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Butter Chicken Recipe (Chicken Makhani)

Butter Chicken Recipe (Chicken Makhani)

Recipe Book: Favourite Recipes

Make the BEST Butter Chicken at home with this authentic Indian recipe. This Murgh Makhani is flavor-packed, creamy, delicious and tastes better than your favorite Indian restaurant version.

Ingredients

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Cooking for
4 people

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    Ingredients

    Preparation


    1

    Step 1

    Marinate chicken with lemon juice, chili powder and salt. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.

    2

    Step 2

    Add yogurt, kasuri methi, oil, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder. Marinate and rest for a minimum of 30 minutes, or overnight for best results.

    3

    Step 3

    Optional – If using onion, sauté in 1 tablespoon oil until lightly golden, for 7 minutes. Cool down.

    4

    Step 4

    To a blender, add tomatoes, sautéed onions, cashews and water. Blend to a smooth puree.

    5

    Step 5

    Remove the chicken from the refrigerator, to bring it close to room temperature.

    6

    Step 6

    Melt butter in a pan & add all the whole spices – cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms.

    7

    Step 7

    When they begin to sizzle, stir in the ginger garlic paste & green chilies. Fry on a low heat, for a minute or 2, till it turns fragrant but not burnt.

    8

    Step 8

    Turn off the heat and stir in red chili powder, garam masala, cumin and coriander powder.

    9

    Step 9

    Stir in the tomato cashew puree. If it is not smooth, strain it to the pan.

    10

    Step 10

    Mix well and cover partially. Bring it to a boil on a medium high heat, reduce the heat to low or medium. Cook until the puree turns thick, keep stirring occasionally.

    11

    Step 11

    Pour hot water and simmer for 10 mins, until the sauce thickens & traces of fats are visible on top of the sauce. Remove the whole spices and discard at this stage.

    12

    Step 12

    Spread one tbsp. butter or ghee in a griddle/pan and heat it well. Place the marinated chicken pieces, spacing them a little apart.

    13

    Step 13

    Fry on a medium heat for 2 mins and turn them. Don’t burn and do not overcook. Cook till the chicken is just cooked and all the marinade dries up.

    14

    Step 14

    Add chicken to the butter chicken gravy. Pour more hot water (about ½ cup, not in the recipe) if the sauce is too thick. Cover and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes till it becomes tender.

    15

    Step 15

    Stir in salt, sugar and kasuri methi. Taste test and optionally add more garam masala & another tablespoon butter for additional flavour.

    16

    Step 16

    Turn off and stir in the heavy cream. Garnish Butter Chicken with chopped coriander leaves and some cream.

    Notes

    Marination is the key to get flavorful, tender & succulent pieces of chicken.
    Yogurt in the marinade tenderizes the chicken so do not skip it.
    Makhani recipe never uses onion. However using them helps to balance the tang/sour taste of tomatoes.
    The rich taste in the gravy comes from the cashews (or almonds) & cream.

    • Oven Temp

      240 C
    • Prep Time

      15 min
    • Cook Time

      30 min
    • Serves

      4 people
    • Calories

      385
    Recipe By

    Recipe By

    Swasthi

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