Delhi Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

About This Recipe

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.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 900 gboneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
• 250 gfull-fat yogurt
• 2 tbsplemon juice
• 2 tbspginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbspKashmiri red chili powder
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspgaram masala (for marinade)
• 1.5 tspsalt (for marinade)
• 2 tbspmustard oil or neutral oil
• 100 gunsalted butter, divided
• 1 largeonion, finely chopped
• 1 tbspginger-garlic paste (for gravy)
• 6ripe tomatoes (or 1 can 400 g good crushed tomatoes)
• 8cashews (soaked in hot water 15 min for blending)
• 4green cardamom pods
• 1 sticksmall cinnamon
• 2cloves
• 1small bay leaf
• 1 tspKashmiri chili powder (for gravy)
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspsugar
• 200 mlheavy cream
• 1 tbspkasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tspgaram masala (for finishing)
• fresh cilantro and a swirl of cream to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate

   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.

2. 2

   Char the chicken

   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.

3. 3

   Start the gravy base

   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.

4. 4

   Simmer tomatoes

   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.

5. 5

   Blend silky-smooth

   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.

6. 6

   Bring it together

   Return gravy to a gentle simmer. Add chicken pieces along with any juices. Simmer 12 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.

7. 7

   Cream and butter finish

   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.

8. 8

   Plate and serve

   Ladle into a wide bowl. Top with a swirl of extra cream and fresh cilantro. Serve with hot naan, butter naan, or basmati rice.

Variations

• •

  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).

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Freezes well 2 months — add fresh cream after thawing for the silkiest reheat.

Frequently Asked Questions