Butter Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower
Tender chicken in a warmly spiced tomato, yogurt and cream sauce, with golden roasted cauliflower folded in just before serving. Makes four portions.
This Indian-inspired butter chicken brings a tomato-rich sauce and golden cauliflower into one generous meal. Yogurt coats the chicken, while butter, cream and a measured blend of warming spices round out the sauce. Roasting the cauliflower separately gives its edges colour before it joins the curry.
The chicken cooks gently in the sauce rather than being fried or cooked in a tandoor. You can prepare the sauce while the cauliflower roasts, then finish everything together. Allow about one hour including preparation; check the chicken temperature rather than relying on the clock alone. Rice and flatbread are optional accompaniments, separate from the four curry portions.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Roasting cauliflower before adding it to the sauce gives it browned edges without diluting the curry with a potful of vegetable water. Finely chopped onion softens in butter, and a short simmer takes the raw edge off the tomatoes. Small chicken pieces cook evenly in the sauce. Cream goes in near the end, and a gentle heat keeps the finish smooth.
Before you start · Equipment
Kitchen scale, small precision scale for spices, large rimmed baking tray, mixing bowl, deep wide saucepan or sauté pan, wooden spoon, food thermometer.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 4 portions. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
A vegetable-rich take on butter chicken
Cauliflower is a substantial part of this version, with 150 g raw trimmed florets allocated to each portion. Its roasted edges and tender centres sit alongside the chicken in the sauce. This is an Indian-inspired home variation rather than a restaurant or regional authenticity claim.
Use the oven and hob together
Once the cauliflower is in the oven, start the sauce. The brief refrigerated yogurt coating fits into this overlap. Have the sauce spices weighed before melting the butter so they can be added without leaving the pan unattended.
Keep the tomato base moving
Lower the heat before adding the dry spices and stir for only a short time. Tomatoes, paste and water go in promptly to stop the spices scorching. A gentle uncovered simmer thickens the sauce slightly while leaving enough liquid to cook the chicken.
Measure the chicken, then finish gently
Colour and sauce thickness cannot confirm the chicken is cooked. Check the centre of several large pieces with a thermometer. Add the cream once the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C), then keep the pan below a vigorous boil.
- Keep raw chicken, its bowl and utensils separate from ready-to-eat foods.
- Cook all yogurt coating thoroughly in the sauce with the chicken.
- Fold in the roasted cauliflower near the end so it holds its shape.
Serve four generous portions
Divide chicken, cauliflower and sauce evenly rather than serving only the largest pieces first. Plain rice or flatbread can accompany the curry. Both are separate from the listed portions and nutrition; the photos show the curry itself.
Store and reheat in shallow portions
Transfer leftovers to shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the room or outdoor temperature is above 90°F (32°C). Keep at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 3 days. Reheat gently, stirring, until several places including the chicken reach 165°F (74°C). Avoid leaving the whole pan on the counter to cool completely.
About the ingredients
- Chicken breast and plain yogurt
Use 600 g raw boneless skinless breast and 120 g regular plain whole-milk yogurt. Cut evenly so the pieces cook at a similar rate. Greek yogurt, chicken thigh or pre-seasoned chicken changes the formula and nutrition. All coating goes into the pan and is thoroughly cooked.
- Roasted cauliflower
Weigh 600 g after trimming. The florets should be roughly 4 cm across, with enough tray space to brown. Add them after the chicken is cooked so they keep some structure. All 20 g oil and tray juices are included in the portions.
- The measured spice blend
Coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cloves provide a warm spice profile, with paprika, turmeric and a little cayenne. This is a house blend, not a claim to reproduce a particular traditional garam masala. Use pure ground spices and a precision scale for the small amounts. Paprika should be sweet; cayenne is pure chile.
- Tomatoes, butter and cream
Choose no-salt-added tomatoes and paste, unsalted butter and heavy cream around 36% fat. The sauce retains some soft onion texture and is not blended. Cream is added only after the chicken is cooked. Coconut milk and lighter cream produce different flavour, texture and nutrition.
- Cilantro and salt
The entire 10 g cilantro finishes the curry. Total salt is 4 g: 1 g chicken, 1 g cauliflower and 2 g sauce. No extra seasoning, cream swirl, rice or bread is included in the calculation.
