Butter Chicken Recipe | How To Make Butter Chicken | Murgh Makhani
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!
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-calorie version: 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 transfer the curry base to a heavy bottomed pot/kadai, add water, bring to a boil, then follow the last 3 steps.