Indian butter chicken with step by step photos and a video recipe. Butter chicken (also known as Murgh Makhni) is one of the popular curries in Indian restaurants worldwide. It is made with tandoori chicken simmered in buttery and creamy tomato sauce. Make this restaurant favorite dish at home with this easy recipe. Serve it with Naan bread, basmati rice or jeera rice.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4people
Calories: 480kcal
Author: Preeti Nayak
Equipment
1 Mixing bowl
1 Heavy bottom pan
1 Heavy bottom pot with a lid
Ingredients
For the marinade
500gboneless & skinless chickenyou can also use bone-in chicken
3tablespoonfull fat yogurt/hung curd
2tablespoonginger garlic paste
2teaspooncoriander powder
1teaspoongaram masala powderadd as per taste
1teaspooncumin powder
1teaspoonKashmiri red chili powder(substitute any red chili powder but add as per taste)
½teaspoonturmeric powder
1tablespoonlemon juice
Salt to taste
2teaspoonoil
1teaspoonKasuri methi/dried fenugreek leavesroasted and crushed
For the sauce
2teaspoonoil
100gbutterdivided, unsalted
1small onionsliced
7-8garlic cloves
1teaspoongrated ginger
1-inchcinnamon
3green cardamom
4cloves
10peppercorns
1teaspooncumin powder
1teaspoongaram masala powder
2teaspooncoriander powder
2teaspoonKashmiri red chili powder
½teaspoonturmeric powder
250gtomatosliced
10cashews
Salt to taste
½cupwater
1teaspoonsugaradd as per taste
¼cupheavy cream
1teaspoonKasuri Methidried fenugreek leaves
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
In a mixing bowl, combine chicken with marinade ingredients. Cover and marinate it for 30 minutes. For better results, marinate it for 2 hours (keep it covered in the refrigerator).
For making the sauce
Heat 2 teaspoon of oil and 50 g (3 tbsp) butter on medium heat ina heavy bottom pot.
Once the butter melts, add onion and sauté until they are slightly soft.
Add garlic, ginger and whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms and peppercorns). Cook it for 2 minutes.
Next, add cumin powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder and turmeric powder. Sauté it for a minute.
Add tomatoes, 50 g butter (or 3 tbsp), cashews, and salt. Combine and cook it for 2 minutes.
Stir in ½ cup water. Let it come to a boil. Cover and cook it for 15 minutes until tomatoes are soft and pulpy. Stir it in between as required.
Remove and keep it aside to cool down.
Transfer the tomato masala to the mixer or grinder jar.
Grind it to a fine paste. If needed add ¼ cup water.
Grill the chicken
Heat 2 teaspoon oil in a heavy bottom pan or grill pan over medium heat.
Take out the chicken from the marinade, drip off the excess marinade.
Place the marinated chicken pieces on the heated pan. Do not overlap the pieces. Cook the chicken in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Cook for 4-5 minutes or until brown on one side. Flip and cook on the other side until brown. The chicken will not be completely cooked at this stage.
Remove and keep it covered. Same way cook the other chicken pieces too.
Making butter chicken
Transfer the prepared tomato-cashew paste in a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Let it come to a boil.
Shred the chicken pieces and add it to the gravy.
Stir in sugar. Cover and cook it on low heat for 10 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
Taste and add salt, if required.
Next, add cream and kasuri methi. Cook it until the gravy comes to a gentle boil. Switch off the heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with Naan or basmati rice.
Video
Notes
For better results keep the chicken in yogurt marinade for at least 2 hours. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator. This spicy yogurt marinade makes the chicken juicy, moist, and flavorful.
Before pan-frying, take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and keep it on the kitchen counter until it comes to room temperature. If you pan-fry the chicken taken straight out of the refrigerator it will make the chicken hard or rubbery.
While taking out the chicken from the marinade bowl, drip off the excess marinade in the bowl and place only the marinated chicken on the pan. Do not pour excess marinade on the pan. It sticks to the pan and makes it difficult to fry the chicken.
Make sure the pan is hot enough. When you place the marinated chicken over it, you should hear a sizzling sound. It locks the juices of the chicken inside and keeps it juicy and moist.
The addition of onions is completely optional. For an authentic butter chicken recipe, onions are not added while making the sauce.
Grind the cooked tomato cashew masala to a fine paste. In restaurants, they pass this paste through a strainer to get a smooth velvety texture of the sauce.
The gravy thickens after some time. Add some hot water and stir to make it thin.