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Butter Chicken Recipe

By: Andrea Alden

Originally cooked for Napoleon in 2014 this BBQ Butter Chicken recipe was one of my first forays into exotic flavors. A traditionally Indian dish, Butter Chicken is not usually cooked on the barbecue, however, this is a grill blog and I just had to grill-i-fy this recipe. All ingredients for this recipe are now commonplace and easy to get. In fact, I find myself making this when looking for a comfort food meal, or when I want something I can turn into lunches. (This recipe freezes well!) A word of warning though, the marinade does get a little messy on your cooking grids, so be sure to preheat well, and clean the grids right away when you’re done BBQing.

Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Yield
6
Difficulty
Medium

Butter Chicken Recipe

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Ingredients

Method

Photos

Ingredients

1 cup 

plain greek yogurt

1½ tbsp. 

roasted garlic, mashed

1 inch piece 

ginger root, grated

½

lime, juiced

1½ tsp. 

garam masala

1½ tsp. 

red curry paste, mild or spicy

1 tsp. 

paprika

1 tsp. 

ground cumin

1 tsp. 

coriander

¼ tsp. 

salt

16 

chicken thighs, boneless/skinless

coconut oil

2 - 4

Naan bread for serving

3 cups

Rice (steamed) for serving


Butter Chicken Sauce

1 tbsp. 

butter, for browning the onion

1 to 4 cloves

garlic, minced

1½ tsp. 

garam masala

1 tsp.

mild paprika

1 tsp. 

red curry paste

1 can 

tomato paste

½ cup 

water

 ⅓ cup

heavy cream

¼ cup 

butter, cut into cubes

2 tbsp. 

chopped fresh coriander

Method
  1. In a non-reactive bowl, whisk together the thick yogurt, roasted garlic, grated ginger, lime juice, garam masala, curry paste, paprika, cumin, coriander, and salt. Add the chicken and stir to cover every square inch of the chicken thighs with marinade. You can do this the night before and place it all in the fridge to marinate, or you can grill almost straight away.
  2. Use a silicone basting brush and coat your cooking grids with coconut oil, before preheating to 400°F.
  3. Place a heat safe pot, like a cast iron dutch oven or deep cast iron skillet, onto the side burner of the grill. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the onion. Brown the onion until deeply colored.
  4. While the onion is browning, place the chicken on the grill and cook using direct heat. It takes about 5 to 7 minutes per side, the chicken is ready to flip when they release relatively easily from the cooking grids and have nice char marks. You can also grill the halved limes at the same time.
  5. While your onion is browning, place the chicken on the grill to cook. Start with the skin side down so that it gets nice and crispy. Unless you’re health conscious and got skinless chicken breasts. If there is extra yogurt marinade left, you can generously top the grilling chicken now. Do not add leftover marinade to the chicken after the outside flesh has turned white. There is a risk of salmonella contamination.
  6. When the onion has some great grill marks and is nearly cooked, remove it from the grill and carefully chop it. Place the grilled onion into a deep frying pan and brown with a little butter.
  7. Now that the chicken is on the grill and the onions have browned, add the garlic, garam masala, paprika, curry paste, and tomato paste to the pot on the side burner. Once all mixed in, add the water and allow the mixture to simmer and thicken. Once thickened enough that you can see the bottom of the pot when you scrape it with your spoon and the sauce stays put, add the cream, then turn off the heat and stir in the butter 2 or 3 cubes at a time.
  8. Remove the finished chicken from the grill and put it into the finished sauce. Grill up some Naan bread for serving.
  9. Serve two chicken thighs and a boatload of sauce over a heaping helping of rice, topped with chopped coriander and grilled Naan on the side.

Summer weather is unpredictable; this week’s BBQ recipe was stalled for a short time due to a sudden thunderstorm. Please use caution and never grill in the middle of an electrical storm, even though the grill looks great when the rain hits the hood and the steam rises. And did you see those awesome safety glow knobs? It was only about 15 minutes maybe 20 before the storm had moved on and it was safe to grill. Just enough time for the ‘Que to preheat. I could easily eat way too much of this BBQ Butter Chicken! Even picky eaters I know and love enjoyed this Indian BBQ recipe. It’s easy, flavorful, and makes enough for leftovers. This recipe is definitely one of my favorites, how about yours? Tell us your favorite BBQ recipes by leaving comments on our social pages like Grills Facebook and Grills Instagram using the hashtags #FavoriteBBQrecipe and #NapoleonGrill.

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Assemble the marinade ingredients

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We recommend that you don't BBQ in thunderstorms

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Brown onion, add seasoning

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Finish the sauce with butter

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Grill the chicken

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Serve with rice and naan

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Add a squeeze of grilled lime

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Get up-close and personal

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Hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

AndreaAlden
Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.

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Assemble the marinade ingredients

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We recommend that you don't BBQ in thunderstorms

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Brown onion, add seasoning

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Finish the sauce with butter

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Grill the chicken

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Serve with rice and naan

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Add a squeeze of grilled lime

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Get up-close and personal

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Hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!