Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, came out of the Moti Mahal kitchen in Daryaganj, Delhi, after Partition, when Punjabi cooks from Peshawar looked for a way to use up leftover tandoori chicken. They tossed the dried-out pieces into a sauce of tomatoes, butter and cream, and a dish was born that now sits on every North Indian menu from Amritsar to Toronto.
Good butter chicken is mildly sweet, tangy and smoky all at once. The chicken should carry the char of a hot grill and the warmth of a yogurt-chilli marinade, while the gravy stays smooth and glossy, never pasty. Kashmiri chilli gives it colour without much heat, and a pinch of crushed kasuri methi at the end is the aroma people remember.
At home it is a weekend or celebration dish, made when guests are coming over or when someone has asked for restaurant food without going out. It pairs naturally with butter naan, but plenty of Punjabi families eat it with plain jeera rice and a bowl of sliced onions dressed with lemon and chaat masala.
At a glance
| Region | Punjab |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Punjabi |
| Diet | Non-vegetarian |
| Course | Main course |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 45 minutes |
| Total time | 75 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Spice level | Mild |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Gluten-free | Yes |
| Key ingredients | chicken / tomato / butter / cream / cashew |
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 600 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm pieces
- 1/2 cup thick hung curd
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
For the makhani gravy
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 green cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 500 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 15 cashews, soaked 20 minutes
- 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 to 2 tsp sugar or honey
- 1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed between palms
- 1/3 cup fresh cream
- Salt to taste
Method
- Mix all the marinade ingredients, add the chicken and rub well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- Heat a heavy cast-iron tawa or grill pan on high until it smokes. Lay the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, without moving them, until charred in spots and just cooked through. Set aside.
- For the gravy, heat 1 tbsp butter and the oil in a pan on medium. Add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute until the raw smell goes. Add tomatoes, drained cashews and a splash of water. Cover and cook on medium-low for 12 to 15 minutes until the tomatoes are completely soft.
- Cool slightly, pick out the cinnamon stick and blend to a very smooth puree. For a restaurant finish, push it through a sieve back into the pan.
- Add 2 tbsp butter, the chilli powder and salt to the puree. Simmer on low for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens and butter glistens on the surface.
- Stir in the grilled chicken, garam masala and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes so the chicken absorbs the gravy; add a few tablespoons of hot water if it gets too thick.
- Add the crushed kasuri methi and cream, stir gently and switch off the heat as soon as it comes back to a bare simmer. Finish with the last tablespoon of butter on top.
Tips
- Thighs stay juicy through the double cooking; breast works but take it off the tawa slightly underdone.
- Adjust sugar only after tasting – tomatoes vary a lot in sourness across seasons.
- For a smokier dish, place a hot coal in a small steel bowl over the finished gravy, pour a few drops of ghee on it and cover for 2 minutes (dhungar).
Serve with
Butter naan or laccha paratha, with jeera rice and lemon-dressed onion rings.