No products in the cart.
All in one Meals, Dairy Free, Dinners, Egg Free, Favourites, Featured, GAPS, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Meat, Nut Free, Paleo, Sauces, Thermomix
My Best Butter Chicken Ever!
I’m so excited about this recipe, as you’ve probably heard! I was cheeky enough to call it the ‘best butter chicken ever’ because my 16 year old son insisted it was the best he’d ever tasted, and said that I HAD to call it ‘the best ever’, and I HAD to teach him how to make it so he could make it any time he liked!! (Don’t you love it when your teenage kids rave about a recipe you’ve made up?? It means so much more than a few likes on Facebook, as nice as that is!)
I know what you’re thinking. “It can’t be the best, it’s too simple. It just can’t taste amazing and authentic when it has so few steps and such basic ingredients.” All I can say is, TRY IT! Ok, it’s not cooked the traditional way, with chicken marinating for hours and then simmered slowly in a big pot for ages… but believe me, it tastes amazing.
I developed this recipe for my Quirky Cooking for Gut Health online program (which will be released soon – you can register here if you want to know more) and the criteria was as follows:
- not too spicy so it’s suitable for kids, but FULL of flavour so that when you eat it with cauliflower ‘rice’ the flavour doesn’t get lost
- super simple so even kids can make it
- dairy free, gluten free, grain and starch free (suitable for GAPS and Paleo diets)
- basic ingredients anyone will have on hand or can easily buy at the supermarket
- quick to make, perfect for those last minute dinner decisions
- and so delicious that you’ll want to invite some friends over to share it with you!
It worked out to be soooooo delicious I couldn’t wait for my program to be finished to share it – I had to share straight away! So I popped the recipe into my newsletter (as I often do with recipes I can’t wait to share) and it went a bit viral, so I thought I’d better just get it up on the blog! So here it is.
P.S. If you want to see some feedback before you try it, here’s a few comments:
“Very fussy about butter chicken BUT this was sensational. Thank you”
“Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing Jo! Recipe was super easy to follow, quick and totally delicious. Thank you, you’re a total ‘good food’ superstar. Oh and yes agreed – best recipe ever!”
“Made it tonight and it was such a delicious comfort food. It’s now in the rotating menu, big complement from our 5 and 3 year olds. You should have seen my son checking with everyone if it was now their favorite. Thanks for generously sharing Jo!”
“Jo, I think your butter chicken recipe has probably been made or will be made by nearly every Quirky fan! It looks as if it’s one of your most all time favourite recipes! The only other recipe I can think of that equals this is the macadamia lime cheesecake!”
Let me know what you think – I hope you love it too!
Note: You can find Fine sea salt, Aussie Kibble Pepper and Organic Garlic for this recipe in my online store!
Print
My Best Ever Butter Chicken
Ingredients
Ingredients:
Cauliflower ‘Rice’
- 800g cauliflower, (cut into small florets)
Butter Chicken
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3cm fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 long red chilli, deseeded and halved
- 1 brown onion, halved
- 100g ghee or coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp Quirky Cooking Butter Chicken Spice Blend, OR
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 3 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 500g coconut cream
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 200g tomato paste
- 3 tsp sea salt
- 1 kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3-5cm pieces (or up to 1.3kg for TM5 or stovetop)
Instructions
Thermomix Method:
- Place cauliflower florets into TM bowl, and chop 10 sec/speed 5, or until ‘rice’ sized pieces. Place into Varoma dish, poking a hole in the centre to let the steam through. Set aside. Wash and dry TM bowl.
- Place garlic, ginger, and chilli into TM bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7.
- Add onion and chop 2 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides with spatula.
- Add ghee or coconut oil and Quirky Cooking Butter Chicken Spice Blend (or listed spices) and cook 5 min/100/speed soft. Loosen mixture from sides and base of bowl with spatula.
- Add coconut cream, lemon juice, tomato paste, salt and chicken to TM bowl. Place Varoma dish into position, and cook 25 min/Varoma/reverse/speed soft. Cauliflower rice will steam above, as butter chicken cooks below. Check cauliflower is cooked – if not, add another 5 mins/Varoma/reverse/speed soft.
- Place cauliflower rice into a serving dish, and butter chicken into a separate dish.
- Serve butter chicken and cauliflower rice with steamed vegetables or a salad.
Stovetop Method:
- Process cauliflower in a food processor until chopped into rice sized pieces. Set aside.
