Restaurant Style Butter Chicken
Restaurant-Style Butter Indian butter chicken is absolute comfort food. Rich, creamy, tomato-based gravy simmered with big morsels of marinated chicken. Today, I share my version which is similar to the one made in restaurants. Perfect over white rice, chapati, roti, or naan.

My friends always tell me, my butter chicken is the way it is made in restaurants. I've promised many of them that I'd share the recipe. This one does have a few extra steps, so I decided I had to share it with progress pictures.
It sounds like a long recipe with a few extra steps (similar to how they make it in restaurants) but it is worth every effort. I highly recommend you try this recipe. If you do, let me know in the comments how it was.
Equipment /Tools
- Cutting Board
- Kitchen Knife
- Mixing bowl
- Saute Pan
Ingredients
- 500 grams (1.0 lb) Chicken boneless
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp Cayenne Hot chilie powder (optional)
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- ½ cup Fresh cream (25% fat or more)
- 2 tbsp Butter
Marinade
- ½ tbsp Ginger paste
- ½ tbsp Garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Chili powder or paprika (sweet or spicy)
- ½ tsp Fenugreek leaves dry (optional)
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
Paste
- 10 Cashew nuts
- 2 Cardamom pods
- 1 Garlic sliced
- 1 inch Ginger sliced
- 2 Mace dried
- 2 large Tomato roughly chopped
Instructions
Marinate chicken
- Clean and cut chicken to bite size pieces
- Add all marinate ingredients in a bowl along with chicken
- Combine well - leave for an hour on the counter top or in the fridge up to 8 hours.
Saute
- In a saute pan, add 2 tbsp oil
- Saute the marinated chicken for 3 minutes stirring often
- Once the chicken is no longer pink.
- Remove from the pan and set aside
Paste
- In the same pan (no need to wash) Add remaining oil
- Saute cardamom, mace, cashew nuts.
- Then, add the ginger, garlic, and sliced tomatoes - saute for 3 minutes
- Blend this to a smooth paste using a hand blender ( or mixer)
- Strain it thru a sieve (this gives that restaurant-quality smooth velvet-like sauce) - (Optional)
- Return it back to the pan
- Turn the heat up and cook for 2 minutes more- cover as the tomatoes mixture will splatter
- Add the chilie powder and tomato paste
- Return the chicken back to the pan, add salt and pepper.
- Add ½ cup water. Cover and cook on medium-heat for 10 minutes
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Finally, add the cream and butter. Stir until butter is melted
- Serve over white rice, chapati, naan, or roti.
About Videos - most recipes has two videos - a quick version in the post & longer detailed version on this recipe card. Please do subscribe to my channel if you like my videos
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Pin this and other East-Indian Recipes on Pinterest here

- Chicken mince with Vindaloo Masala
- Stuffed Roast Chicken
- Chicken Frithad Recipe
- Chicken Croquettes
- Coconut Chicken Curry
- Chicken Khudi Curry
- Apricot Chicken Curry
- Chicken Potato chops
- Bottle Masala Chicken Curry
- Green Masala Chicken curry
- Baked Crispy Chicken
- Butter Chicken - restaurant style


Connect with me....Are you East Indian? Which part of the world are you from? Leave a comment, I'd love to know.