This delicious Butter Chicken Pasta combines Italian and Indian for a flavorful, decadent dish. Plus, it’s ready in less than an hour (with only 10 minutes of prep time!). Enjoy this dish with crusty bread to soak up any leftover sauce.
This butter chicken pasta is creamy, flavorful, and bold. It’s the ultimate comfort meal that comes together in about 40 minutes. The best part about this simple butter chicken pasta is you can adjust the heat to your preference by using more or less cayenne powder.
If you’re craving Indian dishes, consider making these other Indian-inspired recipes during the week: Easy Coconut Curry Shrimp or Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy – You’ll need minimal kitchen tools for this yummy butter chicken pasta dish.
- Bold – The combination of garam masala, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, and garlic come together for a deliciously complex taste.
- Comforting – Creamy, rich sauce helps create the ultimate comfort meal.
- Creamy – Using heavy cream means you’ll have a decadent, delicious sauce.
- A kick of heat – Cayenne pepper adds just the right amount of heat in every bite.
- Great for cozy meals – With a comforting, rich sauce and warming spices, this is a great option for chilly or gloomy weather days.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken Thighs: I recommend using boneless chicken thighs for this butter chicken recipe, as they retain more moisture. However, you can use chicken breasts if you prefer.
- 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 your local store doesn’t have it, it’s available online.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Honey: Adding honey to this recipe helps balance the spices and the heat from the cayenne pepper. You can also use maple syrup or agave in a pinch. Use a 1:1 ratio. You may notice a slight flavor difference with these swaps.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Butter Chicken Pasta
Quick Overview
- Boil the pasta.
- Sauté the chicken.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Toss with pasta.
Step by Step Instructions
Sauté the chicken with the spices to create a flavorful base.
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Sauté until the chicken is mostly cooked through. Turn the heat to medium low.
Step 2: Add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Step 3: Add the tomato, honey, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Step 4: Add the cream. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Keep one cup of pasta water to the side for the sauce.
Step 5: While the sauce simmers, boil the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1-2 cups of pasta water.
Step 6: Toss the pasta in the sauce. Add about 1/2 cup of pasta water to loosen the sauce. Thin the sauce with more pasta water as needed.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Garnish the butter chicken pasta with grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, or lime wedges.
I love serving this creamy butter chicken pasta with bread or rice sides to help soak up all the yummy sauce. Here are a few ideas:
Expert Tips
- Use chicken thighs. As mentioned, I recommend using chicken thighs for this butter chicken pasta recipe. Since they retain moisture, they offer deliciously juicy chicken chunks to enjoy while eating butter chicken.
- Watch the sauce so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Since this recipe calls for a cream-based sauce, you want to watch it while cooking. Burnt sauce has a strong, bitter flavor that’s challenging (or impossible) to fix.
- Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Cook the pasta until it’s al dente (about two minutes before the time on the package instructions). Then, finish cooking the pasta in the butter chicken sauce. This step will help you avoid mushy, overcooked Italian pasta.
Additions & Variations
- Vegetarian: If you want to limit your meat intake, you can turn this butter chicken pasta into a vegetarian dish. Instead of using chicken, consider using chopped eggplant, tofu, tempeh, or mushrooms. Each of these swaps offers a meaty consistency in the dish.
- Dairy-free: You can also make this pasta recipe dairy-free by swapping out a few of the butter chicken pasta ingredients. Use dairy-free butter and heavy cream to replace regular butter and heavy cream. Replace each in a 1:1 ratio.
- Cheesy: Add some parmesan cheese to the sauce for a more decadent cooked pasta recipe. It will create a thicker, melty sauce youll want to eat by the spoonful!
Recipe FAQs
You can serve quite a few sides with butter chicken. However, it’s best to select sides that are more subtle in flavor so the butter chicken can shine. Some great side options include rice, naan, potatoes, and steamed veggies.
There are a few differences between tikka masala and butter chicken. For one, butter chicken sauce is usually blended and smooth, while tikka masala is chunky. Butter chicken is also more creamy/decadent since it has a large amount of butter.
Butter chicken sauce includes ingredients like tomato paste (or tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes), butter, spices, garlic, ginger, and chicken. You’ll marinate the chicken with yogurt and spices in classic butter chicken recipes. In my version of butter chicken pasta, you’ll add the spices directly to a pan with chicken.
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Creamy Butter Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs*
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garam masala*
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon EACH cumin & turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon honey*
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste or grated fresh ginger
- 5-6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 12 ounces short cut pasta, pasta water reserved
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Sauté until the chicken is mostly cooked through. Turn the heat to medium low.1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs*, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons garam masala*, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon EACH cumin & turmeric, 12 ounces short cut pasta, pasta water reserved, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes.1 yellow onion, diced
- Add the tomato, honey, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.⅓ cup tomato paste, 1 Tablespoon honey*, 1 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste or grated fresh ginger, 5-6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- Add the cream. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- While the sauce simmers, boil the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1-2 cups of pasta water.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce. Add about 1/2 cup of pasta water to loosen the sauce. Thin the sauce with more pasta water as needed.
Notes
- Chicken Thighs: I recommend using boneless chicken thighs for this butter chicken recipe, as they retain more moisture. However, you can use chicken breasts if you prefer.
- 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 your local store doesn’t have it, it’s available online.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Honey: Adding honey to this recipe helps balance the spices and the heat from the cayenne pepper. You can also use maple syrup or agave in a pinch. Use a 1:1 ratio. You may notice a slight flavor difference with these swaps.
- Watch the sauce so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Since this recipe calls for a cream-based sauce, you want to watch it while cooking. Burnt sauce has a strong, bitter flavor that’s challenging (or impossible) to fix.
- Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Cook the pasta until it’s al dente (about two minutes before the time on the package instructions). Then, finish cooking the pasta in the butter chicken sauce. This step will help you avoid mushy, overcooked Italian pasta.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How much tomato paste is used? The recipe says “? cup tomato paste”.
So sorry – ⅓ cup!
Made this and absolutely love the recipe! I used chicken breast and half & half because that’s what I had on hand. So yummy!!!!
Great!
Could this recipe be done in an instapot?
You could use the sauté function on the pot to make the chicken and the sauce. The pasta would still need to be boiled separately. There is not enough liquid in the sauce to pressure cook the chicken. Heavy cream does not do well under high pressure. Hope this helps!