Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
This Indian Butter chicken | Murgh Makhani | Chicken Makhani | Chicken Makhanwala | Chicken butter masala, call it what you may, is the real deal butter chicken, creamy, buttery and absolutely delicious! Skip takeout and make it at home instead with this recipe in simple steps!
India boasts of a number of chicken curries across the length and breadth of the country! But none tops the list likeMurgh makhani, the one dish that requires no introduction. It is amongst the top Indian dishes and rightfully deserves to be! It is as popular and loved in India as it is globally.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to taste this dish yet, you are definitely missing out on something. If you are a butter chicken fan, today’s post is for you. Read on to know some fun facts, its origin and how to make it at home!
Table of Contents
WHAT IS BUTTER CHICKEN?
Butter chicken is a mildly spiced Indian chicken curry. In this dish, chicken pieces are marinated with yogurt and spices are grilled in a tandoor and then dunked in an ambrosial, buttery, creamy, nutty, luxurious tomato based gravy-yumm!
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF BUTTER CHICKEN?
I love to know the history behind the origin of these dishes.Murgh makhani has a rather interesting history. Have you heard about it?
Kundan Lal Gujral, the founder of Moti Mahal restaurant in New Delhi, India invented Butter chicken. The man who invented tandoori chicken (and I think the world can’t thank him enough for the genius gastronomical creation) also happens to be the creatorof this wonderful dish. In order to avoid wastage of leftovers, he used these grilled chicken pieces in a rich tomato, butter, and cream based sauce to create what we have today, Butter Chicken! {Wiki}.
HOW TO MAKE INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN?
You will come across many variations of this dish, as each restaurant/hotel/chef have their own unique take on this classic!
The preparation of butter chicken requires 2 steps,
- Making tandoori chicken
- Butter chicken sauce
HOW TO MAKE BUTTER CHICKEN SAUCE | MAKHANI SAUCE?
To prepare an authentic Indian butter chicken recipe you start off by cooking tomatoes with spices like cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and cardamom. The spices are discarded and the tomatoes are pureed and strained. This is the base of the makhani sauce. Then this sauce is cooked in butter, ginger garlic paste, and a few spices.
It is finished off with some more butter, fresh cream and that little bit of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri/kasoori methi) which give this dish its characteristic taste.
Do not skip out on the dried fenugreek leaves, it is an important element in this dish, it’s distinct bitter, yet earthy flavor cannot be missed! It is easily available in most Indian grocery stores.
A little bit of honey is added to balance out the tartness of the tomatoes.
You don’t really need a butter chicken spice mix to make this dish. The only spice powders you would need are some ground cumin, cayenne or paprika, depending on your heat tolerance and some garam masala, and the most important as I’ve mentioned above is the dried fenugreek leaves! A must!
Once you have the sauce prepared, add your grilled chicken tandoori pieces and let it simmer for at least 10 minutes to absorb all that deliciousness! I’ve shared some make-ahead tips in notes, so don’t forget to check it out.
Some restaurants serve red butter chicken, which is nothing but regular butter chicken enhanced with some reddish-orange color and does not affect the taste. You can food coloring to the chicken marinade or the sauce.
That’s all there is to a simple butter chicken sauce!
IS BUTTER CHICKEN SPICY?
Like, I’ve mentioned it is mildly spiced and a little on the sweeter side. But you can increase the heat if you like a spicy butter chicken. Totally, up to you and that’s the best part of making it at home. You can always customize it to suit your palate.
So instead of wondering where you could get the best butter chicken, use this recipe and make some at home, from scratch! This is the best ever butter chicken recipe!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BUTTER CHICKEN?
- Naan/Kulcha/garlic kulcha or any other flatbread
- Steamed rice/pilaf or jeera rice
BUTTER CHICKEN VS CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
There are quite a few subtle differences between these two-
- Butter chicken is a mildly spiced curry, flavored with lots of butter and cream. Makhani literally means buttery, and that refers to the rich mouthfeel of butter chicken curry. Chicken tikka masala, on the other hand, is a more rustic preparation, it uses more spices like cumin, turmeric, coriander, chilli powder and garam masala. It also uses a little yogurt in the curry unlike the curry for chicken makhani. Some chefs also add bell peppers to the tikka masala curry.
