Okay, I don’t really know what this recipe is but I do know that it was inspired by a recipe for butter chicken (which may not have been all that authentic to begin with), and then I changed it up to fit my preferences and ingredients that I had on hand. The result? Absolutely, freaking delicious. This “Not” Butter Chicken is spicy, tangy, and super aromatic. This is one of those dishes that makes me look forward to eating my lunch every day… even though I’ve eaten the same thing for the past three days. Plus, the leftovers are every bit as delicious as day one!
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What is Garam Masala?
Garam masala is a warm blend of spices used in Indian cuisine. It’s a major flavor component for this recipe and can’t be skipped. In regular grocery stores it can be pricy, so search out ethnic grocery stores where you’ll get twice as much for a fraction of the price. Or, if you want to try making your own blend of fresh spices at home, make sure to check out this recipe for Garam Masala from Swasthi’s Recipes, where you’ll also find out a lot more cool info about this awesome blend of spices and how it’s used.
Tips for Buying Chicken on a Budget
Boneless, skinless breasts can cost you an arm and a leg if you don’t buy them right. First, shop sales. Second, ALWAYS buy value packs. I buy my chicken breasts in a 5 lb. pack and it costs at least $1 less per pound that way. As soon as I get home from the store, I divide the pack up into bags of two breasts each (that’s usually what I use per recipe) and freeze. It only takes about 5-10 minutes and I save at least $5. I actually intended to use chicken thighs for this recipe but buying the breasts in the value pack was less expensive per pound than chicken thighs. Imagine that.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs?
Yes, you can absolutely use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Chicken thighs are not only less expensive, but because they’re dark meat they tend to stay nice and tender.
Try These Authentic Butter Chicken Recipes
Since the recipe below is only inspired by Butter Chicken, here are a few authentic butter chicken recipes for you to try. It’s also fun to learn about the culture and history behind this flavorful dish from these creators:
- Butter Chicken from Swasthi’s Recipes
- The Best Butter Chicken from Vijaya Selvaraju (Youtube)
- How to Make Butter Chicken at Home from The Bombay Chef (Youtube)
- Murgh Makhani | Authentic Butter Chicken from Love Laugh Mirch
- The Best Butter Chicken Recipe from Shinta Simon
(Not) Butter Chicken
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs. 2 lg chicken breasts ($2.48)
- 3 Tbsp butter ($0.22)
- 3 cloves garlic ($0.21)
- 1 med onion ($0.38)
- 1 inch fresh ginger ($0.14)
- 1 Tbsp garam masala ($0.20)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.05)
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce ($0.75)
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.88)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt ($0.25)
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice ($0.66)
- 2 1/4 cups water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Trim the fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into small chunks. Set chicken aside. Dice the onion and mince the garlic and ginger.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium/high heat. When the butter is nice and hot (careful not to burn it) add the chicken chunks and brown them on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. It’s okay if it isn’t cooked through because it will simmer in the sauce later.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Saute the mix for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add the garam masala and cayenne pepper. Continue to cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
- Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir until everything is evenly combined. Add the chicken back in, place a lid on top and reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the mixture to simmer for one hour or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- While the pot is simmering, begin to cook the rice. Combine 1.5 cups of rice and 2.25 cups of water in a medium pot. Place a lid on top and heat over a high flame until boiling. Once it comes to a full boil, immediately reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and keep the lid in place until ready to serve.
- After the chicken and tomato mixture has simmered, break the chicken into smaller pieces if desired (the chicken should be soft and easily broken apart). Stir in the plain yogurt. Serve the chicken mixture over a bed of rice. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make (Not) Butter Chicken – Step By Step Photos
Cut your chicken into small pieces. You can use thigh meat or breasts… whatever you like or whatever is least expensive.
It’s a good idea to have your onion, garlic, and ginger chopped and minced before you begin. The recipe comes together quickly in the beginning (then simmers for a long time).
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium high heat.
When the butter is nice and hot, add the chicken and brown it on all sides. Remove it from the pot after browning. It’s okay if it’s not cooked through, it will simmer in the sauce later and cook completely.
After removing the chicken, add the onion, garlic and ginger to the butter in the pot. Cook them for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to soften. Then add the garam masala and cayenne pepper. Continue to stir and cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes more. The spices will become fragrant.
