Butter Chicken Pasta is a creamy, savory, and spicy fusion of an Indian curry chicken dish and pasta. It’s a great weeknight dinner that comes together in 30 minutes.
Butter Chicken Pasta is a delightful fusion of a traditional Indian curry chicken dish and pasta, which is traditionally Italian. It’s a delicious blend of creamy, savory, slightly spicy, and slightly sweet flavors. This recipe is also an easy 30-minute dinner, so it’s perfect for busy weeknights.
The flavor of this Butter Chicken Pasta is creamy and rich, with warm Indian spices of garam masala, cumin, and turmeric, along with aromatics, including onion and garlic. You also get a touch of sweet from honey which helps to balance out the flavor profile.
The creamy sauce includes butter, cream, and tomatoes, which create a smooth and luxurious texture. Finally, tender chicken is added along with pasta, for a meaty and hearty dish.
Do you meal plan your dinners? It makes weeknights so much easier! Check out my Meal Planning Theme Night Recipes and then add this one to your Pasta Sundays or International Wednesdays meal planning calendar!
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Why You’ll Love this Butter Chicken Pasta
If the three words ‘Butter’ + ‘Chicken’ + ‘Pasta’ are not enough to convince you that this is a recipe you’ll want on your dinner table, then here are a few more reasons!
- It only takes 30 minutes to prepare and to cook! That means it’s a great option for a busy night.
- It can be made mostly or entirely ahead! I like to wait on cooking the pasta and mixing it with the Butter chicken until ready to serve, but you could certainly mix it and reheat the whole thing.
- It gets any picky eaters in your house trying new flavors! Pairing some traditional Indian spices that may be a ‘no way’ for your picky eaters, with familiar foods they love, ehem pasta, is a great way to get them to try new things.
Simple Ingredients and Substitutes
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- Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless – I always have raw skinless chicken breasts in the freezer as they can last up to 12 months if in an airtight container or packaging. Check out all of my tips on Prepping and Storing Chicken for Easier Dinners. You can substitute skinless boneless chicken thighs as well.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – You can substitute with any neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, avocado oil, or even coconut oil.
- Salt & Ground Black Pepper – these are for seasoning the chicken and then later added to taste. I used kosher salt, but any salt is fine.
- Onion – I used yellow onion, but you can use white onion, red onion, shallots, or even scallions. If you don’t have fresh onion, you can also use a tablespoon of onion flakes or onion powder.
- Chicken Broth or stock – You can also use, vegetable broth or stock or Beef broth or stock. You can also use water mixed with a beef or chicken bouillon cube or beef base or chicken base.
- Garlic – Fresh is best in this simple recipe, but you can buy the pre-minced garlic sold in a small jar or use dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
- Tomato sauce – You will want a smooth, plain tomato sauce for this recipe. You can substitute with crushed or diced tomatoes, but it will have a chunkier texture with pieces of tomatoes.
Tip: for even more deep, rich tomato flavor, you can add a tablespoon of tomato paste to this recipe as well!
- Butter – Butter is what makes this such a rich and silky smooth sauce. I used salted, but you can use unsalted. You can substitute with another fat for butter, such as Ghee (clarified butter), olive oil, coconut oil, or other butter or oil product.
- Seasonings – Garam masala, Ground Cumin, Ground Turmeric powder, Ground Cayenne Pepper
- Garam masala – This Indian spice is a must-use for butter chicken pasta recipes, as it adds a ton of flavor. You can typically find it in the spice aisle at most stores. If you do not have garam masala, you can use Indian curry powder, which will have a more curry flavor.
- Honey – Brings natural sweetness. You can substitute the same quantity of white granulated sugar or even brown sugar.
- Heavy cream – This is the key ingredient to making the sauce silky and creamy. If heavy cream feels too heavy, there are a few substitutes you can use. Half and half is a nice step-down. It is a bit thinner, so you may want to add a bit less so the sauce isn’t too runny. Non-dairy milk, such as coconut milk or coconut cream, will also work as long as it is unsweetened.
- Fusilli Pasta – You can use any short-cut pasta, such as penne pasta, or long-cut pasta, such as fettuccine or even angel hair pasta.
- Reserved Pasta Water – Make sure to save some of the water after cooking the pasta, as the starchy water can help to extend and thicken the sauce when you add the pasta.
- Fresh Cilantro – for garnish
See recipe card for quantities.
Simple Equipment
For this Butter Chicken Recipe, you will need a small-medium pot with lid to prepare the pasta.
You could make this recipe in a dutch oven or you can use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.
Oh, and mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.
Time-Saving Prep-Ahead Steps
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)
Mince the garlic Clove.
Cut the chicken breast into 1-2 inch pieces and then season all sides with salt and pepper.
Cooking Steps for Butter Chicken Pasta
Add 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil and spread it around the skillet.
Add the chicken pieces. Let the chicken cook on medium high heat for at least 3-5 minutes, or until it easily lifts from the pan without sticking.
