Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Experience the irresistible allure of my butter chicken recipe, showcasing tender chicken pieces swimming in a luxuriously smooth and flavorsome sauce.

Make the best butter chicken you've ever had with a few culinary tricks that transform ordinary ingredients into a luxurious Indian feast. My murgh makhani recipe combines tender char-grilled tandoori chicken with a luxurious curry sauce made with tomatoes caramelized with butter and cream.

Course Entree, Soups & Stews

Cuisine Best, Indian

Keyword curry

Level Intermediate

Main Ingredient Poultry

Diet Gluten-Free, Low Sugar, Low-Carb

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Marination Time 4

Total Time 5 15

Servings servings

Calories 454kcal

Ingredients

For chicken

30 grams garlic (~ 5 large cloves, peeled)
30 grams fresh ginger (~ 1-inch piece, peeled and sliced)
450 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs
⅓ cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon saffron (threads crushed)

For curry

600 grams whole stewed tomatoes (1 ½ small cans)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter
6 pods green cardamom
1 pod black cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 fresh chili peppers
40 grams raw cashew nuts (about ¼ cup)
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 teaspoons garam masala
⅓ cup heavy cream

Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

Put 30 grams fresh ginger and 30 grams garlic into a small food processor and puree, you may need to add a bit of water to make it go. If you don't have a small food processor, you can grate by hand.
30 grams garlic, 30 grams fresh ginger
In a small bowl, whisk ⅓ cup plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon saffron, and 2 teaspoons of the garlic ginger mixture together. Save the remaining garlic ginger mixture for the sauce.
⅓ cup plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon saffron
Put 450 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs in a freezer bag and pour the marinade all over it, rubbing it into the chicken. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and seal it. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
450 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs
For the sauce, puree 600 grams whole stewed tomatoes with their juices along with 2 tablespoons tomato paste in a blender or food processor.
600 grams whole stewed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Add 3 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter to a pot along with the 6 pods green cardamom, 1 pod black cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick and 4 cloves. Fry the mixture until the cloves are puffy.
3 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter, 6 pods green cardamom, 1 pod black cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves
Add 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 2 fresh chili peppers, and remaining garlic ginger mixture and saute until browned, and very fragrant.
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 2 fresh chili peppers
Add the pureed stewed tomatoes and tomato paste and cook this mixture over medium heat until the tomatoes have become very thick and paste-like (about 45 minutes). Once the mixture starts sputtering you'll want to stir it pretty regularly to keep the sputtering under control while maintaining enough heat to reduce the liquid.
While the tomatoes are reducing, grill the chicken. You can use either an outdoor grill or broiler, but in either case it needs to be very hot. You want to get the outside lightly charred, but you don't want to cook the chicken all the way through as it will finish cooking in the sauce. If you cook it completely now, it will get overcooked in the sauce.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
In a blender or food processor, add 40 grams raw cashew nuts along with 2 cups of water. Puree until smooth and milk-like in color.
40 grams raw cashew nuts
When the tomato mixture is done caramelizing turn off the heat and add the cashew nut milk, whisking it together.
Pass the sauce through a wire strainer into a saucepan, pressing on the solids with a silicone spatula to get as much sauce through as you can.
Cut the chicken into large chunks and add it to the pot with the sauce along with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves and 1 teaspoons garam masala. Simmer this for 6-8 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.
1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, 1 teaspoons garam masala
Add ⅓ cup heavy cream and stir together and then turn the heat off. Plate the butter chicken and drizzle a little extra cream on top. Garnish with some cilantro leaves.
⅓ cup heavy cream

Nutrition