Restaurant Style Butter Chicken Masala Murgh Makhani My Food Story

on Nov 29, 2021 I have really high standards when it comes to my favourites. And Butter Chicken tops the list. So it annoys me when butter chicken is too sweet or too oily or just doesn’t have a punch of flavour that makes you want to dive into the sauce. For a lot of people, making butter chicken at home might translate into long hours spent in the kitchen. That’s not true at all. This recipe takes a little under an hour from start to finish, and we are not using a ton of butter or cream to give it that luxurious, creamy taste either. How? I’m going to show you.

Ingredients To Make Butter Chicken

To start with, here’s what you’ll need to marinate chicken for the butter chicken masala:

Best cut of Chicken: I recommend using either skinless bone-in chicken or boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. The chicken is first marinated, then pan fried and then cooked in the gravy to get maximum flavour. And boneless chicken breasts will not retain their juiciness through this process. I love using boneless, skinless chicken thighs because you can cut the meat into bite sized pieces and they stay juicy right to the end. Yogurt: Greek yogurt or hung curd. Acts as a tenderiser and helps the spices stick to the chickenSpices: Red Chilli powder (use paprika or cayenne as a substitute), coriander, turmeric, salt and garam masala (preferably homemade – here’s my garam masala recipe)Ginger Garlic paste: Use store bought or homemade – basically ginger and garlic ground together

Onions: Some recipes don’t use onions at all, but I like to use them in a very small quantity to balance the flavoursTomatoes: Mainly tomato based gravy. Use roma tomatoes if possibleCashew nuts: Add flavour and creaminess without all that extra fat that can sometimes get too much and make you feel bloated. The cashew cooks with the tomatoes and softens which makes them really easy to blend later.

Butter: Contrary to popular belief, butter chicken doesn’t need a lot of butter. The butteriness comes from the smooth tomato gravy, cashews and a little creamDried Chillies: Dried Kashmiri Chillies work best because they add flavour and colour without the heat. These aren’t spicy or hotKetchup: Not a super authentic ingredient, but it has the perfect balance of sweet, salty, tart and adds a little extra somethingKasuri Methi: A must have ingredient if you cook Indian food. 100 grams will last you a while because a little goes a long way. Helps round off the flavours in Indian curries

Tip: If you don’t have cashews, feel free to substitute with blanched almonds (almonds soaked in water and skin taken off). Cashews and almonds naturally add creaminess to the gravy.

Origins of Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is an ‘accidental’ dish. It was developed by Kundal Lal Gujral of the famous Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi who wanted to make use of leftover tandoori chicken. So he would throw in tomatoes, spices and leftover shredded tandoori chicken in a pot and slowly this came to be called ‘butter chicken’ or chicken makhani or murgh makhani. Now it’s one of the most popular and loved Indian dishes across the world. A restaurant favourite, but if you ask an Indian, it’s probably a ‘special occasion’ dish at home.

Step by Step Butter Chicken Recipe

Here’s a step by step breakdown of this easy chicken curry. It’s a really simple dish that actually doesn’t take too much time or effort to recreate at home.

Marinating and Roasting Chicken

1 Start by mixing all the ingredients under marinade and adding the chicken to it. 2 Mix well, cover and set aside for 15-30 minutes while you make the gravy. 3-4 Once the chicken has been marinating for 15-30 minutes, heat a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet or a non stick pan. Add the chicken pieces and sear them on each side for 2-3 minutes on high heat, till theres a char on them. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Butter Chicken Sauce

5 For the gravy, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet or pan. 6 Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, whole red chilies and garlic. Saute for a minute or so till fragrant. 7 Add onions and saute on high heat for 2-3 minutes till pink and translucent. 8-9 Add tomatoes and cashew nuts. Mix once, reduce the flame to a simmer and cover and cook for 10-15 minutes till the tomatoes start breaking down and becoming slightly pulpy. Switch off the flame. Let the mixture cool completely. 10 Once the mixture is cool, transfer to a blender or liquidiser, and blend till smooth. 11 Transfer the puree back to the pan 12 Add chilli powder, ketchup, salt and 1/4 cup water. Bring this to a boil. Reduce the flame to low, and cover and cook for 20-25 minutes. The colour of gravy will change as it cooks and become a deep orange

Cooking Chicken + Smoking the Gravy

13 Add the chicken pieces and simmer for 10 minutes. 14-15 Stir in the kasuri methi and fresh cream. 16 To smoke the chicken, place a small steel bowl (please don’t use plastic) in the middle of the butter chicken while it’s still in the pan. Heat a piece of charcoal or lump coal on an open flame till red hot and then place it in the bowl. Pour a teaspoon of oil or ghee over it, and as soon as it starts smoking, cover the pan with a lid. Smoke for 3-4 minutes. Remove the bowl and serve with naan or rice.

Naturally orange gravy

I have to forewarn you about this. If you’ve always had reddish butter chicken gravy, it’s because of food colour. The butter chicken gravy is naturally orange-ish because of the tomatoes and the spices. This recipe makes lots of sauce or gravy, so you can always reserve some for later. Use the same makhani gravy to add tofu, paneer, cauliflower etc. That butter chicken sauce is sooo good!