Next, add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
Add the chicken back into the pot.
Place a lid on top, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about an hour so that the chicken gets cooked through and becomes nice and tender.
Get the rice going while the stew is simmering. It is really vital to the dish to use some sort of aromatic rice. I used jasmine rice because I was able to buy this large, 5 lb. bag for a really good price. Check the ethnic aisle at your local grocery store, they often stock bulk sized bags of jasmine rice near the other Asian ingredients.
Combine the rice in a medium pot with 1.5 parts water (1.5 cups rice / 2.25 cups water). Bring it to a boil with a lid on then immediately reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer on low for 20 minutes then turn the heat off. Let it sit with the lid in place until you are ready to serve. Fluff with a fork just before serving.
Once the chicken/tomato mixture has simmered for quite a while, the chicken should be very tender. I broke mine up into smaller pieces. Finally, stir in the yogurt. My final product didn’t need any adjusting with spices, salt or pepper but taste yours for good measure.
Serve over rice or with some naan to soak up the stew.
My husband and son went back for thirds. 😁 I did have to make one small change. I thought I had plain yogurt in the fridge, turns out I had vanilla, 😕, which would not have been good with the chicken. We love sour cream though, so I had a lot in the fridge and was and to use that instead. Still yummy
This is definitely a favourite when we have the time to wait! One piece of advice I would give when making this is to add the yogurt in a separate bowl and slowly mix in the hot chicken tomato sauce to bring the yogurt up to temperature before adding it into the pot. By doing this, the yogurt doesn’t split/curdle.
Thank you. I made this tonight, I wish I had checked your comment first! My yogurt did curdle. Boo.
I have made this recipe so many times that I don’t even look at the recipe anymore! It is one of my absolute favorites! It is so comforting, warm, and flavorful. If you are having a bad day, treat yourself with this meal – it is what I do and it fixes most problems.
Winco bulk bins for cheapest spices!
Made exactly as is and it tasted great. I wish I would have dried the chicken breast before adding it to the butter though, it just steamed and didn’t really brown. Also, I used Greek yogurt which curdled (got grainy) when adding it at the end. I would wait longer or slowly heat it up to avoid this.
I ate this as three large two cup servings.
I find Penzey’s to be a reliable online source for spices. If you sign up for their newsletter, you’ll get promo codes for freebies to accompany your order. Shipping can be spendy, so I wait until I need to order multiple items.
I found the BEST way to cook basmati rice. Rinse it many times (up to 10x if you have the patience) until the rinse water is clear. Then add an amount of water equal to the original rice volume (before rinsing) and let the rice sit in the water for several hours. Then boil and turn to low – it cooks fast! 10 min, maybe? It is the longest, fluffiest basmati I have ever made.
Do you think coconut milk would be a good substitute for the yogurt in this?
I do variations of this recipe frequently and use coconut milk. It’s super tasty and especially for those of you who are lactose intolerant. Perhaps a little more watery but then just cut the water from this recipe.
I swear you used to have a recipe for a tikka masala paste that could be made in bulk and frozen… Am I crazy? I would love to make another big batch of the paste to use in various recipes
Nope, that wasn’t me, but that’s an interesting idea!! :)
I really wish you had nutrition facts under recipes. It would make things so much easier on me
Oh. My. Gosh. When my sister and I made this recipe, the house smelled heavenly. The Not Butter Chicken was tender, aromatic and spicy. We served it with white rice, creamed spinach and Naan bread. This is our first time preparing Indian cuisine at home, and I’m looking forward to leftovers. Thank you, Beth. 😍😍
The Not Butter Chicken recipe is absolutely amazing!!! This is the first time (as well as my sister) making Indian food, and we’ve also made Creamed Spinach and Naan bread from your blog (which was also delicious btw). I will be making this dish again. 😀😀
I think this is a really good recipe, and I made a couple of modifications to the spices that give it a bit more complexity. Use this instead of two tablespoons of garam masala:
• 1/4 teaspoon of garam masala
• 2 tbsp of curry powder
• 1/2 tsp of crushed fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
Super tomato-y and very watery. Flavor not great. Won’t make again.
