I’m so excited to share this butter chicken recipe today! Dustin and I love Indian food but I never thought I’d be able to replicate our favorite Indian dishes at home- until this recipe! It’s just so so good. And easy.

Let’s talk about a few of the ingredients. You can use chicken breast and/or thighs here. Just be careful not to overcook chicken breast or it’ll be dry. The chili powder this recipe calls for pure ground chili, which I don’t have, so I used cayenne. I reduced the amount of cayenne pepper quite a bit (to be safe for kids) and found it still had a kick. Also, don’t try and make this dish too healthy. If you use low-fat substitutes it’s just not going to taste as good/like the real thing. Butter chicken actually doesn’t have as much butter in it as I expected but gets its richness from some heavy cream.

We had this butter chicken over basmati rice, with fresh cilantro and warm garlic naan for scooping up all that sauce. I also made a cucumber raita (which I’ll be posting right away) to serve alongside.

Easy Indian Butter Chicken

INGREDIENTS

Marinade:
1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. pure ground chili powder or cayenne pepper (I used 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper and it had a slight kick)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite size pieces (I used chicken breast)

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter or ghee
1 cup tomato puree
1 Tbsp. sugar
~1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. cornstarch + 1 Tbsp. water (to thicken, optional)

For Serving:
basmati rice
garlic naan
fresh chopped cilantro
cucumber raita (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients until smooth and then stir in the chicken until the chicken is thoroughly coated. Marinate for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours.
2. In a large frying pan, heat the butter/ghee over medium-high heat. Add the chicken (discard the extra marinade) and cook for a few minutes, then turn the chicken pieces so they cook on the other side. Add the tomato puree, sugar and salt and let simmer on low-heat for about 10-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked completely through. Stir in the whipping cream. If you want to thicken the sauce, whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl or cup with a fork then pour into the sauce. Let the sauce come to a simmer again and cook for a minute or two to thicken, then adjust salt to taste. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice, naan bread, and cucumber raita (optional).

Serves 4.

(Adapted from RecipeTin Eats via Everyday Reading)

I’ve tried a lot of chicken marinades in my 30-something years and for grilled chicken breast, this one is the best! We cooked it on the Traeger (I included instructions for regular and Traeger grills below) and it was incredibly tender, moist, and flavorful. Our family and guests loved it. Jenn at Once Upon a Chef said using the lemon zest, instead of the juice, is the secret to this recipe’s success. She said the acidic lemon juice can actually make the chicken tougher, while the zest imparts flavor without having that effect! All I know is that this is some delicious chicken. We served it alongside this Persian Tomato, Cucumber, and Pomegranate salad, roasted cauliflower, and smashed roasted potatoes.

The Best Marinated Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest, from one lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. One at a time, place the chicken breasts in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag; using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness. (Or instead of pounding, slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have two thin pieces.)
2. Mix all of the ingredients except for the chicken together in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag (go ahead and use the same one you used for pounding if it is still in good shape). Add the chicken breasts to the bag and massage the marinade into the meat until evenly coated. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (the bowl protects against leakage); let the chicken marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat the grill to high heat and oil the grates. Place the chicken breasts on the grill and cook, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcook. (We cooked them on a Traeger grill at 450 until a temperature probe reached 165 F, which took 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the piece.) Transfer the chicken to a platter and serve.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from Once Upon a Chef)

I grew up on chicken broccoli casserole but it was made with a can of cream of something and loads of mayo. I wanted a more natural and bit healthier approach, and found success with this recipe! (I also have a version with wild rice and broccoli in the archives.) I did increase the ingredient amounts from the original recipe linked to fill a 9×13 pan and it worked out just right. The creamy cheese sauce starts with some onion and garlic cooked in a roux and then a few spices and cream cheese and Cheddar are stirred in. Then the sauce is layered with cooked chicken (rotisserie makes it easy), just-tender broccoli and steamed rice, more cheese is sprinkled on top, and then the whole casserole bakes until browned and bubbling. These flavors familiar to my childhood are once again a family favorite!

Easy Broccoli Chicken Rice Casserole

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cup diced yellow, white, or green onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or 1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced)
1 tsp. kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp. black pepper (adjust to taste)
3 cups milk
3/4 tsp. dry mustard powder
3/4 tsp. paprika
pinch cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
4 Tbsp. cream cheese
3 cups sharp cheddar, divided
3 cups cooked rice
4-5 cups broccoli
2-3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed (rotisserie chicken works great)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook onion and butter on medium-low heat until softened and translucent. Stir in flour, garlic powder (or garlic), salt and pepper. Cook an additional 2 minutes.
   Gradually pour in milk while whisking. Continue whisking over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add dry mustard, paprika, a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes, cream cheese and 2 cups cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.
3. Steam or boil broccoli for several minutes, until tender-crisp. You still want it slightly crisp as it cooks more in the oven.
4. In a 9×13 casserole dish, layer the rice, broccoli, chicken and cheese sauce. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese and bake 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is lightly browned on top.

Makes a 9×13 casserole.

(Adapted from Spend with Pennies)