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Butter chicken recipe | How to make butter chicken

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Butter chicken recipe – This post will guide you how to make butter chicken at home that tastes absolutely delicious, creamy and rich. Butter chicken 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.
butter chicken recipe
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.

To make an authentic butter chicken recipe, First we need to grill the chicken. This can be done either in a pan, tandoor or oven. Next cook it up in the rich gravy. 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 on a pan.

You may also like to check this Easy chicken butter masala

Butter chicken recipe

Butter chicken recipe | Indian butter chicken recipe | Murgh makhani recipe

India's most popular creamy and unique tasting butter chicken recipe. Serve this with plain rice, naan or paratha.

Print
Course Main
Cuisine Indian, North Indian
Keyword easy butter chicken
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Marination 4 hours
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Calories 477 kcal
Author Swasthi

Ingredients (240 ml cup used)

First marination

  • ½ kg chicken (or 1 lb.) (bone-in or boneless)
  • ¾ tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Red chili powder or paprika

Second marination

  • ¾ tsp kasuri methi crushed or powdered dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi
  • ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala powder
  • ¾ tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • ½ cup thick curd or hung yogurt (or greek yogurt, refer notes)

For the butter chicken gravy

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 cinnamon 2 inch (or dalchini)
  • 2 green cardamoms (or elaichi)
  • 2 cloves (or laung)
  • pinch methi powder (fenugreek seeds powder)(optional)
  • 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 tsp red chili powder or paprika (adjust to suit your taste and color)
  • 10 cashew nuts or blanched soaked almonds (refer notes)
  • ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala powder
  • ½ tbsp kasuri methi crushed or powdered dried fenugreek leaves
  • ¼ tbsp sugar
  • salt as needed
  • 80 to 100 ml chilled cream (refer the notes)
  • Coriander leaves for garnishing

How to make the recipe

Preparation for butter chicken recipe

  1. Wash chicken under running water and pat dry. 

  2. First marinate with lemon juice, chili powder and salt for 20 minutes.

  3. Next marinate again with yogurt, kasuri methi, oil, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, and garam masala powder. 

  4. Refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours. Overnight works best.

  5. Soak almonds or cashews for 1 hour. Remove the skin and make a smooth paste with little water. You can also make it like thick milk.

  6. Puree the tomatoes and set aside. Also make the ginger garlic paste.

How to make butter chicken

  1. Grill the chicken in an oven or stove top. For stove top method, Add one tsp. butter and add the marinade. 
  2. Fry on high flame till all the moisture evaporates. Keep stirring constantly to prevent burning. Cook till it is cooked. Transfer this to a plate and set aside. 

  3. To grill it in oven, preheat the oven to 240 C for at least 20 mins. Grill it until the meat is cooked well. It may take about 20 to 30 mins depending on the size of your chicken chunks.

  4. Heat a pan with butter. Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. Fry for a min or two. 

  5. Add ginger garlic paste, green chilies and fry till it turns fragrant.

  6. Next pour the tomato puree. Add red chili powder, sugar and salt. 

  7. Mix and cook until the tomato puree becomes thick. It also begins to leave the sides of the pan.

  8. Pour 1 cup water. Add add methi powder, cashew or almond paste . Add more or less water to suit your desired consistency.

  9. Bring the mix to a boil and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. 

  10. Add kasuri methi and garam masala. or add at a later step for the best aroma.

  11. Add chicken. Mix and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes. The chicken should become soft and tender.

  12. Add garam masala and kasuri methi. 

  13. Stir and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour chilled cream and switch off the stove.

  14. Garnish butter chicken with coriander leaves and extra cream if desired. Serve with long grain rice or naan or paratha.

Recipe Notes

Curd/yogurt: If you do not have hung curd or greek yogurt, you can use thick yogurt too, but the cooking time takes a little longer.

cream: Chill the cream and add it to the gravy. Turn off the stove otherwise the gravy could look curdled.

or Take a small amount of hot gravy and add it to the cream in a seperate bowl. Stir well. Then add the cream to the pan. This also helps to prevent curdling the cream.

Nutrition Facts
Butter chicken recipe | Indian butter chicken recipe | Murgh makhani recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 477 Calories from Fat 333
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37g 57%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Cholesterol 137mg 46%
Sodium 301mg 13%
Potassium 620mg 18%
Total Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 6g
Protein 24g 48%
Vitamin A 42.8%
Vitamin C 23.9%
Calcium 7.8%
Iron 10.8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

step by step easy way of making butter chicken recipe

For more chicken curry recipes, you can also check this collection of top 10 chicken curry recipes

Indian butter chicken is best served with
Plain long grain rice that is grainy
Jeera rice
Mint / pudina rice
Ghee rice
Cashew pulao
Pulao
paratha , chapathi (roti), naan, phulka.

Preparation to make butter chicken

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 in a blender and filter through a colander to remove the skin and seeds and refrigerate.

4. Make a smooth paste of the almonds (or cashew nuts or magaz seeds). If you do not own a powerful blender then soak the almonds or cashews for 1 to 2 hours. Blend them to a really very smooth paste.