I actually managed to make this without all the ingredients. I was being lazy and cheap. The chicken I used leftover dark meat I picked off a turkey i roasted. I had no fresh ginger so I just used a bunch of sweeter spices like cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to try to emulate the ginger taste profile. I used heavy cream and whole milk instead of yogurt, and a jarred chunky arriabata pasta sauce for the tomato, and I added a bit of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. I also made the yellow jasmine rice recipe but with Basmati. Overall it was pretty good.
Thank you!!!! This is absolutely delicious! It’s going to be a constant for me and my family!!
Do you think this recipe would work with Greek yogurt?
Yes, that should work fine. :)
The way we make rice in the Middle East is absolutely 100% foolproof.
Heat 2 tbs oil in pot and then add washed (if necessary) and drained rice to hot oil. Mix rice until it is glazed over, about a minute or so, then add double the amount of water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and let cook until all water is absorbed. You can check by inserting a fork to the bottom of the pot. If there is no water there the rice is ready. 1.5 cups would take approx. 8 minutes to cook.
Made this last night – it was quite good. I used greek yogurt because that’s what was in the fridge, added some frozen peas (yum!) and chickpeas to up the veggie content, and served over white jasmine rice.
Made this tonight for hubby and son who don’t like spicy or tomato (except for in spaghetti sauce). Both had seconds. I loved it and put the extras in the freezer for lunches! I used Greek Yogurt and made my own garam masala from another of Beth’s recipes. I will make it again!
Just made this- Yummy! Wife and I both loved it.
For Garam Masala, I use a mix I found in a book called:
“Quick After Work Curries” by Pat Chapman:
1 TBSP ground coriander
1.5 TSP ground cumin
1.5 TSP ground cardamom
1.5 TSP ground black pepper
1.5 TSP ground cloves
1.5 TSP ground fennel
1 TSP ground cinnamon
Much easier to find the raw spices than a reliable source
that is already mixed where I live (Germany).
The final product was good! just a little watery than expected. Anyway I can avoid this and make it creamier? Should I drain the diced tomatoes before adding them? also maybe using greek yoghurt instead?
If you let the chicken simmer in the sauce without a lid, that will allow it to reduce and be less watery, but without losing any of the flavor from the tomato juice. :) You can also try Greek yogurt, if you prefer.
I buy most of my spices from the bulk section at Wegmans. The prices are great and so is the selection.
If you’re having a tough time finding a good garam masala for this recipe, I used RawSpiceBar’s freshly ground garam masala spice blend and it was wonderful in this dish.
haha! Its funny you discovered this through meshing together ingredients!
This may not be butter chicken, but, West Indians call this dish Chicken Stew.
Delicious!
I accidentally bought a can of tomato paste instead of tomato sauce. How much water should I add to get the same consistency?
Well, they’re not really the same. Tomato sauce has a little bit of salt and other seasonings. I’m not sure how much you’d need to thin out to make it at least similar to the tomato sauce. :/
Do you think this sauce would be good over chickpeas?
Yes, absolutely. :)
another great recipe!
I wanted to add my 2p about online spice buying. My all time favorite is Penzeys. They have very high quality, and a huge catalogue. If you are near a major city, you can check out one of their stores to sample the spice mixes or individual spices. They even have four different kinds of cinnamon! You can save money by buying the “bagged” spices and add them to your own jars. I put their “Mural of Flavor” in everything, and I much prefer their Cinnamon Sugar over anyone else’s.
And I’ll be trying this recipe soon – looks great! I just discovered your blog the other day and have been pinning like mad. A lot of your recipes are things I like to cook.
OMG, girl!!! This recipe is delicious. I made it yesterday, but I used the double of ingredients and I’m happy that I did, everyone went for seconds. I’m heating it up for lunch right now. My toddler belly and I are totally happy .
Thank you again.
I doubled the recipe the first time I made it, and today I bought enough supplies to make a quadrupled batch tonight! You weren’t kidding when you say this is one of those recipes where you look forward to lunch every day. I used plain Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt to keep it nice and creamy, and I love how much healthier this recipe is than traditional butter chicken. I cheat a little when it comes to Indian spices – a friend of mine buys hers in bulk whenever she goes to India & shares the wealth with me.
I’m not sure if I messed this up or not. Or just ended ended up tasting like spiced tomato sauce. Maybe my spices weren’t string enough. Do you think it’ll taste good with coconut milk instead of the yogurt?
