There's something about butter chicken. It's those smooth, rich and meltingly-tender lines. The sunset colours pooling across the plate. The way its sweet, creamy nature is pulled up by a hit of spice before it gets too cloying.
It's a generous and popular dish, no doubt about it. It's been that way since it was born (so the story goes) in a dhaba in Punjab in the 1920s. The owner Kundan Lal Gujral, and his cook Kundan Lal Jaggi came up with the recipe for butter chicken when a large group of refugees arrived in the restaurant. The pair didn't have enough tandoori chicken to feed the masses, so they added a gravy using what they had on hand to make the dish stretch. In went tomatoes, butter and spices and butter chicken was born.
Butter chicken hits the spot when the weather is hot or cold, or simply when it can't make up its mind. It can be frantically pulled together in mere minutes after rushing in the door. Or bubble for hours and hours in the slow cooker, beckoning hungry taste buds all day.
Whatever your mood, whatever your day, butter chicken likes you very much. We're pretty sure you're going to like it back.
The extra-creamy one that Anjum made
This version throws in both garam masala and cashew cream, plus a heap of double cream. It's best eaten with a plain piece of naan or pita bread and steamed rice. Anjum reassures you not to worry if you don’t have every single spice.
The one for when you're a little time poor
This butter chicken has a long cook time, but a super-fast prep time. Everything is done in one pot, too. Which wins this dish about 1000 extra brownie points.
The even easier one for busier days
If an hour waiting for the stove to do its work is time you do not have, make Nige's recipe instead. It's faster and is ready in 40 minutes, 10 minutes of that is all in the marinating time (aka put your feet up, you've earned it time).
The one that adds mint yoghurt
If you've never added a minty twist to your butter chicken, get on it. A minty yoghurt finisher is just the thing for elevating an everyday curry to a special occasion dish. And that special occasion is any given weeknight.
The one without chicken
Vegos rejoice! Adam Liaw's clever recipe brings all the rich flavour of a traditional butter chicken, but it's made with eggs instead. Actually, we should probably confess that this dish doesn't actually contain butter either...
The one for vegans
No chicken, no butter, no eggs (see above), no cream - yes flavour. Lots and lots of flavour.
The one with plenty of coconut
Another flavour-packed butter chicken, but this time we're going heavy on the coconut milk. It adds a lovely softness to the gravy and balances the cardamom and other spices so well.
The one that's grilled
This butter chicken is quite a stretch from the original, but as we are seeing here, our favourite curry is nothing if not versatile. What it lacks in gravy, it makes up for in char.
The one that Poh made
Poh agrees with us that butter chicken is everyone's favourite curry. Especially when served with refreshing yoghurt raita and turmeric rice.
The extra-creamy one
The one wrapped in pastry
Yep, this recipe goes there. Heaven is surely a butter chicken naan bread parcel.
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