Butter Chicken (2 Recipes in 1 Dish)
By the QuiteRecipes team (Jamy & Kaïna) | Food Service Professional, Early Childhood Expert & Parents
A decadent, restaurant-style Butter Chicken recipe. This 2-in-1 dish features a deeply spiced tomato-base sauce and perfectly fluffy, buttery rice.
.webp)
Butter chicken and fluffy rice, both from the same pot session. A velvety spiced tomato sauce blankets tender chicken, with a poblano in the base adding a subtle, modern kick, richness you can actually control.
🥄 Ingredients
- 🫗 30g (3-4 glugs) olive oil
- 🫗 150g (1 medium) onion, small diced
- 🫗 50g (1) poblano pepper, seeded and small diced
- 🫗 10g (2 tbsp) ginger, minced | 10g (3 cloves) garlic, minced
- 🫗 5g ea: Garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, Kashmiri chili powder
- 🫗 10g (1¾ tsp) salt
- 🫗 165g (6 oz) tomato paste | 425g (1¾ cups) water
- 🫗 10g (2⅓ tsp) sugar
- 🫗 210g (1 cup) heavy cream | 50g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 🫗 300g (1½ cups) rice
- 🫗 425g (1¾ cups) water
- 🫗 8g salt
- 🫗 2 tbsp butter
Nutrition Facts*
*Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredients, brands and portion sizes. Values are provided per serving.
👨🍳 Instructions
**Sauté Base:** In a large pot, sauté onion and poblano in olive oil with a pinch of salt until softened. Add ginger and garlic; cook until fragrant.
**Bloom Spices:** Add the garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and Kashmiri chili powder. Stir for 1 minute to toast the spices.
**Simmer Sauce:** Stir in the tomato paste and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes to develop the flavor base.
**Finish Sauce:** Stir in the sugar and heavy cream. Add the butter and stir until melted. For a restaurant-smooth finish, pulse the sauce with an immersion blender.
**Cook Rice:** While the sauce simmers, combine rice, water, salt, and butter in a pot. Cook until tender and fluffy.
**Combine:** Fold your pre-cooked (or grilled/seared) chicken pieces into the finished sauce. Serve hot over the buttery rice.
🎥 Video Tutorial
Butter Chicken (2 Recipes in 1 Dish)
Video credit: embedded from YouTube. All rights belong to the original creator, who allows sharing on other websites.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✕
Burning the Spices: When toasting the spices with the onions/peppers, keep the heat on medium-low. If they turn dark brown or smell acrid, they have burned and will make the sauce bitter.
- ✕
Rushing the Tomato Base: Let the tomato paste/water base simmer for the full 20 minutes before adding the cream. This ensures the raw tomato acidity is cooked out.
🔄 Variations
Make it Smoky: If you have time, char your chicken pieces in a very hot pan or under the broiler before folding them into the sauce to mimic a traditional tandoor-roasted finish.
🧊 Storage
- 📦
Butter chicken freezes remarkably well. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat slowly on the stovetop.
💡 Chef Tips
Immersion Blending: Blending the sauce after adding the cream and butter is the secret to achieving that signature, glossy, lump-free texture you find in top-tier Indian restaurants.
Kashmiri Chili: If you cannot find Kashmiri chili powder, a blend of paprika and a pinch of cayenne will give you the same vibrant red color and mild heat.
❓ FAQ
Why add poblano peppers to an Indian dish?
It provides a mild, earthy green pepper flavor that isn't as overpowering as traditional green chilies, adding a nice complexity to the heavy, creamy sauce.
Can I use light cream?
You can, but heavy cream is recommended for the best texture. If using light cream, the sauce will be slightly thinner, so you may need to reduce it longer.
🔗 Related Recipes
.webp)
About the Authors
This recipe and guide was developed, tested, and approved in our home kitchen and daily life. Jamy is a retired Food Service District Manager and Early Childhood Program Manager who spent his career overseeing multi-site restaurant operations, large-scale culinary production, and daycare menu management. Kaïna brings the ultimate real-world test: making sure it brings ease and joy to our kids on a busy weeknight.
Read more about our professional background and philosophy →