Yes, coconut would be very good with this. Just be sure to add it towards the end because coconut milk can curdle if it boils. And yes, it does sound like your spices may be a bit old. Garam Masala is one of those spice blends that varies a lot from brand to brand, as well. So maybe try a different one?
Mine tasted like pasta sauce too! I added a Tbsp of turmeric and 1/2 Tbsp cumin. Seemed to fix the issue.
Also, when I made this, the yogurt kind of curdled, which didn’t really affect the taste, but made it less appealing looking. Any suggestions?
I think that happens if the heat is too high? Maybe next time try turning the heat off completely before stirring in the yogurt. Hopefully that works!
A note about spices: ethnic groceries tend to sell very large quantities of spices for incredibly cheap in comparison to anything you could get at a typical American grocery store. Head to the nearest Indian grocery store and be shocked when you spend $3.50 on half a pound of cumin (literally).
Hey everyone- advice about spices- Im sure Beth has mentioned this but if you only need a little bit of a spice, its good to buy them in bulk. I know Whole Foods does it. Definitely a money saver.
Hi! This sounds great. Do you think it would work in a slowcooker? If so, how long would you cook it, and on which setting?
I think it would, yes. :) Put everything in the cooker except the yogurt and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Stir the yogurt in at the end. I haven’t tried it, of course, but that’s what I would try first.
I love Penzey’s spices. Going to the store is a real treat but the catalog is nice as well with lots of stories and recipes.
Is tomato sauce the same as tomato paste? Tomato ketchup? I wasn’t sure and so I used two cans of diced tomatoes, and it turned out quite tangy…
Tomato sauce is a product sold in the U.S. that actually says “tomato sauce” on the label (it’s sold near the diced tomatoes). It’s tomatoes that have been pureed smooth and with salt and just a few other spices added to it (I think it’s usually just onion and garlic?). It’s much more plain than pasta or marinara sauce.
In germany its called “passierte tomaten”, which translates into “sieved tomatoes”
You could replace it by mixing tomato paste with water and adding it
I’m hoping, as I made this last night to eat tonight that tomato ‘sauce’ is similar to Passata in the UK??
*crosses fingers*
I think it’s fairly similar, but not exact. Our tomato sauce has a little salt and a very small amount of seasoning, but not much. It has a puréed texture.
I made this recipe just now, but I feel like I botched it just then. It quite tangy, and it may be because I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes rather than a can of diced tomatoes+a can of tomato sauce. I did this because I didn’t know what “tomato sauce” is exactly. Here in Australia, tomato sauce is what we call ketchup in the States. Surely you didn’t mean for us to use a can of tomato ketchup in the recipe, yes? Is tomato sauce the same as tomato paste? Tomato puree? Please forgive my ignorance.
It’s okay! I think the closest thing is tomato puree, but it has some salt and a couple other things added as well. It’s definitely not as sweet or tangy as ketchup.
I made it last night and my 8 month old baby loves it. She keeps begging for more!
My boyfriend loves Indian food and I totally surprised him with this dish the other night. I usually stick to Mexican or Italian, thanks to you I am adding some Indian dishes to my table. Thanks for your recipe :)
Just made this last week. It was delicious! I have a Penzey’s spices store in my town, got the Garam Masala there. Very good quality, not really cheap. They also do mail order.
Was even better leftover and I also used the chicken in quesadillas which were amazing.
Do you think this would freeze well?
Yes, it freezes very well :)
I just finished making this and the chicken is so tender and flavorful! Poor trader joes is going to loose business with this recipe :)
Sassy – Do you have pureed canned tomatoes? I’d use something along those lines. Look for a canned tomato that is as smooth or in small pieces as possible, with as few added ingredients as possible :P
i am in Australia, and we don’t have cans of Tomato Sauce. exactly what is it i should use as a substitute? we have Tom Sauce in bottles, but it is the kind your squueze onto Hot Dogs and Fries etc. thank you, ps i am new to ur blog and i LOVE it! made the Hawaiian Quesadillas YUUUUUUUUUM!
I wouldn’t use tomato sauce (ketchup) it’s full of vinegar etc. Do you have sieved tomatoes (passata) down under? may come in a carton rather than a can?
