Butter Chicken Recipe (Indian Chicken Makhani)

Make the BEST Butter Chicken at home with this authentic Indian recipe. This Murgh Makhani is flavor-packed, creamy, delicious and tastes better than your favorite Indian restaurant version. All you need is a bowl of Basmati rice or some Naans to mop up the luxurious sauce.

What is Butter Chicken?

Butter Chicken is a classic Indian dish that’s made by simmering marinated & grilled chicken (Tandoori chicken) in a spicy, aromatic, buttery and creamy tomato gravy. This lip-smacking and delicious dish is hugely popular among the Indian food lovers across the world.

It is believed that Murgh Makhani was invented during 1930 to 1935, by Kundan Lal Jaggi & Kundan Lal Gujral, the owners/partners of a restaurant named Moti Mahal in Delhi, India. The restaurant would usually have large orders of tandoori chicken but sometimes ended up with leftovers which were dry.

Chicken Makhani was a way to use up the leftover dry Tandoori Chicken. The large pieces of grilled chicken were diced and simmered in a rich creamy and buttery tomato gravy. That’s how this dish came into existence.

Butter Chicken Vs Chicken Tikka Masala

Though this dish has a lot of similarities with Chicken Tikka Masala, it differs in taste, texture and flavor. Originally, this is low on heat, does not include onions and is cooked with butter but tikka masala is spicy, hot, includes onions and is cooked in oil. Butter Chicken has a smooth, rich and silky gravy/sauce but tikka masala has a texture from the chopped and caramelized onions.

The original & authentic Chicken Makhani is made with tandoori grilled chicken. Firstly, bone-in chicken is marinated overnight with thick Hung curd (strained yogurt), spices and herbs. This marinade imparts tons of flavors to the meat, tenderizes it naturally & helps to remain succulent after grilling.

Later the marinated chicken is grilled in a tandoor, a clay oven which imparts its characteristic smoky aroma. This is then diced and simmered in a spicy buttery and creamy tomato gravy.

Since we are not equipped with tandoor at home, the marinated chicken has to be either roasted in a pan or in an oven or grilled on open fire (barbeque). For this post I have done it in a pan. Feel free to grill/bake the chicken in oven or on open fire.

More interesting Chicken Recipes
Chicken Bhuna
Restaurant Chicken Jalfrezi
Chilli Chicken
Chicken Curry
Easy Chicken Masala

How to make Butter Chicken (Stepwise Photos)

Marinade

For this recipe you require 500 grams (1.1 lbs) boneless chicken. You can use thighs or breasts like the way I use. A lot of people prefer thighs for the flavor and additional fats. If using chicken breasts be prepared to leave it in the marinade for a minimum of 12 hours for best results.

1. Here are the other ingredients required to marinate the chicken:

• ¾ to 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon salt
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or paprika adjust to taste, reduce for kids)
• ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (optional, dried fenugreek leaves)
• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
• ¾ to 1 tablespoon oil
• ¾ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• ⅓ cup Greek yogurt or hung curd (read my pro tips)

2. Make sure there is no excess moisture on your chicken. Pat dry with kitchen tissues/paper, if required. Add red chili powder, salt and lemon juice. Mix well, cover and rest for 20 mins.

3. Later add ginger garlic paste, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, kasuri methi, turmeric and hung curd/ Greek yogurt. Mix well and cover. Let the chicken rest in the marinade for a minimum of 12 hours in the refrigerator. The longer you leave the more tender and juicer the chicken is going to be. You can leave this for a maximum of 48 hours.

Prepare for the sauce/gravy

4. When you are ready to make the sauce, prepare the following ingredients. Keep the chicken out of the refrigerator, as we don’t want to grill/ pan-fry the cold chicken.

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 cinnamon (2 inch piece, if using Ceylon cinnamon, feel free to use more)
• 4 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• ¾ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 to 2 green chilies (deseed,slit or chop, avoid for kids)
• 1 to 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika (adjust to suit your taste and color)
• 1 to 1½ teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste, divided)
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder (optional)
• 1 to 1½ teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
• ½ tablespoon kasuri methi crushed

5. I have updated this recipe to use onions. It is optional but helps to cut down the sour taste of the tomatoes, especially if you are using canned tomatoes or passata. Sauté 1½ cups (130 grams) sliced onions (1 medium onion) in 1 tablespoon oil until slightly golden, for 7 to 8 minutes. Cool down and add them to the blender.

6. To the same blender jar add 600 grams diced fresh tomatoes (4 large, makes 3 cups puree) or 1 cup passata, 28 cashews and half cup water. Grind to a smooth puree. Alternately, If you do not have a powerful blender, you may soak the cashews in ½ cup hot water for 30 mins and then puree them separately in a small coffee grinder like the way I did.

7. To make the cashew cream, I grind the cashews first to a powder and then add ¼ cup water and grind again. Pour another ¼ cup water and grind again. Puree them very smooth.

I leave the pureeing part for you to decide. Choose the method that works for you, depending on the kind of grinder/blender you own – together or separately but smoother the better.

