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Creamy, buttery Easy Butter Chicken is a comforting shortcut recipe that saves you time and tastes like takeout! This Indian-style dish is full of so much flavor you’ll never believe it comes together in 30 minutes with simple, shortcut ingredients.
Zoup! provided me with Tomato Bisque for the purpose of this post and compensation for my time. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.
If you love easy, quick dinners, be sure to check out my Honey Garlic Chicken, Roasted Salmon with Garlic Cream Sauce, Skillet Honey Chili Chicken, One-Pan Orzo Tuscan Chicken Bake, and Lemon Parmesan One-Pan Pasta.
Butter Chicken is among the most popular recipes in Indian restaurants, alongside Tikka Masala and Tandoori Chicken. In this dish, chicken is stewed in a creamy, tomato-based sauce with a rich, buttery flavor.
In this easy butter chicken recipe, I have created some shortcuts that save steps and extra ingredients while still maximizing the flavor.
Key Ingredients
Chicken – you can use breasts or thighs, whichever you prefer.
Creamy Tomato Soup – Zoup!’s creamy, super-flavorful tomato bisque is a shortcut ingredient that replaces the need for canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and heavy cream.
Butter – this wouldn’t be a butter chicken recipe without the butter, which adds a velvety smooth richness.
Aromatics – garlic and ginger are the main components that add depth and complexity to this dish.
Seasonings – a combination of ground cumin, garam masala, chili powder, smoked paprika, and turmeric.
For Serving – be sure you have basmati rice and naan bread to make this a complete meal.
How to Make Easy Butter Chicken
In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low. Add the grated ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle over the seasonings and stir into the mixture.
Pour in the jar of creamy tomato bisque (or a 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce) and stir briefly to incorporate. Optionally, use an immersion blender or transfer the mixture to a blender/food processor and puree to ensure the traditional velvety smooth consistency.
Pour the tomato mixture back into the pan over medium-low heat. Add the uncooked diced chicken chunks, submerging them in the sauce. This allows them to braise in the liquid as they cook.
Bring to a low boil, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the mixture, cover with a lid, and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Why Use Zoup!?
I recently discovered Zoup! (it’s actually created by the team behind Zoup! Eatery, now Z!Eats). Their tomato bisque was the first one I tried, and it’s full of flavor beyond tomatoes. It comes in reusable glass jars and is full of delicious spices, onions, cream, and even white wine. It has such a yummy homemade taste from being kettle-cooked in small batches and is free of preservatives and artificial ingredients.
I love any excuse to shorten a recipe’s ingredients list, so I decided to use their creamy tomato bisque instead of tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and heavy cream, which I’d normally use in a butter chicken recipe. The result is the BEST version of butter chicken I have ever made!
Zoup! Tomato Bisque is part of a lineup of nine, flavor-forward soups. Other Zoup! products include traditional broths and bone broths, plus Culinary Concentrates™, gourmet broth bases, which are available at retailers across the country and online at ZoupBroth.com, Walmart.com, and Amazon. Use code 20ZOUPBATCH for 20% off your first Zoup! purchase on Amazon through 4/12/25.
Visit ZoupBroth.com to learn more and follow @ZoupGoodReallyGood on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok and @ZoupGoodReallyGoodBroth on Pinterest.
Tips and Modifications
Can’t find garam marsala at your local supermarket? Be sure to check the international aisle and the spice section. You can easily grab some on Amazon.
Substitute for the tomato bisque? If you can’t easily locate Zoup! Tomato Bisque near you, I’ve listed the measurements needed for making this easy butter chicken with crushed tomatoes and heavy cream. You’ll find this in the notes of the recipe card below.
Serving this with rice? Be sure to select basmati rice, as that’s what is served at Indian restaurants. I recommend starting your rice at the same time you begin cooking the chicken.
If you’re serving with naan bread, make sure to toast the naan in a toaster (the toaster-sized ones are my favorite). You can also toast them in a warm skillet over medium-low, a few minutes per side.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe for this easy butter chicken recipe! Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback!
If you make these or any other recipes, don’t forget to tag me on IG @BadBatchBaking to be featured on my story. Seeing your recreations makes my day!
Easy Butter Chicken (shortcut recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast chunks thighs work as well
- 5 garlic cloves grated
- 2 inch piece ginger peeled and grated
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 16 oz jar Zoup! Tomato Bisque or 15 oz can crushed tomatoes + 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Optional: basmati rice and naan bread for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low. Add the grated ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle over all the seasonings and stir into the mixture.
- Pour in the jar of creamy tomato bisque (or a 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce) and stir briefly to incorporate. Add a little water into the jar and shake to remove all tomato bisque; add into the skillet.
- Optionally, use an immersion blender or transfer the mixture to a blender/food processor and puree to ensure the traditional velvety smooth consistency.
- Pour the tomato mixture back into the pan over medium-low heat. Add the uncooked diced chicken chunks, submerging them in the sauce. This allows them to braise in the liquid as they cook.
- Bring to a low boil, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the mixture, cover with a lid, and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Serve over rice with extra sauce.
- If using heavy cream instead of tomato bisque, stir it into the finished skillet just before serving.
Notes
- Add a 15-ounce can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes into the pan in step 2, as it’s written for the tomato bisque. Follow the remaining steps.
- After the chicken is cooked through and dish is ready to enjoy, add in a 1/2 cup of heavy cream into the skillet, gently stirring so it warms through. Serve over rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is so easy to make and you’ll be shocked at how fabulous the tomato bisque substitute is for tomatoes and cream.