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 & preparing for butter chicken recipe

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.
first marination for butter chicken
2. Set this aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
marinated with spice powder for butter chicken
3. Go ahead with the second marination. Marinate with fresh yogurt, ginger garlic paste, crushed kasuri methi, oil, turmeric and garam masala.
second marination with curd for butter chicken recipe
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.
resting marinade overnight to make butter chicken
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. Next add methi powder and almond paste. (It’s supposed to be almond paste, but became almond milk while blending). 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.
making Indian butter chicken
Garnish butter chicken with cream and coriander leaves.
butter chicken

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Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, I tried your recipe today it was so good.

  2. I tried the recipe today for butter chicken and it turned out superb. Everyone in the family loved it.

  3. Today i made this recipe. Tired out too tasty..Got many appreciations.
    Thank you very much

  4. It is the best recepie that can be made at home. I made other recepie and failed. But this was came out awesome and delicious. Very easy ,simple , explained well. Thanks a lot. Everyone should try this . Worth it

  5. Yeah i tried it, and it was delicious. I didn’t have methi, almond milk and cream. But still it was way better. Thanks.

  8. Awesome.. I prepared butter chicken by following this recipe and it was so yummilicious… Marination is the most important step of this dish.. thankyou very much for this awesome recipe

  9. Came out excellent! Did not have almonds or cashews. Added tomato paste, Kashmiri mirchi powder and paprika powder to the puree while cooking. This also enhanced the color. Goes excellent with buttered greek pita bread from Costco. Top off the dinner with a shot of Limoncello!

  10. Love this recipe had made it earlier it was fab nd now made it today ur recipes r always awesome i had made many dishes following ur steps nd the result was always awesome thanku

  11. A few of the step were confusing but the dish was fantastic! My two-year old said it smelled good and said goodbye job mommy!! He ate a lot of it. My husband said it was one of my best experiments (I cook different dishes occasionally). I added some cayenne pepper in the end and additional salt. Thanks for a lovely recipe. I will make it again!!

  13. So so delicious, I’ve made this lots of times now and everyone loves it! Thank you for sharing!!! Hannah

  15. I don’t get understand step 9 . You tell methi powder put in one cup water. What is methi powder? And in the same step you also add crushed kasuri methi. And again in 11th step you add garam masala and kasuri methi..

  16. Hi swasthi… I follow your recipes for non veg and veg often… Tried pesarattu, chicken fried rice, chkn hyd
    Biryani, chicken nadan curry.. All turned out super delicious… Thank you so much. Regarding butter chicken, can v use the breast pc and how to make almond milk or paste. Pls suggest. I do not have cream… Can I manage to use milk? Pls suggest alternative… Thanks for the delicious recipes and tips..

  17. Hi, I have tried this recipe a few times and it tastes delicious except for the next day when chicken turns super hard and we only could eat the gravy without chicken. Any idea why this might be happening? I am following the recipe as is and also I am sure I am not over cooking the chicken. I have tried cooking the chicken in pan/oven. Thanks in advance for your response.
    Cheers 🙂

  18. Every time i follow this recipe for making butter chicken …Every time it was awesome taste and I got very good compliments. ..
    Thank you. ..

  20. Awesome recipe. Got numerous compliments but all due to this fantastic recipe. Thank you

  23. Looking forward to trying this soon. However, was wondering whether there’s an option to reduce the amount of cream or to leave it out altogether, for those who cannot tolerate rich/heavy food. Would reducing the cream to half or one fourth or eliminating it altogether alter the taste too much? Thanks!

  24. Excellent recipe!Enjoyed a lot,I had make first time butter chicken at home and it was made brilliantly.The curry was too good

  25. This is absolutely delicious. Friends from India tasted this and were so surprised that little me from Hawaii could make such an authentic dish. Meritta kept licking the sauce with her finger and declaring, “you’re giving me a complex, this is better than mine!!” I truly liked it, but the real test was when my fiends also liked it. Now they joke that I am in charge of making butter chicken at gatherings. It was a lot of work, but so very worth it. Thank you for the detailed steps, they really helped. I chose to do everything from scratch (almond paste, garlic/ginger paste, etc.) Again, WORTH IT!

  26. I tried this recipe for the 1st time and it came out very well!
    The chicken was very juicy, tender and it was vry flavourful.
    The entire dish wasn’t very heavy despite the cream.

    I am very contented with the results and am excited to cook this dish again.

    Thank you very much!

  28. Excellent recipe….tasted very good just like restaurant…my family enjoyed very much

  29. I tried the chicken and it turned out to be exactly like the one served in restaurants.. Thank u for being sharing amazing recipes..I am addicted to ur blog and keep surfing recipes. Thank u for inspiring so many people

    I marinated chicken just for 30 min thereby it was a little hard… But taste if gravy was awesome

  30. awesome recipe…. I enjoyed the process of cooking… it was so nicely explained…Many Thanks

  33. I am using chopped tomatoes (400 g tin with 60% tomatoes and 40% tomato juice).

    Is one tin for this recipe enough or more or less ?

    Please let me know.