That’s what I used anyway, I will give a verdict later :)
I’m eating a bowl of this as I type. I LOVE butter chicken and this didn’t disappoint!
I’ve used the butter chicken recipe from Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry before, so I kind of combined the two and used what I had. The ES&BM recipe calls for you to bake the chicken in the oven in a store-bought Tandoori marinade, but I did what you did and cooked chunks of chicken in the sauce to save on time and dishes. I also added a tablespoon of almond butter, and substituted the can of tomato sauce for 1.5 cups of chicken broth. I probably could have done with less broth, as the final product was a bit watery-er than I’d like. All in all though, delicious, and I will definitely be making again!
I made some paneer to use instead of chicken, and I wasn’t sure would turn out. So I pureed the gravy for this to possibly use for something else. The paneer turned out fine, but as I was tasting the sauce (minus yogurt, which I hadn’t added yet), I thought it would make a FANTASTIC soup base. I’m definitely going to take a stab at it myself, but I’d love to see what you might do with it also!
We loved it! I used greek yogurt and it made it really thick and creamy. Thanks for the great recipe!
This is almost identical to the Masala Chicken recipe I got off Weight Watchers! Without even making your recipe I know this will be amazing!
Just made it. It was delicious! Well, I had to add more masala because i went without the pepper (hate spice!), but other than that, it was perfect! I hated waiting an hour for it to simmer though! Definitely going to try out a number of these dishes you have on this site, 19 year old student here. Thanks!
Mica – not a silly question at all! I didn’t drain the liquid because I wanted the juice and all of its flavor. I’m sure that if you *did* drain the liquid, there would still be plenty of flavor from the tomato sauce and everything else, so I’d go for it! Also, you can check to see if there are any no sodium added diced tomatoes at your local grocery.
I hope this isn’t a silly question! Do you drain the liquid from the diced tomatoes before you add them? Whenever I use canned ingredients I usually drain the liquid because of the extra sodium in it.
Great recipe! I am new to making my own Indian food at home since it’s so much cheaper than getting takeout. Seek out your locan Indian or Afghan markets. Even Hispanic or Asian markets will have many of the spices required. Don’t pay $6-$7 each at the grocery store. I pay no more than $.99 for any spice I’ve needed so far at ethnic markets!
Anon- greek yogurt should work fine. It’s the same as regular yogurt except with some of the moisture strained out. So, you may need to add a touch of water if your sauce gets too thick.
Hi Beth, I only have greek yogurt in the fridge, do you think that would work for this recipe?
Thanks in advance!
I’m not an expert on Indian food or anything, but to me this was a lot closer to chicken tikka masala than butter chicken. Don’t get me wrong, it was very tasty, but butter chicken tastes more, well, *buttery* and creamy whereas tikka masala has this “punch you in the face with a tomato” flavor. ;)
This is awesome, some of the best Indian food I have ever made. I followed it to the letter. Great job.
I have to also throw my two cents in about Penzeys. I’m fortunate enough to live near one of their stores, and curry and garam masala are two spices I will ONLY buy there. The reason is because I’ve had bad luck with store/generic brands, and brands like McCormick are more expensive than getting a big bag at Penzeys. Milder seasonings like parsley and oregano I’ve been fine cheaping out on, so I generally only get really pungent seasonings at Penzeys.
Hi Beth,
Stumbled upon this site last week and decided to try this first. I have tried a few butter chicken recipes and my husband hasn’t cared much for any of them – until this one. He (& I) loved it. I have been informed that I need to make it more often. I also made the homemade naan and he couldn’t believe it wasn’t from a store. Thanks, I’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes. :)
This turned out wonderfully. I served mine over basmati rice, because that is what I had on hand. If you actually want it to be hot spicy, I’d recommend upping the cayenne to 1/2 tsp or more. As written, the recipe is a pretty family-friendly amount of spicy (in my opinion). I also added some ground coriander, which is common in indian cuisine and complemented the dish nicely. The cilantro is not to be omitted! It adds a great depth of flavor at the end.
