Kitchen Recipe Collection
Indian Butter Chicken
The world-famous Murgh Makhani. Tender chicken pieces marinated in yogurt and spices, charred, and then simmered in a rich, buttery, creamy tomato sauce.
- Prep
- 120 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 160 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- indian
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- boneless chicken
- yogurt
- kashmiri red chili powder
- ginger-garlic paste
- butter
- tomatoes
- cashews
- cream
- garam masala
- kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Equipment
- Oven or heavy pan
- Blender
- Deep wok (kadai)
Instructions
- 1
First Marinade
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Rub with lemon juice, salt, and Kashmiri chili powder. Rest for 15 minutes.
- 2
Second Marinade
Mix yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, and a teaspoon of mustard oil. Coat the chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours.
- 3
Prepare Sauce Base
Roughly chop tomatoes and onions. In a pan, boil the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cashews in a little water.
- 4
Add Aromatics to Base
Add whole spices (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon) and a little butter to the boiling mix. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- 5
Blend Sauce
Let the tomato-cashew mixture cool slightly, then blend it into a perfectly smooth, fine puree.
- 6
Strain Sauce
Pass the blended puree through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure a silky-smooth, velvety restaurant-style gravy. Discard the solids.
- 7
Cook Chicken
While the sauce boils, cook the marinated chicken. You can grill it in an oven at 200°C or pan-fry it until charred and cooked through.
- 8
Heat Butter
In a clean kadai, heat a generous dollop of butter. Add a pinch of Kashmiri chili powder for color.
- 9
Simmer Gravy
Pour the strained, smooth tomato gravy into the kadai. Let it simmer and reduce on low heat for 10 minutes.
- 10
Add Chicken
Add the charred chicken pieces to the bubbling gravy and stir gently.
- 11
Add Magic Herb
Lightly crush the Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) between your palms and sprinkle it over the curry. This gives it the authentic restaurant aroma.
- 12
Finish with Cream
Turn off the heat, stir in heavy cream and a final cube of butter. Serve hot with garlic naan or basmati rice.
Cooking Tips
- Straining the tomato puree is the absolute secret to getting that silky, glossy restaurant-style makhani texture.
- Kashmiri chili powder provides the vibrant red color without making the dish overwhelmingly spicy.
Variations
- Butter Paneer: Replace the chicken with paneer (cottage cheese) cubes for a vegetarian version.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- Invented by Kundan Lal Gujral at Moti Mahal in Delhi as a way to use leftover tandoori chicken.
Nutrition Estimate
550 calories · 35g protein · 12g carbs · 42g fat · 3g fiber per serving