- Chicken on bones is traditionally used to make butter chicken, but somehow the use of boneless chicken has become more popular amongst the masses.Chicken tikka masala is made with boneless grilled chicken pieces.
- Onions are not a part of the authentic makhani sauce, but certain chefs add it to bulk up the sauce. Whereas chicken tikka masala has a basic onion tomato curry base.
I have used ready made tomato purée (canned tomato sauce) for this recipe, which also quickens the process of preparing this dish, making it an easy 20 minute or less recipe, once you have the grilled chicken ready.
If you would like to use fresh tomatoes, you can follow the recipe for paneer makhani, use the same curry base and add grilled chicken instead of paneer to make Punjabi murgh makhani. I love to use fresh, plum tomatoes for this recipe when they are in season, or else the canned stuff works great too for once in a while.
As complex and intimidating as this dish looks, it is really a cinch to pull it off.
This restaurant-style butter chicken is definitely not your everyday dish, considering the amount of calories that go into a single serving! This fits the bill for cheat days, orapt for those times when you want to have a nice, soul-satisfying curry. To make a healthy butter chicken, refer notes for substitutes.
Check out the stepwise pictorial below, to make a quick yet tasty butter chicken. Forget takeout and make your own, your family and friends would definitely be helping themselves with seconds.
ENJOYED THIS HOMEMADE BUTTER CHICKEN? HERE ARE SOME MORE TOP INDIAN DISHES TO TRY
- Tandoori Chicken
- Malai Kofta
- Shahi Paneer
- Paneer Makhani
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION TO MAKE INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN | MURGH MAKHANI | CHICKEN MAKHANI
FOR THE TANDOORI CHICKEN
1.Add chicken pieces in a large bowl. Pat dry with a napkin so that the marinade sticks to it. Add all the ingredients listed under for the chicken marinade.
2.Mix well and let it marinate for a minimum of 2 to 3 hoursor overnight.
3.Thread chicken pieces onto skewers (if using bamboo skewers, immerse them in water for 30 minutes prior to using). Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Grill for about 20minutes,turning sides once or until the chicken is cooked through. Broil for an additional 3-4minutes to get that charred look. You can also fry it on the stove top instead of cooking in the oven.
FOR THE BUTTER CHICKEN SAUCE
1.Whilst the chicken is grilling, prepare the curry. Heat 3 tablespoons butter plus oil in a heavy bottomed pan/ kadai, add whole spices.
2.When the spices become fragrant add ginger garlic green chilli paste. Sauté until fragrant.
3.Add tomato purée, mix well with the seasoned butter, cover and let it cook on medium heat until it leaves fat. Stir in between to prevent any sticking at the bottom of the pan. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
4.Now add salt to season, sugar to balance out the tartness of the tomatoes, kasuri methi, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, and garam masala. Sauté it on medium heat for another minute.
5.Add cashew nut paste, sauté it on medium heat another 1-2 minutes until it leaves fat at the sides of the wok.
6.Add 3/4 to 1 cup water (adjust as per desired consistency, add about 1/2 cup water for very thick sauce), mix well and bring to a boil. Check for seasonings and adjust now.
7.Add grilled chicken pieces, mix well and let it simmer covered for another 10 minutes.
8.Finally add the cream and 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter, mix well and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Finish it off with a little sprinkle of kasuri methi. Switch off the heat and serve with pilaf or any flatbread!
NOTES
1.Low-calorieversion: Replace butter with olive oil, you can reduce the cashew nuts or used blanched almonds, and replace heavy cream/malai with milk. I do not recommend adding yogurt in place of cream, it changes the flavor profile of the dish. Honestly, with these substitutes, it won’t taste like the real deal butter chicken, but it is still going to be delicious nonetheless.
2.If you have tandoori masala, use that instead of the individual spices, you can skip the garam masala & red chilli powder in the marinade.