I’m sure my boyfriend is going to flip out when he tries this. He LOOOOVES indian food. :)
I found this recipe in the Penzey’s spice catalog and made it this week. I had some garam masala that I had made a while pack. Tossed some grape tomatoes into the mini-cuisinart to make a quick tomato slurry. We thought the flavors were really good. The dish would be company-worthy, if your company likes spicey food. Tonight I served the leftovers with a salad of red lettuce, orange segments and avocado and it went so well with the chicken.
Great recipe! It’s similar to what I throw together for quick indian chicken curries.
I didn’t see this mentioned yet, but the following company (or two companies, run by two guys that know each other, on opposite ends of the US) has the best quality + price for spices they have in stock: http://www.sfherb.com (SF Herb Company) or http://www.atlanticspice.com (Atlantic Spice Co). One’s in CA and one’s in the Northeast, so pick whichever is closest to you, as they have very similar products and prices (which are cheap – 2-5x cheaper than Penzey’s – Penzey’s us good if you’re used to supermarket spice prices and staleness but not if you want bulk prices on fresh stuff). Great bulk cocoa too ($5-6/lb or so last I checked).
For the few spices the above places don’t carry (Hungarian paprika, malagueta peppercorns, etc), I use http://www.thespicehouse.com (Chicago). Anyway, hope this helps :)
For the Canadians: Bulk Barn is the best! The ones that I’ve been to have a large range of spices, and they are super-cheap. Under a dollar to fill a spice jar that you’d pay five dollars for at the grocery store!
Are there bulk stores in America? They’re a great place to get dry goods in general :)
If there is a Meijer around you, I paid a little over $3 for 200g of garam masala! I am making this in my Crockpot tonight for tomorrow’s lunch– I left out the yogurt and premelted the butter in a pan.. then tossed everything into my Crockpot. I’m going to cook it on low for around 8 hours and then stir in the yogurt in the morning! Thanks for the great recipe, (And the referral, @NTKOG!)!
I made this last night!! I mistakenly put in too much garam masala, and I THOUGHT I had yogurt but had fat free sour cream instead, but it was still delish! Heated it up for dinner tonight too!
OMG I made Not Butter Chicken today and it was super tasty. I looooove your blog, I know I have said that before but your blog is so helpful and the instructions are so clear. The pictures are great too. I made the Dal Nirvana and it was great as well. Good job and I’ve been making all my dinners based on your recipes. :) It’s so great for a college student like me who is cooking for her bf and herself. :)
I am loving your blog. You just got yourself a new follower.
:)
ButterYum
Can’t wait to try this, your blog is simply amazing for students :D
oh. my. goodness. This was SO GOOD! I even had my dad lovin’ it! He was super disdainful at first, but when he got thirds and then finished the rest off later, I knew it was a success! Thumbs up from my whole family!
The yogurt makes it a little tangier and a little creamy. I agree though, as it was simmering (before I added the yogurt) I couldn’t stop eating spoonfuls!! It’s awesome either way :D
I just made this with chicken thighs and I accidently forget to add the plain yogurt! It was still delicious! What does the yogurt do?
Not looking for spicy. Maybe for myself, but to keep up with my favorite ranting, “This is not a restaurant, and you eat what I cook or starve,” I must make it tolerable to the younger palates around here. :) I don’t want the kids to starve because I didn’t check on how spicy a dish can turn out with given ingredients and measurements. That would be a never ending battle amongst the four of them. I’m totally outnumbered here!
Thanks, Ritz
Asian markets often have spices really cheap and many markets cover Indian and all of south Asian cuisine, not just oriental.
NTKOG – *You* are the genius!! Raisins sound awesome in this AND I love the idea of putting everything together in an Indian burrito :D Oh, and you’re hilarious… your comment on the naan about losing cognitive function made me laugh out loud (literally, not LOL style) ;)
Ritz – I thought the same thing at first about the measly 1/4 tsp of cayenne (my masala was not spicy). I was surprised to find the end product to be “medium” spicy despite the small amount of cayenne. If you want it super spicy just add more… problem solved. Make it how you like it.
Oh, you know what? I just ate a serving of this, and the thought I couldn’t get out of my head: golden raisins. A handful of golden raisins added along with the chicken, then allowed to get plump while the sauce is simmering — I think the sweetness, against the spiciness of the sauce, would be perfection.
