Butter chicken recipe | Indian butter chicken recipe (murgh makhani)

 

Prep time

4 hours

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

4 hours 30 mins

 

India's most popular creamy and unique tasting punjabi murgh makhani recipe (butter chicken)

Author: Swasthi

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: North Indian, Indian

Yield / Serves: 3 to 4

Ingredients (240 ml cup used)

First marination

• 450 grams to ½ kg chicken (or 1 lb.)
• ¾ tbsp. lemon juice
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• ½ tsp. Red chili powder

Second marination

• ¾ tsp. kasuri methi crushed or powdered
• ⅛ tsp. turmeric
• ½ to ¾ tsp. garam masala powder
• ¾ tbsp. oil
• 1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• ½ cup thick curd/ hung yogurt (or greek yogurt, refer notes)

Makhani masala (gravy)

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
• One thin 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamoms
• 2 cloves
• Generous pinch of methi powder (fenugreek seeds powder)(optional)
• 1 to 2 green chilies slit
• 4 large tomatoes (pureed in the blender and filtered to remove skin and seeds) or tinned puree as needed
• 1 tsp red chili powder (adjust to suit your taste and color)
• 10 cashew nuts or blanched soaked almonds (refer notes)
• ½ to ¾ tsp. garam masala powder
• ½ tbsp. kasuri methi crushed or powdered
• ¼ tbsp. sugar
• salt as needed
• 80 to 100 ml chilled cream (refer the notes)
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Instructions

1. Please follow the preparation work mentioned above before the step by step instructions. Wash chicken under running water and pat dry. Marinate with lemon juice, chili powder and salt for 20 minutes
2. Marinate chicken from step 1 with yogurt, kasuri methi, oil, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, and garam masala powder. Refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours, overnight works best.
3. Grill the chicken in an oven or stove top. For stove top method, Add one tsp. butter and add the marinade. Fry on high flame till all the moisture evaporates. Keep stirring constantly to prevent burning. Cook till it is cooked. Transfer this to a plate and set aside.
4. Heat a pan with butter, add dry spices and fry for a min or two. Add ginger garlic paste, green chilies and fry till it turns fragrant.
5. To the pan, add the tomato puree, red chili powder and salt. Mix and cook until the tomato puree becomes thick and begins to leave the sides of the pan
6. Pour 1 cup water and add methi powder, cashew or almond paste or almond milk. Adjust the water to suit your desired consistency
7. Bring the mix to a boil and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add kasuri methi and garam masala now, or add at a later step for the best aroma
8. Add chicken and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes till it becomes soft and tender.
9. Add garam masala, kasuri methi. Stir and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour chilled cream and switch off the stove.
10. Garnish punjabi murgh makhani with coriander leaves and extra cream if desired

Notes

For the butter chicken recipe, You can use bone-in or boneless chicken. 

curd/yogurt: If you do not have hung curd or greek yogurt, you can use thick yogurt too, but the cooking time takes a little longer.

If you do not have almonds, you could use 10 cashew nuts or 1 ½ tbsp. magaz seeds

cream: If you don’t want to use heavy cream, you can go ahead using nestle thick cream that is used for deserts, but do not cook for long after you add to the gravy. Chill the cream and add it to the gravy and switch off the stove otherwise the gravy could look curdled.or Take a small amount of hot gravy and add it to the cream and stir well. Then add the cream to the pan. This also helps to prevent curdling the cream.