3.Make ahead tip– Marinate the chicken and refrigerate until you ready to assemble the dish. Prepare the curry base up to step 5. Once it cools down, you can refrigerate the curry base. When you are ready to assemble the dish, bring the chicken to room temperature and grill, also transferthe curry base to a heavy bottomed pot/kadai, add water, bring to a boil, then followthe last 3steps.
HOW TO MAKE BUTTER CHICKEN?
Butter Chicken Recipe | How To Make Butter Chicken | Murgh Makhani
Freda Dias
This Indian Butter chicken | Murgh Makhani | Chicken Makhani | Chicken Makhanwala | Chicken butter masala, call it what you may, is the real deal butter chicken, creamy, buttery and absolutely delicious! Skip takeout and make it at home instead with this recipe in simple steps!
4 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Total Time 3 hours hrs 55 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Punjabi
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 700 grams chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the marinade
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3/4 to 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- Few blades of javitri (mace)
- 1/4 cup hung curd/Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
For the butter chicken sauce
- 1 cup tomato purée (8 oz can of tomato sauce)
- 1 inch ginger + 4 big garlic cloves + 2-3 green chillies (make a fine paste)
- Whole spices (1 bay leaf, 1-inch cinnamon, 3 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, few blades of mace,5 -6 peppercorns)
- 7-10 cashew nuts/almonds, soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes, ground to a smooth paste
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 to 2 tsp sugar/honey, adjust according to the sourness of the tomatoes
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves), dry roasted and crushed between palms
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of heavy cream/fresh malai
- 4 to 5 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
For the tandoori chicken
Add chicken pieces in a large bowl. Pat dry with a napkin so that the marinade sticks to it. Add all the ingredients listed under for the chicken marinade.
Mix well and let it marinate for about 2-3 hours or overnight.
Thread chicken pieces onto skewers (if using bamboo skewers, immerse them in water for 30 minutes prior to using). Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Grill for about 20 minutes, turning sides once or until the chicken is cooked through. Broil for an additional 3-4 minutes to get that charred look. You can also fry it on the stove top instead of cooking in the oven.
For the butter chicken sauce
Whilst the chicken is grilling, prepare the curry. Heat 3 tablespoons butter plus oil in a heavy bottomed pan/ kadai, add whole spices.
When the spices become fragrant add ginger garlic green chilli paste. Sauté until fragrant.
Add tomato purée, mix well with the seasoned butter, cover and let it cook on medium heat until it leaves fat. Stir in between to prevent any sticking at the bottom of the pan. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
Now add salt to season, sugar to balance out the tartness of the tomatoes, kasuri methi, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and garam masala. Sauté it on medium heat for another minute.
Add cashew nut paste, sauté it on medium heat another 1-2 minutes until it leaves fat at the sides of the wok.
Add 3/4 to 1 cup water (adjust as per desired consistency, add about 1/2 cup water for very thick sauce), mix well and bring to a boil. Check for seasonings and adjust now.
Add grilled chicken pieces, mix well and let it simmer covered for another 10 minutes.
Finally, add the cream and 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter, mix well and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Finish it off with a little sprinkle of kasuri methi. Switch off the heat and serve with pilaf or any flatbread!
Notes
- Low-calorieversion: Replace butter with olive oil, you can reduce the cashew nuts or used blanched almonds, and replace heavy cream/malai with milk. I do not recommend adding yogurt in place of cream, it changes the flavor profile of the dish. Honestly, with these substitutes, it won't taste like the real deal butter chicken, but it is still going to be delicious nonetheless.
- If you have tandoori masala, use that instead of the individual spices, you can skip the garam masala & red chilli powder in the marinade.
- Make ahead tip- Marinate the chicken and refrigerate until you ready to assemble the dish. Prepare the curry base up to step 5. Once it cools down, you can refrigerate the curry base. When you are ready to assemble the dish, bring the chicken to room temperature and grill, also transferthe curry base to a heavy bottomed pot/kadai, add water, bring to a boil, then followthe last 3steps.
Keyword Butter Chicken Recipe, How To Make Butter Chicken, Murgh Makhani
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at [emailprotected]
You can also follow me on :
Regards,
Freda
