Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
A super easy, full flavoured Butter Chicken recipe that rivals any restaurant or take out!
Similar to Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken is one of the most popular curries at any Indian restaurant around the world. Aromatic golden chicken pieces in an incredible creamy curry sauce, this Butter Chicken recipe is one of the best you will try! You will love how easy it is to make in the comfort of your own home.
BUTTER CHICKEN
Tender and juicy chicken thanks to a deliciously spiced yogurt marinade, Butter Chicken is ridiculously easy to make. The curry sauce is out of this world!
I know you all love food with beautiful, bold flavours, and nothing beats sitting down to a good great curry to finish off a chaotic day. The aromas alone transport you to a completely different world.
The best part about cooking up Butter Chicken at home is the ingredients list. Every ingredient is easy to find from any grocery store or supermarket.
WIN-WIN!
WHY IS IT CALLED BUTTER CHICKEN
Butter chicken originated from Northern India in 1948. Created by Kundan Lal Gujral, you may notice that Butter Chicken (known as murgh makhani — chicken with butter), is similar to British tikka masala.
Prepared in a buttery gravy with the addition of cream gives the curry sauce a silky smooth rich texture. Most restaurants are known to add in copious amounts of butter, which as a result can leave you feeling bloated or ill from the slick of grease.
However, we found while recipe testing that we prefer to start the sauce off in Ghee (clarified butter, or you can use a combination of half regular butter and half oil).
Adding cream at the end of cooking provides enough of that richness you look for in an authentic butter chicken. Our less oily version leaves you feeling good and satisfied.
HOW DO YOU MAKE HOMEMADE BUTTER CHICKEN
A milder curry when compared to other Indian curries makes Butter Chicken a favourite among families with little ones. You can certainly add as much or as little chili as you wish. In other words, YOU are in total control of how spicy you make it.
As mentioned above, the juicy and tender, flavour infused chicken starts with an easy yogurt marinade made from scratch: plain yogurt, fresh garlic and ginger, and easy to find spices.
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts. We prefer dark meat, but go with what you like.
- First, mix your yogurt marinade together.
- Marinate chicken for 20 minutes, or overnight if time allows. (The longer it marinates, the more tender your chicken will be.)
- Sear chicken in a skillet or pan. Keep those charred bits on the pan to make your sauce. Browned bits = flavour. If you have too many burnt pieces stuck to the pan, you can discard some of them if you wish.
- Finally, make your curry sauce in the same skillet.
WHAT SPICES GO IN BUTTER CHICKEN
Easy to find spices, for example: Garam masala, Tumeric, Cumin, Red Chili Powder and Salt, are all you need to make a great sauce. You may even already have some of these in your kitchen cupboards! If you don’t, there’s no doubt you may use them again.
WHAT IS BUTTER CHICKEN SAUCE MADE OF
It’s all about that sauce when it comes to authentic butter chicken. You’ll be surprised to find that you only need an onion, a can of crushed tomatoes, garlic and ginger, and some added spices to continue those beautiful flavours in the sauce.
The trick to making a great sauce is to let the tomatoes cook off for at least 10-15 minutes, until they are almost dry on your pan. Additionally, you can add in a couple tablespoons of water if it dries to early.
After that, blend until smooth and add in your cream (heavy whipping cream or thickened cream). You can use evaporated milk or half and half for a lower calorie option.
If you want a richer sauce, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of butter (or ghee) right at the end, letting it melt though the sauce, before serving.
MAKE AHEAD OPTION
The beauty of this gravy/sauce is that you can prepare it ahead of time if you want or need to. Allow it to cool completely, store it in an airtight glass jar or container and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
Those deep flavours will have plenty of time to develop and shine through before adding your chicken. Of course, this is completely optional.
If there’s any Indian recipe that’s worth making at home, its Butter Chicken, and this is the BEST butter chicken you’ll make!
Serve over basmati rice and naan bread! Similarly, you can use our NO YEAST flatbread recipe if you’re looking for something easy to dip into the delicious curry gravy/sauce.
Looking for more Chicken Recipes? Try these!
French Onion Stuffed Chicken
Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts
Chicken Piccata
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Butter Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 28 oz (800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or finely grated)
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons ghee (or 1 tbs butter + 1 tbs oil)
- 1 large onion, sliced or chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced or finely grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 14 oz (400 g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to your taste preference)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
- 1 cup of heavy or thickened cream (or evaporated milk to save calories)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kasoori methi (or dried fenugreek leaves)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
- Heat butter or ghee in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to sweat (about 6 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
- Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add ground coriander, cumin and garam masala. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
- Add crushed tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
- Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
- Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Stir the cream, sugar and crushed kasoori methi (or fenugreek leaves) through the sauce. Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh, hot basmati rice.
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