Malaysian butter chicken is a popular dish made by coating fried chicken with a creamy sauce made with evaporated milk and butter. The chicken is crispy and savory when consumed immediately after preparation, a local favorite in Malaysia and Singapore. The recipe is simple and can be prepared at home easily.

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What is Malaysian butter chicken?

The dish is known as 奶油鸡 (pronounced as lai yao kei in Cantonese), which translates to milk, butter, and chicken. Due to their similar names, it can sometimes be mistaken for butter chicken served in the Indian restaurant. The locals call it buttermilk chicken, which can lead to the assumption that it contains buttermilk. However, the sauce is actually made using evaporated milk and butter. To avoid confusion, referring to this dish as butter and milk chicken (or Malaysian buttermilk chicken) might be more appropriate.

Ingredients for the Malaysian butter chicken

Here is a list of the main ingredients you’ll need for the recipe:

• Chicken: You can use either boneless chicken thigh or chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Cornstarch and regular flour: Mix 2/3 of cornstarch and 1/3 of regular flour to coat the chicken before frying for a crispy surface. You can also use rice flour as an alternative.
• Egg: Eggs that coat the chicken and help prevent it from drying during deep frying.
• Salt and pepper: Marinating the chicken with salt and pepper will make the internal of the chicken pieces more flavorful, as the flavor will not solely depend on the sauce.
• Curry leaves have a distinctive flavor, but if the leaves are unavailable, you can use curry powder as an alternative.
• Evaporated milk: If evaporated milk is unavailable, use regular milk. Check the cooking tips section below for further details.

1. Mariante the chicken

Marinate boneless chicken thigh or breast meat with egg, salt, white pepper, cornstarch, and regular flour, as mentioned in the recipe below. Let it stand for 30 minutes before frying. 

2. Deep fry the chicken

1. Heat enough oil with a high smoking point in the wok or large skillet
2. Deep-fry the chicken pieces until they turn golden brown. The temperature should be medium to high, as low-heat oil will be absorbed into the chicken, making it taste oily.

3. Prepare the butter and milk sauce

1. Add cooking oil to mix with butter and heat over low heat. Adding cooking oil will prevent the butter from browning.
2. Add the chopped garlic and curry leaves to saute until fragrant.
3. Season with salt and sugar.
4. Add some chopped chili padi (bird’s eye chili) if you prefer it spicier. Since it is not an essential ingredient, you can omit it for a non-spicy version suitable for kids.
5. Add the evaporated milk.
6. Continue to simmer the butter and milk sauce over medium heat until it starts to thicken.

4. Douse the chicken with the sauce

1. Return the fried chicken pieces to the thick and creamy sauce, dousing it in the sauce to ensure the sauce covers every morsel of chicken.

Cooking tips and notes

• I use chicken thigh meat in the recipe, but chicken breast is great if you do not overcook it, as overcooking can toughen the meat.
• I cook with unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, please reduce the amount of salt.
• ​Curry leaves are readily available in Malaysia; therefore, we always like to use them when making this dish as they have a distinct flavor. Since curry leaves may not be available in certain places, especially outside Asia, you can substitute it with one to two teaspoons of curry powder. However, the flavor will not be the same.
• The cooking oil required to fry deep should have a high smoking point. Rice bran, corn, and peanut oil are examples of cooking oils with high smoking points.
• ​An alternative way to replace deep-frying is to air-fry it. In this case, please mix one tablespoon of cooking oil with the marinated chicken before air-frying. The result may not be as crispy as deep-frying, but it is a healthier alternative if you deep-fry lots of stuff at home.
• If evaporated milk is unavailable, you can substitute it with regular milk. Since regular milk has more water content than evaporated milk, you must add slightly more and cook it longer to get the creamy texture.

How to serve the butter chicken

This creamy butter chicken is best served with plain rice during a main meal. It is also suitable as finger food for parties. It is best to serve it fresh while the chicken is still crispy.

Related recipes

• If you enjoyed the Malaysian butter chicken, you might want to try the classic Indian version. I have previously shared the Indian butter chicken recipe, so feel free to check it out. 
• If you are a fan of Malaysian cuisine, you should try making nasi lemak. It is a popular dish in Malaysia, often eaten for breakfast or as a main meal.

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Malaysian Butter Chicken

Yield: 2 portions

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Malaysian butter chicken is a popular dish made by coating fried chicken with a creamy sauce made with evaporated milk and butter.

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Ingredients

Ingredients A

• 450g of chicken thigh meat
• 1/2 beaten egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• A few dashes of white pepper
• 3 tbsp of cornstarch
• 2 tbsp regular flour

Ingredients B

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 30g of butter
• 5 cloves of chopped garlic
• A small bunch of curry leaves
• 1 chopped bird's eye chili (optional)
• 3/4 cup of evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken with ingredients A A. Let it stand for 30 minutes before frying.
2. Heat enough oil with a high smoking point. Deep-fry the chicken pieces until they turn golden brown.
3. Add cooking oil to mix with butter and heat over low heat in a separate pan.
4. Add the chopped garlic and curry leaves to saute until fragrant.
5. Season with salt and sugar.
6. Add the evaporated milk.
7. Continue to simmer the butter and milk sauce over medium heat until it starts to thicken.
8. Return the fried chicken pieces to the thick and creamy sauce, dousing it in the sauce to ensure the sauce covers every morsel of chicken.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1061Total Fat: 63gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 431mgSodium: 3359mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 82g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 5/1/2024