- Chop onion, garlic, ginger and chilli by hand, then saute in a heavy based saucepan with ghee or coconut oil, until soft.
- Add chicken and Quirky Cooking Butter Chicken Spice Blend (or listed spices) and saute over high heat for 5-10 mins, until chicken begins to change colour. (It will finish cooking in the sauce.)
- Add coconut cream, lemon juice, tomato paste and salt and reduce heat to med-low. Simmer gently over med-low heat, partially covered, for 20 mins or until chicken is cooked through and sauce is beginning to thicken. Stir now and then.
- Meanwhile, fry cauliflower rice in a frying pan over high heat with some ghee or coconut oil over med-high heat for 15 mins or until cooked through.
- Serve butter chicken and cauliflower rice with steamed vegetables or a salad.
Notes
- Cauliflower ‘rice’ can be replaced with Basmati rice if desired, or mix half cauliflower ‘rice’ with half cooked rice if you’re working on transitioning to less grains in the diet.
- For a vegetarian version, replace chicken with vegetables such as sweet potato, pumpkin, cauliflower and peas and cook for 20 mins in sauce, or until done. Can add chickpeas also if you like.
- Freezes well. Store for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Hi Jo, looks and sounds like a delicious dish? So when you say coconut cream, are you taking about tinned coconut milk? Or the cream on the top of the can when it gets separated?
Made your broccoli and salmon mornay last week. It was so yummy. Thankyou.
You can just use tinned coconut cream.
I made this recipie for dinner was incredible thank you! I added some chopped beans, carrots and peas from the garden put the dish in little ramekins and topped with puff pastry to make some butter chicken pot pies it was a major hit! Thank you lovely for sharing your cooking goodness ????
Wow, great idea!! You’re welcome 🙂
Hmmm had to try, cooking as i type. We are doing Paleo and GF currently so this was perfect timing.. Smells amazing. Can’t wait.
Thanks Jo.
Ness
Hi Jo, love the chicken but my cauliflower didn’t cook in the 25 mins. In fact it was cold. Left a big hole in the middle of the varoma. Had to cook it another 25 mins.
Regards
Yvonne.
Was it cooking on Varoma? Did you have any sticking to the bottom of the bowl?
Looks like a great recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
Was wondering, if I didn’t have canned coconut cream on hand would it be ok to use the thermie made one? Or, could I use cream if i didn’t need it to be dairy free?
Thanks
This was a real winner with my whole family. Yay! How great that is to find another dish that we all like. Even the cauliflower rice went down well to my surprise. I also did Zoodles (courgette noodles) with it which were also a major hit with both children and adults. Thanks a million. I really loved this share. Really simple to make and so tasty. Lisa from London
Have to agree it’s right up there, my husband is a big BC fan & very fussy, I don’t think he can tell there’s not even any butter in it. Love the large quantity too as there’s plenty of the sauce to freeze.
Hi Jo, just wanted to let you know that we had this splendid curry for dinner last night. I used creamed coconut instead of coconut cream and had to add 200 g water to loosen it a bit, and I stirred the chicken into the sauce before cooking it (in step 6) at 110℃ instead of 100℃ – these tips might be helpful for your readers in the UK where creamed coconut is fairly common. The compliments were over-the-top wonderful, amazing, splendid, ultra-delicious… they just kept coming!
Well done on a beautiful recipe that will be a new family favourite in our home. xo
Oh that’s great, thank you for the tips, Janie! Big hugs!! xx
OMG!
Made this for the fussy family last night, it is better than good!
I could not believe how tasty, easy and fast this dish is. They all licked their plates.
Will definitely be a regular on our menu.
I was starting to use my thermie less and less lately. Your recipes change everything!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talents with us.
Love the butter chicken recipe, cooking it in the Thermomix at the moment.
Hi jo, my suggestion is to replace the chicken with paneer for vegetarian version. I have always cooked traditional butter chicken in large scale, but I could never ignore my vegetarian friends. So I make the gravy in bulk, halve it and add chicken /paneer into it. All happy and the vegetarian version would get finished faster than the chicken.
Is there a way to cook normal rice or should I do this earlier? Thank you
You would just need to do it separately – it won’t cook properly on top in the Varoma.
First dish I made in my Thermo. So easy and tastes fabulous. My 9 month old twins demolished it !
This is sensational. A winner with the whole family!! Thank you 🙂
This was awesome thank you!
