Butter chicken with Greek yogurt coats chicken breast pieces in a spiced marinade, then finishes them in a creamy tomato sauce. The recipe has two separate yogurt portions: half a cup for marinating and half a cup folded into the sauce at the end. Keeping those stages clear prevents raw-poultry marinade from being confused with the clean finishing yogurt.
Allow at least thirty minutes of refrigerated marinating before cooking butter chicken with Greek yogurt. Use bite-size pieces around one inch across and cook them to 165°F. A gentle sauce finish helps keep the dairy smooth, while a thermometer provides a clearer doneness check than the color of the chicken or spices.
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Why This Recipe Works
Garam masala, cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika, and a small amount of cayenne give the marinade a layered flavor. The sauce then uses its own measured spices with onion, butter, and tomato sauce. Butter chicken with Greek yogurt is an approachable skillet version rather than a claim of traditional restaurant technique.
Cream and the finishing yogurt add body to the tomato mixture. They are added after the initial simmer, with the final yogurt folded in off the heat. Use the measured cream and browning oil.
Ingredients for Butter Chicken With Greek Yogurt
Use 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast and plain full-fat Greek yogurt for the written version. Lemon juice thins the marinade slightly; garlic and ginger are grated. Salt is measured at three-quarters of a teaspoon for the marinade, with black pepper to taste and any final salt adjusted after tasting the sauce.
The sauce uses two tablespoons butter, a cup of diced onion, an eight-ounce can plain tomato sauce, one cup cream, and the separate half cup of yogurt. One tablespoon olive oil for browning is explicitly included. Butter chicken with Greek yogurt contains dairy, and the rice or naan chosen for serving is additional to the card’s main ingredients.
Chicken marinade
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (Cut into approximately 1-inch pieces)
- ½ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt (For marinade only)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic (Grated)
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- to taste black pepper
Skillet and sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (For browning; additional to sauce butter)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1½ teaspoons garam masala (For sauce)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin (For sauce)
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric (For sauce)
- 1 can plain tomato sauce (8 ounces)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt (Clean separate portion for finishing)
- to taste salt and black pepper (Taste the completed sauce)
Optional serving additions
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (Optional)
- 4 cups cooked rice (Optional serving side; OR four naan portions, not both)
How to Make Butter Chicken With Greek Yogurt
Whisk the marinade ingredients, add the diced chicken, cover, and refrigerate thirty to sixty minutes. Heat the browning oil in a wide skillet and cook chicken with its clinging marinade in an uncrowded layer, using batches if necessary. Check pieces reach 165°F and transfer them to a clean plate. Discard any uncooked marinade left in the bowl.
To build butter chicken with Greek yogurt, melt the butter in the same skillet and soften the onion with the sauce spices for about five to seven minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and simmer five to ten minutes, scraping browned residue without retaining burned bits. Reduce the heat and add cream gradually; avoid a hard boil. Return chicken and heat thoroughly, then remove the skillet from the heat. Temper the clean finishing yogurt with a little warm sauce before folding it through. Serve butter chicken with Greek yogurt promptly.
How to Serve
Divide butter chicken with Greek yogurt into four main portions. Spoon sauce over separately cooked rice, or offer naan alongside. Cilantro is a measured optional finish, and those serving additions should not be mistaken for ingredients already included in the cooking time.
Taste before adding more salt or cayenne. The dish already has several spices, and the dairy moderates their sharpness. Butter chicken with Greek yogurt can be served with a cool salad or a simple vegetable side without adding another rich sauce to the plate.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in shallow covered containers at 40°F or below within two hours, or one hour above 90°F. Use within three to four days. Reheat the needed portion gently, stirring and checking that the chicken reaches 165°F even if the sauce is already steaming.
Freezing butter chicken with Greek yogurt can make its dairy sauce grainy after thawing, so refrigerator storage is preferred for this finished version. If you do freeze a portion, use it within two months for quality and thaw in the refrigerator, expecting some texture change. Never leave marinating chicken on the counter.
The marinade and Greek-yogurt finishing method are adapted from Danae Halliday’s Easy Butter Chicken at Recipe Runner.
For refrigeration and temperature checks, consult the FDA safe food handling guidance when preparing or storing perishable foods.
Tips and Variations
Prepare the sauce’s yogurt in a clean bowl before touching raw chicken, and keep both portions refrigerated until needed. Briefly taking cream and finishing yogurt out while the tomato sauce cooks avoids a very cold addition without leaving dairy unrefrigerated for hours. Butter chicken with Greek yogurt should be stirred calmly rather than boiled vigorously after dairy is added.
The olive oil is additional to the two tablespoons sauce butter. Keep those allocations separate when measuring. The listed yogurt, cream, and butter contain dairy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there one cup of yogurt total?
Yes, split into two separate half-cup portions. The clean second portion finishes butter chicken with Greek yogurt after cooking.
Can I use the leftover raw marinade as the finishing yogurt?
No. Discard uncooked marinade left in the bowl and use a clean measured yogurt portion for the sauce.
How long do I marinate?
Thirty to sixty minutes in the refrigerator is specified. The total estimate includes the shorter thirty-minute rest.
Why add the last yogurt off the heat?
A gentler finish helps reduce graininess. Temper it with a little warm sauce, then fold it through butter chicken with Greek yogurt.
How do I check the chicken?
Probe the center of the larger pieces for 165°F. Extend the skillet cooking if they have not reached it.
More Recipes to Try
Butter Chicken with Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
Chicken marinade
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts Cut into approximately 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt For marinade only
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic Grated
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- to taste black pepper
Skillet and sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil For browning; additional to sauce butter
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1½ teaspoons garam masala For sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin For sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric For sauce
- 1 can plain tomato sauce 8 ounces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt Clean separate portion for finishing
- to taste salt and black pepper Taste the completed sauce
Optional serving additions
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro Optional
- 4 cups cooked rice Optional serving side; OR four naan portions, not both
Instructions
- Combine the marinade yogurt with lemon juice, garlic, ginger, marinade spices, measured salt, and pepper. Coat the roughly 1-inch chicken pieces, cover, and refrigerate 30–60 minutes.
- Heat the tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cook chicken with the marinade clinging to it, working in batches if crowded, until thick centers reach 165°F. Place on a clean plate and discard raw marinade remaining in the bowl.
- Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Add onion and the separate sauce garam masala, cumin, and turmeric; cook 5–7 minutes until softened. Add tomato sauce and simmer gently 5–10 minutes.
- Lower the heat and stir in cream gradually without a hard boil. Return cooked chicken and warm through. Take the skillet off the heat.
- Mix a few spoonfuls of warm sauce into the clean finishing yogurt, then fold it into the skillet. Taste seasoning, add optional cilantro, and serve four portions with separately prepared rice or naan.
