Butter chicken recipe – This post will guide you how to make butter chicken at home that tastes absolutely delicious, flavor packed, creamy and rich. Butter chicken also known as chicken makhani is one of the most popular, lip smacking and delicious dishes that’s been loved by many across the world. Paired with naan or kulcha is a delight which most Indians love during their restaurant visits.
There are so many versions of butter chicken that can be found on the internet which are different from the authentic Indian dish.
What is Butter chicken?
Chunks of grilled chicken (tandoori chicken) cooked in a smooth buttery & creamy tomato based gravy is known as Butter chicken or murgh makhani. It was invented by Kundan lal Gujral, who was the owner of a popular restaurant named Moti Mahal in Delhi.
The restaurant which had large orders of tandoori chicken throughout the day would typically end up with lot of leftovers which were turned into this amazing rich gravy the next day.
How is butter chicken made?
To make an authentic butter chicken recipe, First we need to marinate the chicken & then grill it. This can be done either in a pan, tandoor or oven.
Next cook it up in the rich buttery tomato cashew gravy. Lastly add some cream to make it creamy & delicious.
The recipe shared in this post is an authentic one, except grilling in tandoor.
Not every one of us would be able to grill chicken in a tandoor or in a oven. So for this post I have done it in a pan. If possible you can follow the dungar method to smoke the chicken once it is roasted in a pan.
Tips to make butter chicken
- 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 so is this butter chicken recipe. Using onion changes the taste of the dish.
- 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.
Serving suggestions for butter chicken
It is best served with Jeera rice , plain basmati rice, roti or paratha .
More chicken recipes
Chilli chicken
chicken curry
Chicken masala
tandoori chicken
Butter chicken recipe
Butter chicken recipe | How to make butter chicken
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
First marination for butter chicken recipe
- ½ kg chicken (or 1 lb.) (bone-in or boneless)
- ¾ tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder or paprika
Second marination
- ¾ teaspoon kasuri methi crushed or powdered dried fenugreek leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric or haldi
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¾ tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- ½ cup thick curd or hung yogurt (or greek yogurt, refer notes)
for gravy
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 cinnamon 2 inch (or dalchini)
- 2 green cardamoms (or elaichi)
- 2 cloves (or laung)
- 1 to 2 green chilies slit
- 4 large tomatoes (pureed in the blender and filtered to remove skin and seeds) or tinned puree as needed
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or paprika (adjust to suit your taste and color)
- 14 cashew nuts or blanched soaked almonds (refer notes)
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ tablespoon kasuri methi crushed or powdered dried fenugreek leaves
- ¼ tablespoon sugar
- salt as needed
- 80 to 100 ml chilled cream (refer the notes)
- 2 tbsp Coriander leaves for garnishing
How to make the recipe
Preparation
- First marinate chicken with lemon juice, chili powder and salt for 20 minutes.
- Next marinate again with yogurt, kasuri methi, oil, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, and garam masala powder.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours. Overnight works best.
- Add the cashews to a blender jar along with tomatoes. Make a smooth puree.
- If the puree is not smooth, then pass it through a filter. Set this aside.
- Also make the ginger garlic paste.
Grilling chicken
- Grill the chicken in an oven or stove top.
- For stove top method, Add one tsp butter to a pan and add the marinade.
- Fry on high flame till all the moisture evaporates.
- To grill it in oven, preheat the oven to 240 C for at least 20 mins.
- Grill it until the meat is cooked through. It may take about 20 to 30 mins depending on the size of your chicken chunks.
How to make butter chicken
- Heat a pan with butter & saute cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms for a min.
- Add ginger garlic paste, green chilies and fry till it turns fragrant.
- Next pour the tomato cashew puree.
- Add red chili powder, sugar and salt.
- Mix and cook until the tomato puree becomes thick.
- It also begins to leave the sides of the pan.
- Pour 1 cup water. Add more or less water to suit your desired consistency.
- Bring the mix to a boil and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Butter chicken should become soft and tender. Add garam masala and kasuri methi.
- Stir and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour chilled cream and switch off the stove.
- Garnish butter chicken with coriander leaves and extra cream if desired. Serve with long grain rice or naan or paratha.
NUTRITION
Notes
Preparation
You can make these on the previous day if you feel the butter chicken recipe is elaborate. I made it on the same day:
1. Marinate the chicken and refrigerate.
2. Make the Punjabi garam masala powder or decide on a good garam masala.
3. Puree the tomatoes & cashews in a blender until smooth. Filter through a colander to remove the skin and seeds.
4. If you do not own a powerful blender then soak the almonds or cashews for 1 to 2 hours and use.
5. The color of your gravy may differ based on your red chili powder. You may want to arrange for a good chili powder that is less hot like kashmiri chilli powder.
