Authentic Indian Butter Chicken(Murgh Makhani)
Creamy, mildly spiced butter chicken ready in 30 minutes. Yogurt-marinated chicken in a velvety tomato-cashew sauce finished with kasuri methi and a hint of tandoor-style smoke.
Servings 6 portions
Ingredients
Marinade
- 450 grams (2 cups) chicken thighs - bonelesss, kinless and cut into 20g chunks - note 1
- 90 grams (½ cups) Greek yoghurt - full-fat - note 2
- 20 grams (1 ⅓ tablespoon) ginger and garlic paste - homemade or store bought - note 3
- 2 grams (1 teaspoon) garam masala - note 4
- 1 gram (½ teaspoon) turmeric powder
- 2 grams (1 teaspoon) Kashmiri chilli powder - note 5
- 4 grams (⅔ teaspoon) salt
- 1 gram (1 teaspoon) dried fenugreek - kasoori methi - note 6
- 8 grams (1 ⅗ teaspoon) lemon juice
Curry gravy
- 200 grams (1 cups) chicken stock - or water for deglazing the pan
- 20 grams (1 ½ tablespoon) oil - or ghee
- 150 grams (1 cups) onion - finely chopped
- 8 grams (1 ⅓ teaspoon) salt
- 100 grams (3/7 cups) curry paste - homemade or good quality bought version - note 7
- 200 grams (1 ⅓ cups) chopped tomatoes - tinned or fresh
- 8 grams (2 teaspoon) sugar
- 350 grams (1 ½ cups) cream - 35% — Whipping cream or double cream
- 50 grams (5 tablespoon) cashew nuts
- 100 grams (3/7 cups) butter - unsalted
Serve with
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken — In a large bowl, mix chicken thighs with yogurt, garlic-ginger paste, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, salt, fenugreek, and lemon juice.450 grams chicken thighs, 90 grams Greek yoghurt, 20 grams ginger and garlic paste, 2 grams Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 gram turmeric powder, 2 grams garam masala, 4 grams salt, 8 grams lemon juice, 1 gram dried fenugreek
- Coat and rest — Use your hands to thoroughly coat the chicken in the marinade. Cover and rest for 10 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge is preferred if you plan ahead.
- Sear the chicken — Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat with a touch of ghee or neutral oil. Sear the marinated chicken in batches until golden on all sides. Set aside. Don’t wipe the pan.
- Deglaze with juices — Add a splash of water or stock to loosen up the pan fond (the browned bits). This will be added to the sauce later for flavor.200 grams chicken stock
- Sauté onions — In a clean non-stick pan, sauté finely chopped onions in neutral oil or ghee over medium heat until soft and lightly golden.20 grams oil, 150 grams onion, 8 grams salt
- Add curry paste — Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1–2 minutes until aromatic and the oil begins to split from the paste.100 grams curry paste
- Cook tomatoes — Add chopped tomatoes and cook down until thick, reduced, and paste-like. This takes about 3 minutes on medium heat.200 grams chopped tomatoes, 8 grams sugar
- Add cream — Pour in the double cream and stir to combine. Let it bubble gently to bring the flavors together.350 grams cream
- Add cashews — Stir in roasted cashew nuts. Simmer briefly, just until the nuts begin to soften.50 grams cashew nuts
- Blend smooth — Transfer the mixture to a high-speed or stick blender and blend until completely smooth. Return to the pan.
- Add butter — Stir in cold butter to enrich and gloss the sauce. Let it melt slowly for the best texture.100 grams butter
- Add chicken and simmer — Return the seared chicken (with any resting juices) to the sauce. Simmer on low until the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot with naan or rice.
Notes
- Chicken — Thighs stay succulent after simmering. Cut them into roughly the same size pieces so they cook through at the same pace. Using breast? Just simmer a little less to avoid drying out.
- Yogurt — Full-fat Greek yogurt gives the marinade body and helps tenderize the meat. Low-fat works in a pinch, but prone to splitting.
- Ginger garlic paste — Homemade is as easy as blitzing equal parts ginger & garlic with a splash of oil; keeps 2 weeks in the fridge. Using a jar? Reduce the lemon juice slightly—store brands often include vinegar.
- Garam masala — Widely available online and in most supermarkets. Spice blends vary. Taste yours—if it’s cinnamon-heavy, add a pinch more cumin. Freshly ground is worth the small effort to get the spice blend you prefer.
- Chili powder — Kashmiri chili gives gentle warmth and that classic brick-red color. Prefer more kick? Swap half for cayenne.
- Fenugreek — The secret taste of butter chicken. Crush the leaves between your palms before adding—they wake up instantly. No replacement for this, so get it online if you can't find it in a store.
- Curry paste — This is my secret flavor explosion trick. If you don't want to make your own or can't find a store-bought one, then add a tablespoon of tomato paste and a teaspoon of garam masala instead.
- Dairy-free version — Substitute the cream with full-fat coconut milk in place of butter. The curry stays silky and tastes a little sweeter—just balance with an extra pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon.
- Tandoor smokiness hack — Stir in a drop or two of liquid smoke before blending to mimic that authentic tandoor smoky flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 200g Calories: 547kcal Carbohydrates: 14g Protein: 19g Fat: 47g Saturated Fat: 19g Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g Monounsaturated Fat: 18g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 157mg Sodium: 982mg Potassium: 443mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 7g Vitamin A: 3709IU Vitamin C: 7mg Calcium: 125mg Iron: 2mg
Keywords:butter chicken, curry paste, tikka massala
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