Tandoor-charred chicken in a velvety tomato-cream-butter gravy with cardamom, fenugreek, and kasoori methi.
Butter chicken — murgh makhani — was invented in the 1950s at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi by chef Kundan Lal Gujral and his partners, who repurposed leftover tandoori chicken into a creamy, mildly spiced tomato-and-butter gravy. The dish became one of the most influential Indian dishes in the world; nearly every Indian restaurant on every continent serves a version. Made well, it is luxuriously silky, faintly smoky (from the kasuri methi and the char on the chicken), generously buttery without being heavy, and aromatic from green cardamom and a final pinch of crushed dried fenugreek leaves. Eaten with hot naan or fluffy basmati — soaking up gravy until the bowl is bone-dry — it is rich, comforting, and stupidly easy to love.
Serves 6
Whisk yogurt with lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and salt. Add chicken and turn to coat. Marinate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Heat oil + 1 tbsp butter in a wide skillet over high heat. Lift chicken pieces from marinade (shake off excess) and sear in batches for 3 minutes per side until deeply browned with charred edges. The chicken should not be fully cooked through — it will finish in the gravy. Set aside.
In the same pan (don't wipe), melt 40 g butter. Add whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay) and bloom 30 seconds. Add chopped onion and cook 10 minutes until deeply golden. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, soaked cashews, Kashmiri chili, tomato paste, sugar, and 200 ml water. Simmer 20 minutes until the tomatoes have collapsed and the oil rises clearly to the top.
Fish out the whole spices. Tip everything into a blender and puree until completely smooth and creamy. Strain back into the pan through a fine sieve for the silkiest restaurant-style gravy.
Return gravy to a gentle simmer. Add chicken pieces along with any juices. Simmer 12 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Stir in heavy cream and the remaining 50 g butter. Crush kasuri methi between your palms and sprinkle in. Simmer 3 more minutes. Sprinkle with the finishing garam masala.
Ladle into a wide bowl. Top with a swirl of extra cream and fresh cilantro. Serve with hot naan, butter naan, or basmati rice.
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is non-negotiable — it gives butter chicken its signature 'restaurant' aroma.
Char the chicken hard before adding to the gravy — that bit of smoke and color is the difference between great and average.
Straining the blended gravy through a fine sieve gives you the velvet smoothness of a five-star kitchen.
Paneer makhani: replace chicken with cubed paneer, added in the last 5 minutes.
Use bone-in chicken for deeper flavor; cook 5 minutes longer.
Smokier version: place a small piece of red-hot charcoal in a steel cup, set in the pot, drizzle ghee over it, cover for 2 minutes (dhungar technique).
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Freezes well 2 months — add fresh cream after thawing for the silkiest reheat.
Murgh makhani was created at Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, Delhi, in the 1950s as a way to revive dried-out leftover tandoori chicken. Kundan Lal Gujral, the founder, also invented the now-famous tandoor-style chicken and dal makhani. Butter chicken became the gateway dish that introduced Indian flavors to much of the world.
Butter chicken is creamier, milder, with more butter and tomato. Tikka masala is more assertively spiced, often with onion and bell pepper visible in the gravy.
Yes — replace with 100 ml extra cream. Cashews give body without making it overtly sweet, but cream alone still works.
Per serving (360g) · 6 servings total
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