Marinating
1. Marinating chicken helps to make it soft and tasty. Wash chicken and pat it dry. Make sure there is no excess water in the chicken. Marinate with lemon juice, chili powder and salt.
2. Set this aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Go ahead with the second marination. Marinate with fresh yogurt, ginger garlic paste, crushed kasuri methi, oil, turmeric and garam masala.
4. Marinate and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. 3 hours is better but overnight does wonders. The longer it is marinated, the meat turns softer and just melts in the mouth. Do not use sour yogurt/ curd.
5. Grill the chicken in the oven or stove top. For grilling in oven, preheat the oven to 240 C for at least 15 minutes. Skew the chicken on to soaked wooden skewers or place on a greased tray and grill for 20 to 30 minutes. In between you will have to flip to the undone side.
6. If grilling chicken on tawa. Add one tsp. butter and fry on high. Moisture begins to ooze out. This is very common. Keep stirring don’t burn and do not over cook.
7. Cook till the chicken is just done and all the moisture evaporates. Set this aside. You can even saute till the chunks turn lightly golden.
How to make Indian butter chicken
8. Heat butter in a pan, add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Saute for a min or two. Add ginger garlic paste, green chilies and fry for 2 to 3 minutes till the raw smell goes off. (I did not use green chilies since my kids still cannot tolerate the heat.)
9. Pour the tomato puree. Add red chili powder, sugar and salt.
10. Mix and cook till the tomato puree becomes thick and begins to leave the pan.
11. Pour 1 cup water. I made my cashew paste separately so added it now. Let it come to a boil and then simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
12. Add chicken and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes till it becomes tender. The cook time may vary depending on how tender your meat is. I check with a fork, the piece just breaks upon piercing. Check the salt and spice. Adjust as needed.
13. Add garam masala and crushed kasuri methi. You can adjust the consistency by adding more water, if the gravy is very thick. Mix well and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then add chilled cream. Switch off the stove.
or Take a small portion of hot gravy and add it to the cream first. Mix and then pour the cream to the curry. This prevents cream from curdling. Take care not to cook longer after adding cream.
Garnish butter chicken with cream and coriander leaves.
Bill says
Where does the 10Grams of carbs come from?
Wish this was more Keto.
swasthi says
H Bill,
It comes form yogurt , butter and a bit from spice powders. I will check if it is possible to make it keto.
Nehal says
Ok, thanks dear, but please let me know , is it fine if I make the whole dish ready in the morning for dinne and add cream before serving ? And yes, red chilli means Kashmiri ??
swasthi says
Yes you can make it in the morning. Reheat until the chicken turns hot, then add the cream. Yes chilli powder is kashmiri. Hope you enjoy the butter chicken
Nehal says
Hi swasthi, I had tried 3 of your recipes till now and all were super hit! I am gonna try this one tomorrow, but one query , in marinating do you prefer any specific oil, like you did in tandoori and tikka- mustard and olive respectively? And is it fine if I use Rajwadi garam masala of Everest?
swasthi says
Hi Nehal,
Thanks for trying the recipes. For butter chicken, just go with any regular cooking oil – peanut, sunflower etc. I guess mustard oil alters the taste of the gravy. I use this homemade punjabi garam masala for butter chicken and it is highly recommended. I haven’t tested this recipe with any other masala as this is the only one I use for all my North Indian recipes. I am not sure how the flavors would come out. But I had a lot of readers saying they used ready made masala and still this turns out good. Hope this helps.
Reshmi says
Thanks so much for the butter Chicken recipe! Its a hit always !!♥️😘
swasthi says
Welcome Reshmi
Glad you liked it. Thank you so much!
🙂
Brenda says
Hi Swasthi,
I will be cooking this tomorrow. However can I omit the fenugreek leaves as I dont have them. And if I can replace it with other spices, what would it be? Can’t wait to try your recipe!
swasthi says
Hi Brenda,
Yes just omit the fenugreek leaves. There is no substitute to it. If you cook Indian food often, then try to buy it sometime. It really elevates the flavor of gravies a lot. Hope you enjoy the butter chicken.
🙂
Supriya Patil says
Hi Swasthi..
Tried your butter chicken recipe today for lunch… and my 6 yr old just loved it!!!
Your recipes have always turned out good..
Thank you for posting such detailed instructions with pictures.
Keep up the good work!!
swasthi says
Hi Supriya,
You are welcome. Glad your kid loved it. Thanks for trying the recipes.
🙂
Fiona Goes says
Amazing cooking,loved the recipe of butter chicken 😋😋😋
swasthi says
Thanks Fiona
Glad you all loved it!
