How to make restaurant-style butter chicken

Know your ingredients

First things first, the first step to making any butter chicken recipe like a restaurant is knowing what the ingredients are! The main ingredients in restaurant-style butter chicken are chicken, a variety of Indian spices, cream, butter, tomatoes, and dairy. Getting a feel for which spices are needed, what kinds of meat can be used, and how to substitute the ingredients if necessary will go a long way in making sure that you achieve the same flavor profiles, texture, and balance of spices as if you had gone out to a restaurant.

Marinate chicken

Chicken is the foundation of any butter chicken dish. Chicken marination is also an important step in achieving the right flavor and tenderness of the meat. The longer you can marinate your chicken the better, but it is not absolutely necessary. Some common ingredients for marinating chicken are yogurt, lemon juice, and other spices such as chili powder, turmeric powder, and cumin.

Cooking the chicken

It is important to first par-cook your chicken on medium heat, as restaurants do, so that it is partially cooked before it is added to the tomato gravy. This helps in locking in all the flavors and texture of the chicken. The chicken can be grilled, pan-seared, or even baked. Do not overcook the chicken at this stage, as this will lead to dry chicken later on.

Make the tomato sauce

The next and most important step to a good restaurant-style butter chicken is the tomato sauce. The tomato sauce must have the right consistency, color, and flavor to take the butter chicken to the next level. In addition to tomatoes, onions, spices, and seasonings are added to the tomato base to make the perfect butter chicken gravy.

Add cream and butter

Restaurant-style butter chicken uses the addition of cream and butter in the preparation of the dish to help give it the silky smooth texture that we all love and know so well. Mixing in the cream and butter at the right time in the recipe is important as it can curdle if added too early.

Adjust the flavors

Restaurant style butter chicken is the perfect harmony of sweet, spicy, savory, and tangy, and as such, it can be important to taste your gravy and adjust the flavoring of the butter chicken using different spices, lemon, or even a touch of sugar or honey.

Cook the chicken in the gravy

The next step to making a butter chicken like you would in a restaurant is to add the par-cooked chicken to the gravy and cover the mixture to cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes. During this time, it is essential to make sure that you stir the chicken and gravy well in between so that the chicken cooks evenly.

Garnish and serve

Garnishing butter chicken is the final and important step in making butter chicken restaurant-style. Garnishing the dish is not only to make the meal look good but also for the flavors. For butter chicken, fresh cilantro, cream, and a dollop of butter is an ideal garnish to get that restaurant-style butter chicken look and taste.

Pair with accompaniments

Restaurant-style butter chicken would not be complete without a few of the classic sides and accompaniments. We recommend pairing your butter chicken with either roti, naan, or fluffy white rice. Pickles and raita are also great for bringing some fresh tang and acidity to the creamy and rich butter chicken.

Tips to Make Butter Chicken Restaurant Style 

Use fresh ingredients. 

Marinate the chicken overnight for more flavor. 

Slow cook the gravy. 

Add the cream and butter at the end to avoid curdling.

Slightly char the chicken before adding to the gravy for smoky flavor.

Conclusion

Making restaurant-style butter chicken at home requires the right ingredients, some patience, and of course, the tips we have listed above. With an easy-to-follow recipe such as this one, butter chicken at home can be one of the tastiest and most satisfying dishes to create, especially when it comes to tasting the restaurant-style butter chicken at the end! We hope you enjoy our butter chicken recipe as much as we do, so let us know in the comments what variations you have tried as well.