Go Back

One Pot Butter Chicken Pasta

This creamy one pot butter chicken pasta is the perfect combination of rich, Indian-inspired flavors and comforting pasta. Tender halal chicken cooks right in a buttery tomato cream sauce with garlic, warm spices, and parmesan, then mixes with pasta that cooks in the very same pot — no draining, no second pan, no separate sauce simmering away for an hour. It comes together fast enough for a busy weeknight, but tastes like it took far longer, which makes it just as good for a Ramadan iftar table as it is for an ordinary Tuesday.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs halal chicken breast or thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 12 oz penne or rigatoni
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 small white onion finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • 1 can 14 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne optional
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth halal-certified
  • Fresh cilantro to serve

Method
 

  1. Sear the chicken. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large deep pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and a pinch of the garam masala, then cook in the butter for about 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden. Remove the chicken and set aside — it doesn't need to be fully cooked through at this stage.
  2. Build the sauce base. In the same pan, melt the remaining butter. Add the diced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook another minute until fragrant. Add all the spices and stir for about 30 seconds to toast them slightly. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir everything together, and let it simmer for 3 minutes.
  3. Cook the pasta in the sauce. Add the dry pasta directly into the pan. Pour in the chicken broth and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and cook uncovered for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just cooked and most of the liquid has absorbed.
  4. Bring it together. Return the chicken to the pan. Pour in the heavy cream and stir gently. Let everything simmer together for another 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce is thick and creamy and the chicken is cooked through. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
  5. Serve. Top with fresh cilantro. A piece of warm naan on the side is not required, but it's strongly encouraged.

Notes

Don't skip toasting the spices. That 30 seconds in the hot butter before the tomatoes go in makes a real difference in how deep the flavor tastes at the end.
Stir occasionally while the pasta cooks. Since there's less liquid than a normal pot of boiling pasta water, it can catch on the bottom if left completely unstirred.
Undercook the pasta slightly at step 3. It keeps cooking a bit more once the cream and chicken go back in, so aim for just shy of al dente before that final simmer.