Then flip each piece to brown the other side and cook the chicken through until there is no longer any pink. Total cooking time takes about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
To the same pan, reduce the heat to medium heat and add another ½ tablespoon or so of olive oil and the diced onions. Once they start to glisten, you can add the minced garlic.
Add the broth. Scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the butter next and stir to melt it.
Continue to add the tomatoes sauce, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and cayenne.
Pour in the honey. Stir gently to combine. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
TIP: If you do not have a cover for your skillet, you can use a sheet pan or just aluminum foil.
Next, mix in the heavy cream.
Add the cooked chicken and any juices back to the sauce in the pan and let warm through again for 1-2 minutes.
Finally, gently fold in the cooked pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water at time until you get your desired consistency.
Variations on Butter Chicken Pasta
There are lots of ways to customize this delicious Butter Chicken Pasta recipe to your family by adding in additional spices or herbs or vegetables. Here are a few ideas for inspiration.
- Spicy – Add some heat to your dish by incorporating diced jalapenos, crushed red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper into the butter chicken sauce. Adjust the amount of spice to suit your taste preferences.
- Coconut Milk – Infuse the dish with a tropical twist by substituting some of the heavy cream with coconut milk. The creamy coconut flavor pairs beautifully with the rich butter chicken sauce.
- Proteins – Instead of chicken, try using other proteins like shrimp, beef, or turkey. Each protein brings a unique flavor and texture to the dish, providing endless possibilities for variation.
- Low-Carb Option – Substitute traditional pasta with gluten-free or low-carb alternatives such as zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or chickpea pasta to suit dietary preferences or restrictions.
Butter Chicken Pasta Recipe FAQs
You can make the chicken and butter sauce ahead and mix with the pasta when you are ready to eat. Or you can make the entire dish including the pasta in advance. For anything cooked in advance, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, you can place in a wide bottom pot or pan covered in the oven at 350 F degrees for 20-30 minutes until heated through.
If you’re a vegetarian or just want to limit how much meat you eat, simply substitute the chicken for another plant-based protein alternative, like tofu or chickpeas. You can also add lots more veggies like, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, or eggplant work well.
If you want to garnish with cheese, you could add a grated or shredded hard cheese, like freshly grated parmesan cheese. You can also mix it into the dish making it cheesy and providing a thicker sauce.
You can make the chicken and butter sauce and freeze that together, but I would not freeze the pasta. Once cooked, you can cool the Butter Chicken with sauce in in the refrigerator in a freezer-safe airtight baggie or container and then transfer it to the freezer. You can store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat, either defrost in the fridge the day before or you can place the frozen chicken and sauce in an oven safe dish and bake it. Bake it covered in the oven at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. Cook the pasta, then mix and enjoy!
Want More Recipes like this?
If you enjoy the creamy decadence of Chicken Butter Pasta, you’re in for a treat with these other pasta and chicken recipes! Whether you’re looking for quick and easy weeknight dinners or impressive dishes to impress guests, there’s something here for everyone.
Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!
30 Minute Butter Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1.5 Tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt divided for chicken and sauce
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper divided for chicken and sauce
- 1 Medium onion, diced
- ½ cup chicken broth or stock
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 23 ounces Tomato sauce, canned
- 4 Tablespoon Butter, salted
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Tablespoon Honey
- ½ cup Heavy cream
- 16 ounces Fusilli Pasta, dried
- Fresh Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Prep Ahead
- Mince the garlic Clove.
- Cut the chicken breast into 1-2 inch pieces and then season all sides with salt and pepper.
Cook
- Cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions then set aside until you are ready to add to the sauce. NOTE: you do not want to over cook the pasta as it will continue to cook in the sauce.
- Preheat a large skillet on high heat. Add 2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil and spread it around the skillet. Add the seasoned chicken pieces in a single layer so each piece gets a nice brown sear. Let the chicken cook on medium-high heat for at least 3-5 minutes, or until it easily lifts from the pan without sticking. Then flip each piece to brown the other side and cook the chicken through until there is no longer any pink. Total cooking time takes about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- To the same pan, add another ½ tablespoon or so of olive oil and the diced onions. Once they start to glisten, you can add the minced garlic and the broth. Scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the butter next and stir to melt it.
- Continue to add the tomatoes sauce, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, cayenne, and honey. Stir gently to combine. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. TIP: If you do not have a cover for your skillet, you can use a sheet pan or just aluminum foil.
- Next, mix in the heavy cream and add the chicken and any juices back to the sauce in the pan and let warm through again for 1-2 minutes. Finally, gently fold in the pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water at time until you get your desired consistency.
Barbara Waddell says
I cooked shrimp with this and left out the teaspoon of cayenne pepper. But it is so good. Will make again. My husband loved it too.
Carrie Tyler says
Thanks, Barbara! I bet shrimp was fantastic in this dish. I will have to try that the next time I make it 🙂
Happy cooking,
Carrie