Meal Prep
Creamy Butter Chicken
Creamy Butter Chicken is the recipe that turned “just meal prepping” into something worth getting excited about. Flavor-packed chicken, a rich and cozy tomato cream sauce, and that unmistakable comfort-food payoff make this one feel special every single time. It’s warm, satisfying, and built to earn a permanent spot in your rotation.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
Creamy Butter Chicken
59.1g protein767 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 30 mins
- Cook Time
- 25 mins
- Total Time
- 55 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
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For the Butter Chicken:
For the Rice:
Instructions
Prep the ingredients
Dice the onion, cube the chicken, & mince the garlic and ginger.
1 medium yellow onion, 2 lb raw boneless skinless chicken breast, 1 tsp ginger, 6 cloves garlic
Start cooking the rice using your preferred method. I'm a rice cooker guy myself!
1 cup dry jasmine rice
Combine the spices in a small bowl
1 tbsp garam masala, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp fenugreek powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
Start Cooking the Butter Chicken
Heat your large saucepan over high heat. Add the olive oil & onions, cook down until golden (about 5 minutes)
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion
Add ginger & garlic and cook for about 45 seconds, until fragrant. Stir to make sure it doesn't burn.
1 tsp ginger, 6 cloves garlic
Add chicken, tomato paste, & spices to the mixture. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir frequently so it doesn't burn.
6 oz tomato paste, 2 lb raw boneless skinless chicken breast
Turn the heat to low, & stir in the heavy cream. Simmer for 8-10 minutes and then remove from heat.
1 cup heavy cream
Separate the rice into four separate servings in your meal prep containers! Then add the butter chicken mixture & enjoy.
See it come together
Watch: Creamy Butter Chicken
Notes
Please for the love of all things holy let me know what else you'd like to see in this blog I beg.
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Calories
- 767 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 52.3 g
- Protein
- 59.1 g
- Fat
- 35.3 g
- Saturated Fat
- 16.1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2.95 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12.33 g
- Trans Fat
- 0.75 g
- Cholesterol
- 233 mg
- Sodium
- 749 mg
- Potassium
- 1,420 mg
- Fiber
- 3.6 g
- Sugar
- 8.8 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 308 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 12.48 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.95 mcg
- Calcium
- 104 mg
- Iron
- 5.16 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$2.53 per serving · $10.12 for this batch
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- yellow onion: $0.20
122.2 g purchased · Editorial purchase-yield estimate: 90% usable; includes discarded peel, shell, or core.
1 onion = 110 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Yellow Onions, 3 lb Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
- raw boneless skinless chicken breast: $5.14
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Variable-weight pack priced per pound, raw boneless skinless breast.
Walmart: Freshness Guaranteed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast · Price checked 2026-09-21
- ginger: $0.02
2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2 g Variable-weight produce: uses the listed price per pound, not the estimated price per piece.
Walmart: Fresh Ginger Root, Each · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic: $0.32
18 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
3 clove = 9 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Spice World Fresh Peeled Garlic, 6 oz, Pouch · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.36
27 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- tomato paste: $0.92
170.1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Tomato Paste, 6 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- heavy cream: $1.50
238 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (fluid) = 238 g; phase=fluid Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Heavy Whipping Cream, 16 oz Carton · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garam masala: $0.63
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2 g; Editorial ground-spice blend estimate: 2 g/tsp, not a claimed package-label weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Rani Garam Masala Indian 11-Spice Blend 3oz (85g) PET Jar ~ All Natural, Salt-Free | Vegan | No Colors | Gluten Friendly | NON-GMO| Kosher | Indian Origin · Price checked 2026-09-21
- chili powder: $0.03
2.7 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.7 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Chili Powder, 3 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- fenugreek powder: $0.30
3.7 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 3.7 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Rani Fenugreek (Methi) Seeds Ground Powder 3oz (85g) Trigonella foenum graecum | Gluten Friendly | Non-GMO | Kosher (used in cooking & Ayurvedic spice) · Price checked 2026-09-21
- cumin: $0.04
2.1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.1 g; texture=ground; Editorial ground-cumin estimate: 2.1 g/tsp. Grinding/packing varies; this is not a USDA ground-cumin portion. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Cumin, 2.5 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.01
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- dry jasmine rice: $0.59
185 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 185 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Jasmine Rice · Price checked 2026-09-21
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein59.1g31%
- Carbs52.3g27%
- Fat35.3g42%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
This is certified meal prep for me. It reheats beautifully, and I enjoy the flavor even more after the chicken has spent a night in that sauce. The sauce is the reason this butter chicken makes sense over rice. Divide the chicken and tomato-cream mixture together so every container gets enough sauce to work through the rice later. If you prefer keeping the grains separate until you eat, pack them side by side rather than mixing the entire batch in the cooking pot. Either way, portion the sauce intentionally instead of leaving the last serving with the leftovers in the pan.
Dice the onion, mince the garlic and ginger, and measure the spices before turning on the stove. Once the garlic goes in, the steps move quickly. Start the rice at the same time so the chicken is not sitting over heat while you wait on the side. Among the Indian-inspired meals, this one builds its flavor from tomato paste, garam masala, and cream rather than a long list of finishing toppings. Portion and refrigerate it promptly, and keep the refrigerated meal plan within 3-4 days.
For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Stir the rice and chicken through the sauce at the pause; add a little water if the sauce has become too thick to spread. The recipe offers half-and-half as a possible alternative to heavy cream, but that will change the richness and listed nutrition. If you are choosing a second prep for the week, another chicken recipe with a dry seasoning or fresh salsa will give you a noticeably different meal.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
★★★★★
WOW, Incredible dish!! I had pita bread instead of the rice and it was simply divine.