This gluten-free butter chicken is packed with juicy chicken nestled in a rich and creamy sauce; it's the perfect gluten-free curry for all!
Butter chicken, also known as Murgh Makhani, is one of the easiest curries you can make. There is no hunting down hard-to-find ingredients. This recipe will bring home all the gluten-free Indian food flavors you want that the whole family will love.
Craving for more chicken recipes? Also check out my Gluten-Free Chicken Marsala and Pan Seared Chicken with Spinach Cream Sauce for more flavors.
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What is butter chicken?
Butter chicken is a mild curry that comes from northern India. While most people think of a lot of spice with curry, butter chicken is considered a much milder curry. This has led to butter chicken curry becoming a very popular curry recipe all around the world.
Ingredients.
Making butter chicken curry does take a few ingredients since we are making a chicken marinade. and a gluten-free curry sauce for this recipe, but all of the ingredients are pretty easy to find at your local grocery store.
Marinade.
- Chicken - You can use either chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Plain yogurt - You want to use a full-fat, unflavored yogurt for this recipe.
- Lemon Juice - You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice.
- Ginger - I prefer to use freshly grated ginger, but you can also use ginger powder.
- Garlic - Just like with ginger, I prefer fresh garlic for this recipe.
- Spices - Indian recipes are known for their delicious, bold flavors. This gluten-free butter chicken curry is no different with its blend of spices, including garam masala, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, and salt and pepper. If you can't find garam masala, you can substitute curry powder, but I prefer garam masala.
Curry Sauce
- Butter or ghee - You can't have butter chicken without a little butter. You can also use ghee in its place.
- Tomato puree - This can be found in the canned tomato section at the store. This is not tomato paste and not tomato sauce.
- Heavy Cream - The cream helps to make the gluten-free curry sauce nice and thick. If you want it lighter, you can use half cream and half milk or half and half.
- Sugar - A little bit of sugar helps to balance out the heat of the spices.
- Salt
Dairy-free butter chicken.
Traditional butter chicken curry is made with butter and cream; however, it is possible to make this a dairy-free butter chicken with a few ingredient swaps.
- Instead of yogurt, use a dairy-free plain or greek style yogurt.
- Instead of heavy cream, use full-fat coconut milk, coconut cream, or more dairy-free yogurt.
- Butter can be swapped for ghee or a dairy-free alternative like Earth Balance sticks.
Steps.
- Marinate the chicken.
- Cook the chicken.
- Make the gluten-free curry sauce.
- Let it simmer till the sauce has thickened.
Tips and tricks.
- Let the chicken marinate. - I prefer to let the chicken marinate overnight in the fridge before cooking it. If you don't want to wait that long, I suggest letting it marinate for at least three hours.
- Adjust the heat. - Butter chicken is a more mild curry, but if you like spice, feel free to add more cayenne to the marinade.
Serving suggestions.
I love keeping it simple and serving this gluten-free curry with some simple basmati or jasmine rice with some fresh cilantro on top. If you want something lighter, you can also serve it with some cauliflower rice. Of course, I like to be a little extra and also whip up some of my easy-to-make gluten-free naan bread to dip into the sauce. It really makes eating gluten-free Indian food more delicious.
Storing and leftovers.
Leftovers will last in the fridge for up to three days when stored in an airtight container.
More gluten-free chicken dinners.
If you love not boring chicken dinners like this gluten-free butter chicken curry, check out these other chicken dinners next.
📖 Recipe
Gluten-free Butter Chicken Curry
Ingredients
For the marinade.
- ½ Cup Greek Yogurt Plain, unsweetened. Use a dairy-free Greek style yogurt to keep this a dairy-free chicken marinade.
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- ¾ Teaspoon Ground Ginger You can also use 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger.
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder Or 2-3 cloves, minced.
- 1 Teaspoon Tumeric Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Garam Masala
- ½-¾ Teaspoon Cayenne Powder Use more or less depending on how much heat you want in the final curry.
- ½ Teaspoon Coriander
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 ½ - 2 Pounds Chicken You can use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
For the gluten-free curry.
- 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
- 4 Tablespoons Butter Use ghee or a dairy-free alternative to make this curry dairy-free.
- 1 15 Ounce Can Tomato Puree
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream Use full-fat coconut milk, coconut cream, or more dairy-free yogurt
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Marinate the chicken.
- Combine all of the chicken marinade ingredients into a bowl and mix.½ Cup Greek Yogurt, 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, ¾ Teaspoon Ground Ginger, 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 Teaspoon Tumeric Powder, 2 Teaspoons Garam Masala, ½-¾ Teaspoon Cayenne Powder, ½ Teaspoon Coriander, 1 Teaspoon Cumin, 1 Teaspoon Salt, ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- Add the cut chicken pieces to the bowl of marinade.1 ½ - 2 Pounds Chicken
- Cover and place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Cook the chicken.
- In a skillet, warm the avocado oil over medium heat.2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
- Add the chicken pieces from the marinade to the skillet. Be sure NOT to wipe or shake off the marinade, but don't add any excess marinade to the skillet.
- Let the chicken cook in the skillet for about 3 minutes per side until it starts to turn white looking. Note the chicken won't brown because of the marinade on it.
Make the gluten-free curry sauce.
- Once the chicken is cooked a little, add the butter, tomato puree, heavy cream, sugar, and salt to the skillet with the chicken.4 Tablespoons Butter, 1 15 Ounce Can Tomato Puree, 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream, 3 Tablespoons Sugar, ½ Teaspoon Salt
- Stir gently and then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes so the chicken can finish cooking and the curry sauce thickens.
Notes
- Let the chicken marinate. - I prefer to let the chicken marinate overnight in the fridge before cooking it. If you don't want to wait that long, I suggest letting it marinate for at least three hours.
- Adjust the heat. - Butter chicken is a more mild curry, but if you like spice, feel free to add more cayenne to the marinade.
Heather says
Loved the recipe!