Also, because I’m a lazy Californian, I rolled this chicken up burrito style with dal nirvana from this site, and a quick and easy saag (spinach) recipe I found online. Almost distressingly delicious. (And so easy to freeze and bring into work for lunch, now that it’s in burrito form!)
When I hear “Indian,” I automatically taste spicy in my mouth. Is the masala spicy? I don’t think that the cayenne pepper is enough to really kick it up. Thanks!
Just ate this with some homemade naan. Amazing. You’re a miracle worker.
looks delish! you can turn it into a chicken tikka masala simply by adding cream to the sauce and/or using tomato paste instead of chopped tomatoes. The cream will obviously drive the price up, but you could cut down on the butter and tomatoes to even it out I suppose.
I used salted and I didn’t end up having to add any salt later :)
This looks amazing! Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Penzey’s, period. Their spices are better, better priced and you can get just about everything. If your also fortunate to have a store near you, they literally GIVE spices away sometimes. Sign up for their catalog and you’ll get coupons for free stuff. I’m lucky enough to have one that opened near me a few years ago. But even online, they’re a pleasure to shop with. Go Penzey’s. Oh yeah, I LOVE butter chicken, and I can’t WAIT to try your verzion. Peace.
Matt – I think it would be *fantastic* with cauliflower and chick peas, that’s a very Indian combo! Or maybe even tofu…
Julie – I think chunks of stew meat would be good. The sauce is pretty all-purpose. You can put it on just about anything!
would it be gross if i made this with beef?
This recipe looks unbelievably good! Do you think this sauce would work well with other ingredients besides chicken, like say chickpeas or cauliflower?
This looks delicious! Love the concept of your blog. Thanks for posting! Will try this recipe for sure.
We’re awfully lucky to have the bulk bins at Central Market near us, but we have made a few purchases at http://www.myspicesage.com/ Everything we’ve ordered has been good quality, and they always throw in a freebie for ordering. (Right now it’s saffron, the last time we ordered something it was eight vanilla beans.)
This recipe is great :) I like the way making from simple foods, like chicken and rice masterpiece like this. Even better,and healthy than restorant food.
Like weetabix, I also usually buy my spices from small bulk bins at one of my local grocery stores. This option has only recently become available to me, as the town I moved from a few months ago didn’t have any stores (that I know of) that had bulk spices. It’s great though — not only does it save me money immediately at the time of purchase, but being able to buy small amounts prevents the waste (aka money down the drain) that inevitably happens when a nearly full jar of some spice that I bought two years ago for a single recipe is no longer usable. Also, I feel like the spices I buy in this way are of a higher quality and are much fresher (because of a fairly quick turnaround) than the ones in the jars on the shelves.
World Spice Merchants http://www.worldspice.com in Seattle (ships nationwide) is phenomenal. Their service can’t be beat, you can choose the amount you want and, in many cases, if you’d prefer a spice blend whole or ground to order. And they’re one of the last businesses who will accept a check (yes, even if they’re shipping you spices!). They have the freshest, most fragrant herbs and spices in stock. Do check them out!
I am a Penzey’s gal all the way. I make butter chicken a lot (this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Makhani-Indian-Butter-Chicken/Detail.aspx, though I’ve altered it based on the comments and just cook everything together).
I think it’s best with chicken thighs, which makes my organic/free-range chicken a *little* less extravagant.
Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for the link to the garam masala, I have everything on hand to make it and I never would have known!
Check the bulk isle at your grocery store–ours has small bins of spices–no garam masala, but all the individual spices to make your own, and the amount you need is usually pretty cheap, since its pay-by-weight and they weigh next to nothing!
Excellent chicken recipe thanks for sharing. I really enjoy reading your blog very much.
You can get great prices on spices, and a large variety, at Cost Plus World Market if you have one near you. They sell small packets for .99 each, including garam masala.
Wow this looks delicious, thanks for sharing!
This recipe looks great! I’ll have to try it sometime soon. I buy my garam masala online from Penzeys. (They also have a few regular stores, where I shop occasionally.) I think their garam masala has great flavor and always seems fresh (unlike the supermarket versions). It’s relatively inexpensive (about $8 for a bag that will last for a long time) but the shipping is a bit pricey for a single item. I save up and buy a bunch of spices at once. I haven’t always had great experiences at Indian markets so I appreciate being able to buy good spices online.