recipes

Air Fryer Indian Butter Chicken

April 10

This easy Air Fryer Butter Chicken delivers deep flavour from a spiced yogurt marinade, juicy tandoori-style chicken, and a rich, buttery tomato sauce—perfect for a family-favourite meal with rice and naan.

Serves 4
30 mins

Method

1. Start by placing the chicken thigh pieces into a bowl. Add the garlic, ginger, tandoori paste, honey, cumin, and Greek yogurt, then mix everything together until well combined, ensuring the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade.
2. Place chicken into the air fryer basket and cook at 180°C for 16 minutes.
3. For the sauce, place the butter into a deep sided saucepan and, once the butter has melted, add the green chilli, cumin and coriander and fry for a few seconds.
4. Add the tomato purée and cook for a further few minutes then add in the tinned tomatoes and water.
5. Cook, stirring, for 5 - 7 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened and smells fragrant.
6. Stir in the fenugreek leaves, dried dill, cream and lemon juice then add the cooked chicken, along with any juices from the airfryer.
7. Cover with a lid and allow everything to cook together for 5 minutes then serve sprinkled with some coriander alongside some steamed rice and naan.

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 garlic cloves, finely grated

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

3 tbsp tandoori paste

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp Greek yogurt

For the sauce:

3.5 oz (about 1/3 cup) butter

2 small green chilies, sliced lengthways down the middle, leaving the stem intact

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

5 oz (about 2/3 cup) tomato paste

1 can finely chopped tomatoes

½ cup water

1 tsp fenugreek leaves

1 tsp dried dill

1/3 cup heavy cream

Juice of ½ a lemon

To serve:

Handful of cilantro leaves

Steamed rice

Naan breads

8 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless cut into bite sized piece

3 garlic cloves, finely grated

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

3 tbsp tandoori paste

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp Greek yoghurt

For the sauce:

50g butter

2 small green chillies, sliced lengthways down the middle, leaving the the stem intact

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

150g tomato purée

1 x 400g tin finely chopped tomatoes

100ml water