A personal collection Brit's Recipes

Family faves & more.

← All recipes

Easy Butter Chicken (One-Pan, No Blender)

Yogurt-marinated chicken in a creamy, spiced tomato sauce — made in one pan with passata instead of crushed tomatoes so no blender is needed.

15 min prep · 30 min cook · 45 min total · 5 people

Adapted from Cafe Delites

Ingredients

people
  • 28 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts), cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 0.5 cup plain yogurt
  • 1.5 tbsp garlic, minced (marinade)
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced or finely grated (marinade)
  • 2 tsp garam masala (marinade)
  • 1 tsp turmeric (marinade)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin (marinade)
  • 1 tsp red chili powder, Kashmiri recommended (marinade)
  • 1 tsp salt (marinade) (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp ghee (or 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil)
  • 1 large onion, diced very small
  • 1.5 tbsp garlic, finely grated (sauce)
  • 1 tbsp ginger, finely grated (sauce)
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin (sauce)
  • 1.5 tsp garam masala (sauce)
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 14 oz tomato passata (plain tomato puree) — swap for the no-blender version
  • 1 tsp red chili powder, Kashmiri (sauce, adjust to taste)
  • 1.25 tsp salt (sauce, or to taste) (to taste)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk for fewer calories)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 0.5 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (to taste)
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped, to garnish (to taste)

Steps

  1. Marinate. In a bowl, combine the chicken with all marinade ingredients (yogurt, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt). Let sit 30 minutes to 1 hour — or overnight if you have it. The longer the marinade, the more tender the chicken.
  2. Sear the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high. When sizzling, add chicken in batches of two or three pieces so you don’t crowd the pan. Sear ~3 minutes per side just to brown — they’ll finish cooking in the sauce. Set aside and keep warm. Leave the browned bits in the pan — that’s flavor.
  3. Sweat the aromatics — slowly. Lower the heat to medium. Add the ghee (or butter + oil) to the same pan. Add the finely diced onion and cook 6–8 minutes, scraping up the brown bits, until the onion is completely soft and translucent. Don’t rush this — taking your time here is what replaces the blender step.
  4. Bloom the spices. Stir in the grated garlic and ginger, sauté 1 minute. Add the coriander, cumin, and garam masala and cook another 20 seconds until very fragrant.
  5. Build the sauce. Pour in the tomato passata, chili powder, and salt. Simmer 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and turns a deep brown-red. Cooking the tomato down concentrates the flavor and helps the sauce emulsify without splitting.
  6. Finish the sauce. Stir in the cream, sugar, and crushed kasoori methi.
  7. Return the chicken. Add the chicken (and any resting juices) back to the pan. Cook 8–10 more minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
  8. Serve with rice or naan, garnished with fresh cilantro.

Notes

Why no blender works here. The original recipe uses crushed tomatoes and blends the sauce for that silky restaurant texture. The shortcut: use tomato passata (plain tomato puree) — it’s already smooth, so no blender needed. Combine that with very finely diced onions and finely grated garlic + ginger and you get the same velvety sauce in one pan.

Spice level. Kashmiri chili powder is more about color and mild warmth than heat. For more heat, bump the chili powder or toss in a chopped green chili. For milder, cut it back.

Sauce too thick? Splash in a tablespoon or two of water or extra cream to loosen.

Make ahead. The sauce can be made a day in advance and reheated gently before adding the cooked chicken.

Dark meat is better here. Thighs stay juicier through the simmer; breasts work but pull them as soon as they hit 165°F.

My Notes

(your own tweaks go here)

chickendinnerindiancurryone-pan