Butter Chicken

About Butter Chicken

Butter chicken, also known as “Murgh Makhani,” is a popular and flavorful dish that originated in North India. It has become a global favorite due to its rich, creamy texture and a harmonious blend of spices. Butter chicken has its roots in Punjabi cuisine, specifically in the city of Delhi. It was reportedly created by combining leftover tandoori chicken with a tomato-based, buttery gravy. The dish quickly gained popularity and became a staple in Indian restaurants worldwide. Butter chicken is known for its perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors. The creaminess from butter and cream complements the boldness of Indian spices, creating a dish that is both comforting and indulgent. Butter chicken is often served with Indian bread like naan or roti, or with steamed rice. Garnishes such as chopped coriander or a drizzle of cream add a final touch to the presentation.

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken, cut into medium cubes 400 gms
• Kashmiri red chilli powder 2 tsps
• Coriander powder 2 tsps
• Turmeric powder ½ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Hung yogurt ½ cup
• Oil 3 tsps
• Cinnamon sticks 2 to 3 inches
• Green cardamoms 2 to 3 pods
• Bay leaves 2 to 3
• Cloves 10 to 12
• Garlic, chopped 2 tsps
• Onions, chopped 1 cup
• Tomatoes, chopped 2 cups
• Cashewnuts 10 to 12
• Walnuts 7 to 8
• Milk 1 cup
• Dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), roasted 1 tsp
• Butter 2
• tsps Coal piece 1

How to Make Butter Chicken (Stepwise Photos)

Method

1. Take chicken in a bowl, add 1 tsp red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and hung yogurt and mix well. Keep it in the refrigerator for ½ hour to marinate.
2. For the gravy heat 1 tsp olive oil in a deep non-stick pan, add cinnamon, cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves, garlic, onions, tomatoes, salt, remaining red chilli powder, remaining coriander powder, cashewnuts, walnuts, 2 cups water and cook till tomatoes are completely cooked. Take the pan off the heat and set aside to cool.
3. Transfer the mixture into a mixer jar and blend to a puree. Strain the puree into to the same pan and cook.
4. Heat remaining olive oil in another non-stick pan, add the marinated chicken and cook till done.
5. Add the chicken to the gravy and mix. Add dried fenugreek leaves and mix.
6. Heat coal on direct flame till red hot. Place it in a stainless steel katori, place the katori in the middle of the chicken dish and put 1 tsp butter on it. Cover the pan immediately to trap the smoke. Let it remaining thus for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the cover, add the remaining butter and mix lightly. Serve hot with naan or paranthe or tandoori roti.

Additional Tips and Tricks

About chef

Chef Ajay Chopra

Saransh’s first taste of television success began when he tried out and won a spot on FOOD FOOD Maha Challenge, hosted by Sanjeev Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. Saransh went on to win the coveted title of India Ka Super Chef.

Know More

Chaitrali Deshmukh

Thank you for the amazing instructions.

I have success w/ my dosa but does not last long stored in the refrigerator.

Maybe I am fermenting for too long, or add the salt before the rise?

I also was wondering if it is important to blend separately or can it be blended all together?

Reply

Chef Saransh Goila

Hi Chaitrali,
Yes, cut down the fermentation time and add salt only to the required portion at the time of making the dosa. Also storing in smaller containers just enough for a day helps. Once the batter in a larger container is disturbed (by stirring or scooping out a little etc), I feel it turns sour faster. You can blend them together if you want. But we do it separately because we want the dal batter to become fluffy and the rice batter slightly coarse. Fluffy dal batter makes the dosas light and coarse rice batter makes them extra crispy without making the dosas hard. Hope this helps