Main Course

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

The legendary Delhi dish featuring tandoori chicken in a rich, velvety tomato and butter sauce. Invented at Moti Mahal restaurant, this iconic curry is known worldwide for its creamy texture and balanced spices.

Liam Henderson

Cook Time

Servings

reviews

Medium

Difficulty

Instructions

Marinate the chicken

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix with yogurt, half the ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, half the chili powder, and salt. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

Longer marination results in more tender and flavorful chicken - overnight is ideal.

Cook the chicken

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan over high heat. Cook marinated chicken until charred on the outside and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. The slight char adds authentic tandoori flavor. Set aside.

Don't overcrowd the pan - cook in batches if needed to achieve proper charring.

Prepare the sauce base

Soak cashews in hot water for 15 minutes, then blend with a little water until smooth. In a large pan, melt half the butter and sauté chopped onions until golden. Add remaining ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Well-caramelized onions add depth, but don't let them get too dark for this dish.

Build the makhani sauce

Add tomato puree and cook for 10 minutes until oil separates. Add remaining chili powder, remaining garam masala, and salt. Stir in cashew paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add sugar to balance the acidity.

The sauce should reduce and thicken - this concentrates the flavors beautifully.

Finish the dish

Add cream and remaining butter, simmer for 3 minutes. Add cooked chicken and kasuri methi, crushed between your palms. Simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with a swirl of cream and serve with naan or rice.

Crushing kasuri methi between your palms releases its aromatic oils - this step is essential.