Blend your favorite Indian chicken dish with filling, hearty pasta in this quick and easy Butter Chicken Pasta Recipe! This is not your usual traditional butter chicken, but it’s a fun Indian-inspired pasta recipe that is irresistibly delish.
Butter Chicken is a classic Indian curry dish with a creamy tomato-based sauce and plenty of warm spices. Usually, butter chicken is served with basmati rice or naan, but today we’re pairing it with pasta instead to make this Indian-Italian fusion meal.
Does butter chicken go with pasta? I’ll let you make this easy recipe and decide! I think that the creamy tomato sauce pairs really well with pasta, and I think you’re going to agree with me.
Don’t worry about the spice in this recipe! I’ve adjusted the spices to make this curry especially mild, with optional chili powder if you want it on the spicier side.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made in One Pan – Like so many of my chicken and pasta recipes, this saucy butter chicken recipe is cooked all in one pan! You’ll cook the pasta in it’s own pan of boiling water, but all-in-all there are very few dishes to wash after this tasty dinner.
- Traditional Flavors – While this is not a traditional butter chicken recipe, the flavors in it are similar to what you’d expect, just toned down a bit and adjusted to pair better with pasta. Warm spices like cumin, turmeric, and garam masala give this dish its Indian flair.
If you like this Indian twist on pasta, try my version of Turkish Pasta next!
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this pasta with butter chicken:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. They are more flavorful than chicken breasts because they contain more fat. That said, chicken breast will work just fine in this recipe if that’s what you have.
- Butter and Oil: Use oil to saute the chicken, as butter will burn at such high heat. Add butter before you gently cook the garlic and ginger.
- Garlic and Ginger: They key to any great curry recipe is to use freshly grated ginger and finely minced garlic. These add a tremendous amount of flavor and make the chicken smell heavenly as it cooks.
- Spices: This is where all the flavor is! Garam masala (if you would like to make it at home, I have a homemade recipe for garam masala), in addition to cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric powder, chili (optional), and salt.
- Tomato Sauce and Heavy Cream: To make this luscious pasta sauce. The cream adds just the right amount of creaminess to balance the acidity of the tomato sauce or passata.
- Pasta: I’m using shells, but this recipe will work with any type of short pasta that you enjoy. Try fusilli, rigatoni or penne pasta instead! Cook the pasta in salted boiling water while you prepare the butter chicken so that you can combine the two at while they’re both hot.
How To Make Butter Chicken Pasta
Cook your pasta in large pot of salted water according to the package directions while you prepare the butter chicken and sauce.
Tip!
The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this point. It will finish cooking in the sauce!
Recipe Tips
- Save Some Pasta Water: Before you drain the pasta, reserve about a cup of the cooking water. You may or may not need it to thin out your pasta sauce later.
- Don’t Crowd the Pan: It’s important to get a nice sear on the chicken thighs, so be sure that they have some room to cook. If needed, you can cook the chicken in batches.
- Season As You Go: I like to taste my food and add salt and pepper where I think it’s needed. Start by adding salt to the chicken, and then season to taste.
- For a spicier dish, consider adding some cayenne pepper.
- Add Veggies: I like to serve vegetables on the side of this dish, but you can just as easily stir them in! Baby spinach would be my first choice. Stir it in at the end and let it wilt!
- Try it with Cheese: It sounds a little bit weird, but pasta and cheese is always a hit! You can stir in some grated parmesan cheese at the end, or top the whole thing with mozzarella cheese and broil to make it melty!
Storing Tips
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.
You may want to add a splash of water when reheating this to loosen up the sauce.
What to Serve with Butter Chicken Pasta?
Keep with the Indian food theme, and serve this chicken pasta with a fresh Indian Salad called Kachumber.
You might also enjoy some homemade Naan Bread to wipe up the extra pasta sauce from your plate!
Recipe FAQs
Can I make butter chicken with skinless chicken breasts?
You can! I prefer to use chicken thighs for this recipe, but bite-sized pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts will work too.
What can I use instead of cilantro?
Fresh cilantro adds a pop of fresh flavor and color to the dish, but you can replace it with fresh basil or parsley for a similar effect.
More Easy Indian Curry Recipes
All Indian-Inspired Meals →
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Butter Chicken Pasta
Recipe Video
Equipment
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (225 g) dried pasta I used Conchiglie (shells) but any shape works
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 pound (450 g) chicken thighs boneless and skinless cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter divided
- 5 cloves garlic about 5 teaspoons, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- ½ teaspoon chili powder optional
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 15 ounces (400 ml) tomato sauce or passata
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- Chopped fresh cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve pasta water to thin out the sauce later if you need to.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat, add the chicken thighs, season with salt and cook until you get a sear (the chicken does not need to fully cook). Remove onto a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt a tablespoon of butter and add garlic and ginger, cook the for 30 seconds then add garam masala, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and turmeric. Stir and cook for 30 more seconds.
- Add tomato sauce, and ¼ cup of water, stir the sauce to combine and scrape the the pan with a spatula or wooden spoon to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and add sugar.
- Add the chicken back in, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and remaining butter, stir and simmer for 2 more minutes until you get a creamy sauce.
- Stir in the pasta, remove from heat, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes:
- Save Some Pasta Water: Before you drain the pasta, reserve about a cup of the cooking water. You may or may not need it to thin out your pasta sauce later.
- Don’t Crowd the Pan: It’s important to get a nice sear on the chicken thighs, so be sure that they have some room to cook. If needed, you can cook the chicken in batches.
- Season As You Go: I like to taste my food and add salt and pepper where I think it’s needed. Start by adding salt to the chicken, and then season to taste.
- To Store: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave. You may want to add a splash of water when reheating this to loosen up the sauce.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Scott says
Easy to make with great flavor that makes plenty of sauce. Sometimes I find dishes that I enjoy but you wish you had more sauce and this was the perfect balance..
Diana says
Glad you liked it, Scott! I’m all about making sure there’s plenty of sauce. Thanks for your feedback!
Kim says
Can you make this with chicken breasts? I’m not a fan of chicken thighs. It sounds yummy.
Diana says
Yes, you can definitely use chicken breasts! Just be careful not to overcook them so they stay tender. Hope you enjoy it!