  34. Thnq u soooooooo…much 4 this mouthwatering recipe. next Friday I’ll try ur mutton biriany recipe. I have not saffron. It I’ll be OK if I don’t use saffron? Ha? Thanks again.

  35. Hello! O love your recipes. But I am very sad I can’t find fenugreek or anything similar here where I live. May I make this recipe anyway? Without It…

    Thanks.

  36. Hi. Tried this recipe but the chicken was very hard. How to rectify this. I bake in oven @240

  38. Your recipes always rock… whichever I try, just turns out fabulous.
    Thank you so so much ….

  43. hi.i tried ur recipe today.its was awesome n tasty den restaurant.my hubby loved it.thnx u so much.god bless u.

  45. Dear sir/mam
    I am unable to get this recipe printed….how I can take this to my home and try ??????
    Kishore

  46. Hello the recipe looks amazing but could you please tell me how to make the almond paste. I have never made it before. should i just grind the almonds into a powder or do i need to add anything to them. also i baked the chicken in the oven so is it okay if i just add it in the gravy in the end because i dont want to cook it anymore.

  47. One of the best butter chicken i have had in my life…. Seriously too good… Thank you so much… This has bought a hobby in me to cook the different recipes that’s in here

  48. today i made this one and as usual, a great hit……..
    all your recipes just rock…….
    thank you sooooo much for sharing this recipe……

  50. Thank yu so much for sharing this recipe with us !!
    I had tried many recipes of Butter chicken from other blogs …but was not satisfied !! N this one is a super hit ..I’m your fan 🙂

  52. Swasthy….thank u so much….i could make a yummy butter chickn with ur recipe…..i ws trying butr chkn fr the first tym….u realy helpd me a lot…my hubby ws tellng dat it had a restaurnt like taste n v wnt b buying butr chikn frm hotels nymr….v vl make it evry time….thanks again….keep going….

  53. Hey Swathi..I love the tawa option shared by you.. looks simple..shall definitely try this out..

  54. hi swasthi, i made this lovely butter chicken along with Jeera rice…. amazing combination …
    made the chicken exactly the way it is … came out superb … was in two minds because my tomato based gravy do not come out that nice … but i guess straining the tomato puree helps and and also adding sugar the gravy does not become sour….. thanks for sharing….

  59. I tried butter chicken for the first time using your recipe.
    It turned out v good n yummy!
    My little kids loved it and so my husband.

    Thanks a lot!

  60. Thank you for the recipe. I have not tried it but comparing it with what I know and from those I speak to, I think your recipe is great and you are honest and sincere in giving the recipe. Thank you again.

  63. Hi swathi
    Thanks for your easy instruction . I did chicken butter all family enjoyed the test . I like Indian food . Once I had vegateble biryani and the test was very good I need your help for the recipe.
    Thank you

  64. i made butter chicken following your leads and it turns around to be the best butter chicken i have ever had….thanks

  66. I don’t normally comment on things like this but I just wanted to say that I’ve tried various recipes and honestly this is the first time I’ve made butter chicken at home that tastes like they make it in the restaurants. I am currently living in a place where there are no Indian restaurants so this is very valuable. A very delicious recipe, I thank you.

    James.

  67. Thank you very much for the butter chicken recipe. Do you have a recipe for Saag – the creamy green curry that can be used with either Chicken or Lamb? Thanking you in advance.

  69. Plz help me out to prepare butter chicken for 35 person.my son’s brthdy is der i want all my frnd to taste this dish it in ur style .plz help

  70. Hi Swasthi,

    I was making butter chicken for the first time and I do not cook. Not even a beginner. But I followed your recipe and process step-by-step. After initial marination, I marinated the chicken for 6 hours. I did just a little bit modification, I added extra cream and extra curd by about 25% more. And to be very honest, it was THE BEST chicken I had ever tasted. I have traveled exhaustively in India and am a butter chicken lover. But this taste was nowhere found. If you want, I can also share the pics while making at your mail ID too.

    Thought to appraise you and complement for your recipe and it’s worth praising and thank the originator.

    Warm regards,

    Vasu Gopal

  71. Hi tried the recipe, it turned out beautiful. Thank you. Just wanted to make an add on, while frying the marinated chicken on tawa instead of using only butter, mixing equal portion of refined oil will not let butter burn also less of calories intake. Same thing can be done while making the gravy.

  72. tomorrow is my Birthday !!! And I’ll give this one a go in the kitchen……… wonderful !!!!

  73. Swasthi we r great lovers of your recipes. Anything from ur blog is fabulous. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes
    Simi from UK

  79. amazing butter chicken recipe. finger licking good and yum. thank you, you made our sundays special

  80. i love you for your Bachelors Receips!!hehe.. 🙂 saves time..quick..easy..and sooths taste buds!!! thanks..

  83. I like the part where you roast the chicken pieces, I guess, doing so will seal the juices in and that will definitely make the chicken tender and juicy….your pics are really tempting….definitely going to try your version!

    • Hi,
      I tried your recipe.It was very tasty and every body appreciated it.It made me happy.Credit goes to you.Thanks and god bless you.

      Mrs George