🙂
Mansi says
The recipe has come out really well. I tried half cashews and almonds for kids. Thanks a lot!
swasthi says
Hi Mansi,
You are welcome. Happy to know butter chicken came out well. Thanks for the comment.
Mehekh says
Ossum it turnout to be super tasty
swasthi says
Thank you Mehekh
Rekha says
This is my to-go recipe for butter chicken. I have made this curry so many times and it has always been a huge hit among family and friends!
swasthi says
Thank you so much Rekha,
Glad you all love it.
🙂
Sharmila says
Hello sister. Which blender u used? Mine does not blend cashews so well. Because of this problem, entire dish tastes bad due to small cashew pieces in the gravy and it’s not at all smooth.
swasthi says
Hi Sharmila,
I used an Indian chutney jar. I think your blender couldn’t do it as the quantity was very little. NExt time puree the tomatoes together with cashews. The puree must be very smooth. Otherwise pass it through a filter and use. I have updated it in the recipe now.Hope this helps.
Christina Copenhaver says
This is a very delicious and easy recipe! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
swasthi says
Hi Christina,
You are welcome. Thank you so much!
🙂
Johnnie says
I adore this recipe and this site is one of my go-tos now. I’ll be doing this dish again as my (chicken) contribution to our Recipe Swap lunch, at work on Monday, theme “(which came first) Chicken or Egg”. Many thanks for sharing. Johnnie in Beijing.
swasthi says
Welcome Johnnie,
Thank you so much! Very happy to know you like the recipes. Have a great time preparing & enjoying butter chicken ! Thanks a lot for rating the recipe.
🙂
meicy John says
its soo amazing. im buying chicken now for my indian boss. im in Nairobi kenya. Thank you.
swasthi says
Welcome Mercy,
Yes do try it.
🙂
Subhranil das says
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, I tried your recipe today it was so good.
swasthi says
Hi Subhranil das,
you are welcome. Happy to know butter chicken turned out good. Thanks for the comment
Saiya says
Hi!
Looking forward to making this recipe for the weekend.
Would you be able to tell me the ingredients for making this for 20-22 people?
Also, can I change the tomato purée with crushed tomatoes from can boxes?
swasthi says
Hi Saiya
You can increase the recipe ingredients by 5 times. It should serve 22. I have never tasted tomatoes from a can so I am not sure how it works. If the tomatoes aren’t too sour or too sweet then it will work. If the gravy turns sour then just add more cream it will be alright. Hope this helps.
Joao Silva says
Hi,
Looks really god and i will try but first i am a bit confused here. Under the ingredients, second marination section you have “1/2 cup thick curd or hung yogurt(or greek yogurt). But then in the method you say to use “fresh yogurt and not curd/sour yogurt”…
swasthi says
Hi Joao silva
Thank you. Yes what you read is right. The curd or greek yogurt that is used here should be thick and not taste sour. Usually yogurt turns sour after few days of making it. That’s what I meant to avoid. Hope you will enjoy the butter chicken.
🙂
Rashmi says
I tried the recipe today for butter chicken and it turned out superb. Everyone in the family loved it.
swasthi says
Hi Rashmi
Thank you so much for trying. Glad to know you all loved it.
Rimnas says
Thank u so much for this delicious recipe. so yummy everyone should try this..super
swasthi says
You are welcome Rimnas. Thanks for trying. I am curious to know if you made this without curd.
🙂
Rimnas says
Ys dear I made without curd instead I used more lemon juice and 6 big tomatoes for 1 kg …still its yummy ..
Rimnas says
Ys dear I made without curd instead I used more lemon juice and 6 big tomatoes for 1 kg …still its yummy. Main thing is i don’t prefer heating curd too much i think its not healthy thats why I asked u whether I can skip any way thanku once again
swasthi says
Thanks for the details. Very glad to know it turned out good even without curd.
Rimnas says
Is curd necessary instead of that can I use more lemon juice
swasthi says
Hi Rimnas,
Curd is used to make the chicken tender, soft and juicy. You can skip it and make the recipe. But the texture of chicken made with curd is good. Hope this helps
Rimnas says
Thank u so much for your kind reply ..will try and give you u feedback
Mahnaaz says
Hi Swasthi
Wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing. I was just wondering if using tinned tomato puree, is a can of 400g sufficient. Please let me know. Thanks.
swasthi says
Hi Mahnaaz
I have never made this with tinned tomato puree. But I feel 400 grams is a lot for this recipe. Reduce it to 3/4 tin. However i am not sure if it tastes good with tinned puree. If the gravy turns too sour, then just add a bit more of cream.