Butter Chicken recipe with step by step photos and video recipe. Butter Chicken is one of the most popular chicken dishes served in Indian restaurants and is famous worldwide.
Actually “Butter Chicken” is also known as “Murgh Makhani“. You will find butter chicken in almost all the restaurant’s menu in India.
About Butter Chicken recipe
The credit for the origin of butter chicken goes to Kundan Lal Gujral, the owner of the popular restaurant “Moti Mahal” in Delhi. The restaurant was famous for its tandoori chicken and to reduce the wastage from the leftover “Butter Chicken” was originated.
So basically, Butter Chicken recipe is the combination of Tandoori Chicken and soft creamy tomato gravy. The gravy tastes amazing with the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavor 🙂
You might also like other popular chicken recipes on this website:
Butter Chicken recipe | How to make Butter Chicken | Murgh Makhani recipe
Equipment
- Heavy bottom pan or wok
Ingredients
For Marinating the Chicken
- 1/2 Kg chicken
- 2 tbsp hung curd
- salt to taste
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
For making the Gravy Paste
Whole Spices
- 1 bay leaf (Tej patta)
- 5 cloves (Cloves)
- 2 petals of mace (Mace)
- 2 inch cinnamon sticks (Cinnamon sticks)
- 1 black cardamom (Black cardamom)
- 4 green cardamom (Green cardamom)
Other ingredients
- 1 inch ginger roughly chopped
- 10 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion Sliced
- 10 cashews
- 8 tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- salt to taste
For Cooking the Butter Chicken Gravy
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 green chilies
- 1- inch ginger
- 4 tsp cream
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Kasuri methi
- salt to taste
For Garnishing
- 1 tsp cream
- 1 tsp butter
- coriander leaves
Instructions
For Marinating the Chicken
- In a mixing bowl add curd, salt, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, tandoori masala, and mustard oil. Mix it. Now add Chicken pieces to it. Keep it aside. Marinate for 30 minutes.
For making the Gravy Paste
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the whole spices. Saute it for a minute. Add ginger, garlic, onion, and cashews. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Do not brown the onions.
- Next, add tomatoes, salt & butter. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes till tomatoes are pulpy.
- Now add Kashmiri red chili powder and mix. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame. Let it cool down completely.
- Once the gravy mixture is cooled, transfer it into a mixer jar and blend it to a fine paste. Strain the prepared paste through a strainer. The smooth paste for the Gravy is ready now.
- Straining is an additional task. You can skip it. But believe me, you will love the soft creamy gravy and definitely, it adds a magic touch to the gravy.
Fry the Chicken on Pan
- Heat a pan and add oil. Fry the marinated chicken pieces. Do not flip immediately. Let it cook on one side. Do not cover the Pan. Once cooked, flip the chicken piece, keep the flame medium and cook on another side too. Tandoori chicken is ready. Keep it aside.
- If you have an oven, then preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Bake it for 30-35 minutes or until done.
For Cooking the Butter Chicken Gravy
- First of all, heat a pan and add oil and butter. To this add green chilies and ginger juliennes. Add the prepared paste. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
- Now add chicken pieces, salt, butter & cream. While adding salt do remember we already added salt while marinating the Chicken and in making the gravy paste too. Taste the gravy and if needed then only add salt.
- Add sugar & kasuri methi. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
- Butter Chicken is ready. Finally, garnish with cream, coriander leaves& butter. Serve butter chicken hot with roti or naan.
Video
Notes
2. You can avoid the use of onion in the recipe for authentic butter chicken recipe.
3. Use thick curd for the recipe. Or better to use hung curd.
4. Mustard oil gives a typical restaurant-style butter chicken flavor. But you can avoid it if you do not like mustard oil.
5. Marinating the chicken overnight or at least for 2 hours and keep it in the refrigerator. It makes the chicken more flavorful.
6. While frying the chicken pieces make sure the pan is hot. Do not flip it immediately. Let it fry on one side completely and then flip and fry on another side. Turn the flame medium or the chicken will not cook from inside.
7. Do not cover and cook the chicken, the chicken will release all its juices and will taste like boiled chicken.
8. Use tomatoes that are ripe. It will enhance the taste of the gravy.
9. You can make butter paneer with the same recipe. Just add paneer instead of chicken and delicious butter paneer is ready.
How to make Butter Chicken
Marinate the chicken
- In a mixing bowl add curd, salt, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, tandoori masala, and mustard oil. Mix it.
- Now add chicken pieces to it. Keep it aside.
- Marinate for 30 minutes.
Prepare a gravy paste.
4. Heat a pan and add oil.
5. Add the whole spices. Saute it for a minute.
6. Now add ginger, garlic, onion, and cashews. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Do not brown the Onions.
7. Next, add tomatoes, salt & butter. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes till tomatoes are pulpy.
8. Add Kashmiri Red Chili powder and mix. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame. Let it cool down completely.
9. Once the gravy mixture is cooled, transfer it into a mixer jar and blend it to a fine paste.
10. Strain the prepared paste through a strainer. The smooth paste for the Gravy is ready now. Straining is an additional task. You can skip it. But believe me, you will love the soft creamy gravy and definitely, it adds a magic touch to the gravy.
Fry the Chicken on Pan
11. Heat a pan and add oil.
12. Fry the marinated chicken pieces. Do not flip immediately. Let it cook on one side. Do not cover the Pan.
13. Once cooked, flip the chicken piece, keep the flame medium and cook on another side too. Tandoori chicken is ready. Keep it aside.
If you have an oven, then Preheat the Oven at 200 degrees. Bake it for 30-35 minutes or until done.
For Cooking the Butter Chicken Gravy
14. First of all, heat a pan and add oil and butter.
15. To this add green chilies and ginger juliennes.
16. Add the prepared paste. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
17. Now add chicken pieces, salt, butter, cream & sugar. While adding salt do remember we already added salt while marinating the Chicken and in making the gravy paste too. Taste the gravy and if needed then only add salt.
18. Finally, add kasuri methi. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
19. Butter Chicken is ready. Finally, garnish with cream, coriander leaves& butter. Serve butter chicken hot with roti or naan.
Cooking Tips:
- Authentic Butter Chicken recipe does not include onions while making the gravy. You can avoid the addition of onions to the recipe to get an authentic butter chicken flavor.
- After adding chicken to the gravy do not cook it for too long or else it will lose the flavor of tandoori masala.
- Adding sugar and cream to the recipe is a must. It balances the tangy flavor of tomatoes in the recipe. You can add honey in the place of sugar. But add honey after you switch off the flame. Do not reheat the gravy after adding honey to the recipe.
- This gravy thickens when cools down so adjust the consistency accordingly.
Please leave your valuable suggestions, feedback or any query related to the recipe in the comment box. If you make this recipe in any other way, do share your tips and suggestions to make it better. Till then enjoy your day………Happy Cooking 🙂
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