Oh yum!
Made this last night and it was gobbled up quick smart by the family. I didn’t have enough cauliflower to make the rice, so steamed rice and cauli together, worked out very nicely! 🙂
Thanks Jo, this is wonderful!
Just thought I’d add that the second time I made this butter chicken recipe I managed to squeeze some veggies into the sauce (ie carrot and a bit wedge of sweet potato). I also upped the spices a titch too (although no chilli added, lil one’s here), and it was absolutely delish! 🙂
How many serves in this recipe?
Approx. 6-8 – we get 8 serves out of it but we serve with half a plate of vegetables. 🙂
Wow!
This is now my all time fav receipe, ever!
Packed with flavours and a power punch for the feeling full factor!
The whole family devoured, Miss 2, Master 4, Master 6 and of course Mum & Dad!
So easy to make also!
Big thanks Jo, you are more awesome than you know!
Can you please let me know what speed slow is?
Also, I found that the lid of my thermie is now stained, not huge amounts but definitely noticeable to me ????
Other than that I totally love this recipe!
Speed soft is the spoon symbol – the very slowest speed. You can put your lid in the sunlight and it will fade the stain, but it will go away after a few washes anyway. 🙂
New to the thermomix world, but your website is heavily recommended. Cooked this meal tonight…my first OFFICIAL meal in the thermie…LOVED it, will recommend and cannot wait to explore and experiment further 🙂
Hi Jo, do you have any suggestions for a nightshade free version? Our son is really sensitive to nightshades, tomatoes in particular. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes, we love them!
A few people said they made it without the tomato paste and loved it! Do you ever make the pear ‘ketchup’ that is a sub for tomato sauce? I wonder if that would taste ok added?
Hi Jo,
Tried this recipe on the stove-top as my Thermie hasn’t arrived yet… and it was just amazingly delicious! My toddler finished his bowl and asked for more. I was really impressed at how simple it was to make, and how much flavour it delivered, without leaving that heavy indian cooking smell in the house after. This is going to be a regular on our mealplanner I think! Thank you for your generosity in sharing all your recipes. It is a real pleasure to try your recipes and eat the results!
Our girls, aged 10 and 7, absolutely LOVE this dish! We’ve made it a few times now & this is definitely one of their favourites!! In fact, we’ll be making it tomorrow, at their request! 🙂
This is an amazing Butter Chicken recipe!!! My friend’s are all passing it around and absolutely everyone loves it!!! It’s easy, healthy and so delicious
Thanks so much ???
You’re so welcome!
Thanks Jo for such a fantastic recipe. All 3 kids and hubby demolished their serves and asked for more! It can be very difficult to find a meal loved by all and this was certainly a winner. Delicious!!!
Oh my giddy Aunt. Yummo!
Even Miss 4 ate it (and the potato I steamed instead of cauli. She never eats potato unless it’s chips) and Miss 9 went back for a second helping.
Just 1 teaspoon of Paprika for my family is perfect.
And only had a 370ml can of coconut milk so went with that.
700gm of chicken meant I had room for a large carrot and cabbage in the bowl, with more veggies steamed in the Varoma tray over the potato in the Varoma dish.
Mr Carnivore says it’s a keeper too!
Thankyou!
Thanks for recipe Jo I’m trying tomorrow. I don’t use a microwave, how do you reheat?
Hi Sharon, just reheat on the stove, stirring on a low heat 🙂
Holy moly deliciousness ! Made this last night for dinner in my thermomix 🙂 I was a bit sceptical when I was making it as I find some thermo meals bland … well wasn’t proven wrong !! So much flavour !! Even my fussy husband LOVED it !!! Thank you for an awesome recipe !!
Tried this the other night but substituted coconut cream with plain yoghurt. It turned out great (albeit slightly tart if u r not used to yoghurt taste). A hit with the hubs n kids. Diced some potatoes and shredded some chicken into the leftover sauce the next day and it was delicious! (Added some baking powder and some milk to reduce the tartness of sauce from the previous day too)
Does it matter whether you use sweet or smoked paprika? Keen to make this for a dinner party, v excited
Usually sweet paprika for butter chicken. 🙂
HI there, I made this tonight, the flavour was EXCELLENT, but my chicken was really overcooked, dry and rubbery. I only used a kilo as stated and only cooked it for 25 minutes, as per the recipe. Any tips?