Make Butter Chicken Sauce

8. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a pan. Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. Once they begin to sizzle, add ginger garlic paste, green chilies (leave out for kids) and fry on a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes till the raw smell goes away.

9. Do not burn.

10. Turn off the heat. Stir in the red chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder and coriander powder.

11. Pour the puree. If your puree is not smooth strain it to the pan.

12. Use a sturdy spoon to strain and discard the residue.

13. Mix well and bring this to a boil on a medium high heat. Be careful as this can easily splatter.

14. Cover partially and let boil on a medium heat, stirring often, until thick. This takes about 12 to 15 mins, depending on the kind of cookware and stove.

15. This is how it should look, at this stage stir in the cashew cream or puree if you made it separately.

16. Pour 1½ cups hot water and mix well.

17. Simmer this, partially covered for 10 mins or until the sauce thickens & traces of fats/butter are visible on top of the sauce. Meanwhile proceed with the next step.

Grill the chicken on the stove top or Bake in the oven

18. Make sure your chicken is not too cold.

Option 1: To use oven, preheat the oven to 240 C or 460 F for at least 15 minutes. Skew the chicken on to soaked wooden skewers or place on a greased tray and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, depending on the size of chicken pieces. In between you will have to turn to the other side.

Option 2: To pan-fry/grill chicken on griddle/tawa. Add one tablespoon oil/butter or ghee and place the chicken pieces spacing them apart. Fry on a medium heat for 2 mins. Ignore the moisture oozing out of the chicken. Turn the chicken pieces to the other side, don’t burn and do not overcook.

19. Cook till the chicken is just done and all the moisture evaporates. Optional – If you want browned chicken, increase the flame to high and roast until they turn golden or light brown on both the sides. Be careful as this can easily burn the masala & dry out your chicken. This way roast the chicken pieces in 2 to 3 batches, depending on the size of your skillet. Avoid browning in a non-stick pan.

Make Chicken Makhani

20. After 10 minutes, the sauce should have been thick and traces of fats visible on the sauce.

21. Add chicken to the butter chicken gravy.

22. Pour ½ cup more hot water if the sauce is too thick and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes till it becomes tender. This is the time the sauce actually develops the flavors. The cook time may vary here. This additional half cup water is not mentioned in the recipe and is optional depending on how long you cook. But I always use.

23. Add ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ tablespoon kasuri methi. Stir well and taste test. If required add more garam masala & another tablespoon butter for additional flavor.

24. Stir in ¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream. Or Take a few tablespoons of the hot gravy to a small bowl and stir in the cream. Mix and then pour the cream to the butter chicken. This prevents cream from splitting.

Serving Suggestions

Butter Chicken is best served with Jeera rice , Turmeric Rice, plain fluffy Basmati Rice, Tandoori Roti, Naan or Paratha. To extend your menu, you may try Kachumber salad or onion salad, Jeera aloo or Paneer Tikka.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Tomatoes: Fresh ripe & pulpy/meaty tomatoes are best for this recipe. However you may use 1 cup (8 oz) passata or canned tomato puree. Avoid using sour tangy tomatoes.

Greek yogurt/ Hung curd: Marinade requires thick strained yogurt like this Hung curd or Greek yogurt. Using regular yogurt (with whey) will easily let out too much moisture while grilling the chicken & all the spice marinade goes over to the pan. This makes your chicken taste bland. If your yogurt is runny, you may strain it following this Hung curd recipe.

Cashews impart a delicate flavor & acts as a thickener. It gives that rich, smooth and silky richness to the sauce. You can use almonds or almond flour as a substitute but flavors are different. To use almonds, soak them in hot water for 2 hours, peel and grind to a smooth paste/ puree. If using almond flour, grind it with water to a smooth paste.

Spices

Garam Masala is a spice blend used in Indian cooking. To make a good butter chicken you need a really good garam masala else your dish can end up being bland without any flavors. You can make your own from this Garam masala recipe or use store bought. But be sure to use an aromatic masala and adjust the quantity because every brand is different.

Kashmiri Red chili powder is pure Indian chilli powder (ground dried red chilies). It is a medium hot chili powder which also imparts brighter color to your dish. You may substitute it with Byadgi chili powder or a mix of smoked paprika & cayenne pepper (1:1).

If you don’t eat spicy foods, you may reduce the amount of red chili powder. The sauce will have a lighter color like seen in my old pictures.

Coriander and cumin powder: My original recipe never had cumin and coriander powders since they are already included in my garam masala. I have added it for extra flavor in the new version.

Kasuri methi is dried fenugreek leaves. There is no substitute for this and you may leave out if you don’t have but you will surely miss those magical flavors.

Expert Tips

• Marination is the key to get flavorful, tender & succulent pieces of chicken.
• Yogurt in the marinade tenderizes the chicken so do not skip it.
• Makhani recipe never uses onion. However using them helps to balance the tang/sour taste of tomatoes, especially if you are using passata or canned tomatoes.
• The rich taste in the gravy comes from the cashews (or almonds) & cream.
• You can make the gravy ahead and refrigerate. Just grill the marinated chicken when needed and heat up the gravy. Then add the grilled chicken.

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