How to make Butter Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower
Coat chicken in spiced yogurt and refrigerate it briefly. Roast cauliflower, simmer a butter-and-tomato sauce, cook the chicken and all coating to 165°F (74°C), then gently fold in cream, cauliflower and cilantro.
1. Coat the chicken in spiced yogurt
2. Roast the cauliflower until golden
3. Build the warmly spiced tomato sauce
4. Cook the chicken and finish with cauliflowerWatch How To Make It
chefzelish.com
Butter Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower
Tender chicken in a warmly spiced tomato, yogurt and cream sauce, with golden roasted cauliflower folded in just before serving. Makes four portions.
Ingredients
0 / 29 readyIngredient amounts for 4 portions
Chicken and yogurt
Roasted cauliflower
Tomato and cream sauce
Let’s make it.
Coat the chicken in spiced yogurt
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) conventional, or 400°F (200°C) fan. Mix 120 g yogurt, 2 g paprika, 1 g cumin, 1 g turmeric, 7 g ginger, 6 g garlic and 1 g salt in a bowl. Fold in all 600 g chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the cauliflower and sauce. This is a short coating step, not an overnight marinade. Keep the bowl and its utensils separate from ready-to-eat food.
Roast the cauliflower until golden
Toss all 600 g cauliflower with 20 g olive oil and 1 g salt on a large rimmed tray. Spread in a single layer with space between the florets. Roast for about 25–30 minutes, turning once halfway, until tender with browned edges. Leave on the tray while the sauce finishes. If your tray is small, use two trays rather than crowding the florets.
Build the warmly spiced tomato sauce
While the cauliflower roasts, melt 30 g butter in a deep wide pan over medium heat. Add 150 g onion and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the remaining 6 g garlic and 8 g ginger; stir for 30 seconds. Lower the heat and stir in the remaining 2 g paprika, 1 g cumin, 3 g coriander, 0.5 g cinnamon, 0.2 g cloves, 0.5 g cayenne and 0.5 g black pepper for 20 seconds without scorching. Add all 400 g tomatoes, 20 g tomato paste, 100 g water, 5 g sugar and the remaining 2 g salt. Simmer gently, uncovered, for about 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep the sauce loose enough to surround the chicken.
Cook the chicken and finish with cauliflower
Add the chicken and every bit of its yogurt coating to the tomato sauce. Stir, bring back to a gentle simmer and cook for about 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally so the pieces cook evenly. Check several of the largest pieces with a food thermometer: chicken must reach 165°F (74°C) in the centre. Continue cooking if needed. Raw-chicken coating is safe to use only because it is cooked thoroughly with the chicken; never use it as a cold finishing sauce. Lower the heat, stir in all 100 g cream and all roasted cauliflower, including oil and juices from the tray, and warm gently for 2–3 minutes. Do not boil vigorously. Fold in all 10 g cilantro and divide the chicken, cauliflower and sauce evenly between four portions.
Nutrition per serving
1 of 4 equal curry portions; rice and bread excluded. Estimates may vary with ingredients and brands.
- Calories
- 476 kcal
- Protein
- 40.6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 22.1 g
- Fat
- 26.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 6.9 g
- Sodium
- 541 mg
Checked 10/9/2026. Values are per the serving described above, regardless of recipe yield.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
Allow about one hour, including 20 minutes preparation and 40 minutes cooking with overlapping oven and hob work. Oven strength, floret size and chicken temperature can extend this estimate. Use the food thermometer as the final check.
Make it your own
This formula uses breast, regular whole-milk yogurt, butter and heavy cream. Thigh meat, Greek yogurt, coconut milk or commercial garam masala changes the flavour, consistency and nutrition. A bottled curry sauce is not an equivalent replacement for the measured tomato base.
Storage & freezing
Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days and reheat to 165°F (74°C) throughout.
At the table
Four equal curry portions include all chicken, cauliflower, sauce, yogurt, cream, butter, oil and cilantro. Rice, bread, extra cream and other sides are excluded.
A little something delicious.
Keep this recipe close for the next time the craving strikes.
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