Hi, did you use thighs or breast? I find thighs are the nicest – they are always soft and moist, whereas breast is sometimes drier.
AMAZING!!! My entire family polished this off in minutes and requested it again ASAP. I omitted the chilli as my 8 year old is not a fan. I don’t have a Thermo so I did it in a pan and then transferred to my Slow Cooker for 5 hours. It was perfect! This will become a staple in our home. Thank you for such a great recipe. Do you have a “Most Popular” list? I’ll cook anything on it, if it’s as wonderful as this!
Awww thanks!! Funny you should say that, I’m just working on a Most Popular list! Stay tuned!!
I just made this on the stove and it was the best ever!! Kids loved it, so good. This is my first visit to your blog and we are also doing gluten and milk free. Im sure i will find many tasty Recipes here.
Just wondering if I can sub the coconut cream with cream and if its the same amount? Cheers
Would it still be the same cooking instructions if you’re not doing the cauliflower rice, just the chicken – 25 min/Varoma/reverse/speed soft? (is speed ‘soft’ just speed 1?)
Thanks, can’t wait to try it out today 🙂
Yes still the same speed and temp. Soft speed is the spoon symbol, slower than 1.
Have just made this, great flavour, I steamed carrot and baby beans with the cauli rice, excellent!
Hi Jo, just wondering if you are not making the cauliflower rice do you still cook on Varoma with the MC on?
Looking forward to it.
Yes, as it’s set up for Varoma temp, and might be too liquid otherwise.
Hi Jo,
Not only is this dish super delicious but my house smells amazing. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Made this for the first time today and am very impressed. Both my daughter and I gobbled it up. It’s always great to find meals we both love. This will be a regular meal in our house and I love the fact that the only ingredient I needed to go out and buy beforehand was the chicken. Thanks for a delicious recipe Jo.
I LOVE THIS!!! I’ve made it several times. If I want to make a half serve do I decrease the cooking time? Thanks in advance. Lauren
Yes, decrease cooking time by about 10 mins, then check. Can always add more if you need to. Cauliflower rice may need to be cooked separately though.
Absolutely amazing. I had given butter chicken up, being dairy free for allergy reasons, but this is just like the real thing! I added half a blended avocado, 3 blended fresh tomatoes and about 1 cup of the almond and cashew pulp leftover from making nut milk. It’s so devine! Best of all my 3 year old and 8 month old can eat it too. Thank you for such a tasty treat ?
Yum, I love the sound of your tweaks! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Just made this tonight and it was delicious!!!!! Really tasty! Next time I will add at least 1.5kg of chicken as it made soooo much sauce (I have a TM5). Going to panfry some more chicken tomorrow night and add the sauce to it. Yum! Thanks for another awesome recipe 🙂
I’m new to the cooking world and to thermomix, just made this and it was seriously good! Thank you 🙂
Wanting to make this now – can I use chicken beast instead?
Yes, just make sure you get fresh and it will shred less 🙂
hi jo,
my kids and i all love this recipe! amazing, they keep asking me to make it 🙂
I’ve got some fresh salmon in the fridge from yesterday, just wondering if i could use this instead of the chicken?
assuming would need to reduce the cooking time?
thanks
rochelle
I’ve made this several times now and love it! I’m about to attempt it on the stove top, and with seafood. Can you suggest a type of fish that would work in this dish and how long it should cook for? Or perhaps prawns instead of fish? Thanks!
Lovely flavours but found it very salty and I only put in 2 tsp – and I tend to like things well salted. No- one else seems to mention it but surely 3 tsps is a lot of salt?
Wow. If I somehow drowned in a vat of this sauce I’d die happy.
* I used out-of-a cow cream rather than coconut cream and butter instead of ghee/coconut oil.
This is SO delicious!!! I want to make multiple batches and freeze them and give it away to my friends & family!!!
I was a bit nervous about using a whole chilli, but it was a really mild heat, the rest of the flavours made it less hot too.
BIG thumbs up!! Thanks Jo xxxx
AMAZING…. so nice arriving home at 530pm from long day (5am start), bought chicken on way home, everything else in cupboard and fridge and under an hour we are all eating a beautifully tasty meal. The only thing I would change is to add more chili…. we like it spicier, but amazing awesome base….
thanks for sharing!! PLUS we have four frozen meals after feeding four and one went back for seconds!
Yay! We made it today too, for a last minute meal. 🙂