Butter chicken has become the poster child of Indian curries worldwide. People enjoy the dish for its mildly sweet flavour, which is more palatable for foreign palates unaccustomed to spicy cuisines. However, its creamy texture is much loved in India as well – but cooking it can sometimes be an intensive process, especially for special occasions like an Easter brunch. For such days, here’s the one-pot butter chicken recipe, ideal for party hosting.
The one-pot butter chicken is a streamlined version that focuses on convenience, cooking the chicken and sauce together. The traditional recipe is a multi-step process that involves long marination, char-grilling the chicken (often in a tandoor), and preparing the makhani separately. Both maintain the trademark creamy, rich texture, but the traditional recipe boasts a smokier chicken. However, one-pot butter chicken is quicker, requires minimal cleanup, and is ideal for beginners.
If making butter chicken for a party, you can cook the dish in advance (2-3 hours ahead). The flavours deepen as it sits. Simply reheat at the time of serving. However, add a splash of water/cream while reheating to ensure the gravy is smooth and not too thick. For an Easter brunch, serve it with pav so people can scoop and share.
Mix chicken with yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, spices, lemon juice, and salt. Set aside while you prep the base. Let the chicken marinate for at least 20 minutes, but ideally overnight for a deeper flavour.
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Step 2: Sauté the onions
Heat butter and oil in a large heavy pot. Add onions and sauté on medium heat until soft and lightly golden. This builds the sweetness and depth required by butter chicken.
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Step 3: Build the curry
Blend the soaked cashews into a paste. Now, stir in the cashew paste, Kashmiri chilli powder, salt, sugar, and 1–1.5 cups water. Mix well. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10–12 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and the gravy thickens.
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Step 4: Finish and serve
Lower the heat. Add cream and crushed kasuri methi. Stir gently and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
Taste and adjust salt/sugar if needed. The gravy should be creamy, slightly sweet, and balanced. Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
There are many origin stories, but most reports point to the dish originating in Delhi in the 1950s, at the Moti Mahal restaurant. The dish was invented to repurpose leftover tandoori chicken.
Butter chicken is mildly spiced with a slightly sweet, creamy flavour profile. It’s designed to be balanced—not very spicy—combining gentle heat, buttery richness, and a hint of sweetness from sugar or cream.
A typical serving of butter chicken (about 1 cup) contains roughly 450–600 calories, depending on the amount of butter and cream used. Restaurant versions tend to be higher in calories due to extra fat. For a lighter version, you can reduce the butter, use less cream, or replace some of it with milk or cashew paste.
Butter chicken gravy is a tomato-based curry. Butter, cream, and spices like garam masala and kasuri methi are added for texture, flavour, and aroma.