🙂
Jack Kirchhoff says
Fair enough. I was just curious. (And we also always have a lot of tomato sauce around. )