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Butter Hen Recipe | The Recipe Critic


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When you’ve by no means had butter rooster, you’re in for a deal with! This basic Indian dish takes rooster thighs and simmers them in a creamy tomato sauce full of spices till the rooster is irresistibly tender. Serve over steamed jasmine rice with some heat naan bread!

When you love butter rooster, don’t miss out on our Gradual Cooker Hen Tikka Masala, this Coconut Curry Soup, or these Thai Hen Skewers.

Butter chicken served over white rice with naan.

Traditional Butter Hen Recipe

When you’re a fan of Indian meals, then chances are high you’ve had butter rooster earlier than. And if in case you have, chances are high even greater that you’ve got change into a cult follower very similar to myself. When you’re not acquainted, butter rooster is a basic Indian dish consisting of rooster thighs simmered in a creamy tomato sauce till the rooster is tremendous tender and infused with essentially the most scrumptious taste.

When you’re new to the Indian meals sport, the spice record I take advantage of could also be unfamiliar to you, however don’t fear, as a result of nowadays, you’ll find all of them at just about any grocery retailer. Garam masala is the dominant spice utilized in butter rooster (we are going to discuss concerning the different spices beneath), and it has essentially the most great curry-like style to it. It’s full of spices, but it surely’s not “scorching” spicy, in it you’ll discover notes of coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and pepper. It’s fairly heavenly.

Spices in Butter Hen

  • Garam Masala: We talked about garam masala up above, however the full record of elements consists of cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamon pods. So if you happen to don’t have any of the spices beneath, you possibly can all the time double up on the garam masala as a substitute. It’ll nonetheless give your curry wonderful taste!
  • Cumin: Floor cumin provides a pleasant smoky be aware to the butter rooster.
  • Fenugreek: Whereas this ingredient is certainly elective if you happen to can’t discover it, it does add a beautiful savory factor to the butter rooster.
  • Coriander: Floor coriander is definitely the seed model of cilantro, so it has the same taste profile to it. I discover that floor coriander is a bit more smoky in taste and love the way in which it compliments floor cumin.
  • Turmeric: When you’ve by no means used turmeric earlier than, now is a superb time to start out! This vibrant orange spice give dishes a beautiful yellow hue and has a pleasant heat ginger-like taste to it.
  • Brown Sugar: To stability out all these spices, you want just a little little bit of sweetness and brown sugar is my sugar of alternative.

Different Components You’ll Want

  • Hen: Traditional butter rooster is made with rooster thighs. Hen thighs are much more flavorful than rooster breasts they usually can maintain as much as a long-simmered sauce. In contrast to rooster breasts, rooster thighs change into tremendous tender and shred very well once they’ve cooked for a semi-long time period.
  • Yogurt: Entire-milk yogurt is a basic ingredient in a number of Indian dishes. Right here, we use it to marinate the rooster, because it helps to tenderize it within the course of. It additionally provides a scrumptious creaminess and slight tang!
  • Garlic, Onion, and Ginger: I imply, is any dish full and not using a little garlic and onion?
  • Crushed Tomatoes: You possibly can additionally use entire tomatoes and crush them your self, however shopping for them pureed already is such a time-saver.
  • Lemon Juice: I like the acidic brilliant taste lemons provides to butter rooster, it’s a should!
  • Heavy Cream: A basic part of butter rooster is the cream sauce, and to realize that, we use a very good quantity of heavy cream. It’s what makes butter rooster so luxurious.
3-photo collage of chicken being simmered a creamy tomato sauce.

Let’s Make Butter Hen!

Don’t get me flawed, I like Indian takeout as a lot as the subsequent man, however if you make butter rooster from scratch, it simply tastes so recent and scrumptious!

  1. Mix Yogurt, Lemon Juice, and Spices: In a medium-sized bowl, add the yogurt, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, garlic, ginger, and lemon juice. 
  2. Marinate Hen: Add the rooster items to a big sealable ziplock bag. Add the marinade to the bag and therapeutic massage the marinade into the rooster. Marinate for 1-3 hours.
  3. Brown Hen: Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan and prepare dinner your rooster over excessive warmth. Prepare dinner till it has some browning and is cooked by means of. Don’t overcook it as a result of it is going to proceed to prepare dinner within the sauce. Put aside.
  4. Sauce Combination: In a saucepan over medium-high warmth add the tomato paste and prepare dinner for about 2-3 minutes till it darkens. Add the tomato sauce, heavy cream, butter, and sugar. Whisk till easy and prepare dinner for 3-5 minutes or till the sauce begins to thicken.
  5. Mix: Add the rooster to the sauce and blend to mix.
  6. Serve: Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with jasmine rice and naan bread.
Top-down view of butter chicken in a skillet.

Cooking Ideas and Substitutions

Listed below are a couple of methods to make this scrumptious butter rooster your individual!

  • Discard Extra Marinade: Ensure to get all the surplus marinade off earlier than searing the rooster in any other case, the underside can burn.
  • Different to Heavy Cream: When you don’t wish to use heavy cream, you possibly can swap out coconut milk and even gentle coconut milk.
  • Use Hen Breasts: When you’re actually not into rooster thighs, you need to use rooster breasts, however be sure to don’t overcook them.
  • Forms of Yogurt: Any type of whole-milk plain yogurt will work, it doesn’t matter if it’s common or Greek.
  • Add Extra Texture: So as to add some sweetness and texture, I like so as to add in a handful of raisins and cashews. So yummy.
  • Wait to Flip: When searing the rooster, don’t attempt to flip it till it simply releases from the pan.
  • Serve With: I all the time like to serve my butter rooster with some yellow rice and heat garlic naan! It’s such a tasty combo.

Can I Make Butter Hen in Advance?

Sure! Actually, butter rooster is simply nearly as good if not higher the subsequent day. Simply make from begin to end, cool utterly and retailer the rooster and sauce in a single container and the rice in one other container. It’ll keep good within the fridge for as much as 4 days. Reheat over a low warmth till the rooster is warmed by means of.

Closeup of butter chicken in a white bowl.


  • In a medium-sized bowl, add the yogurt, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, garlic, ginger, and lemon juice.

  • Add the rooster items to a big sealable ziplock bag. Add the marinade to the bag and therapeutic massage the marinade into the rooster. Marinate for 1-3 hours.

  • Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan and prepare dinner your rooster over excessive warmth. Prepare dinner till it has some browning and is cooked by means of. Don’t overcook it as a result of it is going to proceed to prepare dinner within the sauce. Put aside.

  • In a saucepan over medium-high warmth add the tomato paste and prepare dinner for about 2-3 minutes till it darkens. Add the tomato sauce, heavy cream, butter, and sugar. Whisk till easy and prepare dinner for 3-5 minutes or till the sauce begins to thicken.

  • Add the rooster to the sauce and blend to mix.

  • Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with jasmine rice and naan bread.


Initially posted on August 17, 2020
Up to date on June 17, 2023

Serves: 4

Serving1servingEnergy565kcal (28%)Carbohydrates21g (7%)Protein38g (76%)Fats38g (58%)Saturated Fats17g (85%)Ldl cholesterol247mg (82%)Sodium1614mg (67%)Potassium1090mg (31%)Fiber4g (16%)Sugar13g (14%)Vitamin A1372IU (27%)Vitamin C19mg (23%)Calcium159mg (16%)Iron4mg (22%)

All dietary data is predicated on third occasion calculations and is just an estimate. Every recipe and dietary worth will fluctuate relying on the manufacturers you utilize, measuring strategies and portion sizes per family.

Course Important Course

Delicacies Indian

Key phrase butter rooster, indian rooster



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