Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, was created at Moti Mahal in Delhi in the 1950s. The kitchen was left with tandoori chicken that had dried out over the course of the day, and the answer was to put it into a sauce of tomato, butter and cream. The dish was born out of leftovers, and that also explains why it works so well: the chicken needs a browned crust before it meets the sauce.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Marinade
- 600 g boneless chicken thighs, in pieces
- 200 ml plain yoghurt
- 2 tbsp tandoori masala
- 2 garlic cloves and 2 cm ginger, grated
- 1 tsp salt, juice of half a lemon
Sauce
- 50 g butter or ghee
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves and 2 cm ginger, grated
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 0.5 tsp turmeric
- 400 g passata or finely crushed tomatoes
- 150 ml double cream
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 tsp sugar, salt
Method
- Marinate. Mix everything for the marinade and turn the chicken through it. Leave it at least an hour in the fridge, preferably overnight.
- Brown the chicken. Fry the pieces in a hot pan until they have good colour on the outside. They should not cook through at this stage. Lift them out and set aside.
- Build the sauce base. Melt the butter in the same pan and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and ginger, then the spices, and let it sizzle for half a minute until it smells fragrant.
- Tomato, then reduce. Pour in the passata and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes until it thickens and loses its raw tomato edge.
- Blend it smooth. Blitz the sauce with a stick blender until it is silky. This step is what separates butter chicken from an ordinary tomato stew.
- Finish. Add the cream, the sugar and the chicken, and let it all sit over a low heat for 10 minutes. Crumble the kasuri methi between your palms and stir it in right at the end.
Kasuri methi is the step most people skip
Dried fenugreek leaves have a slightly bitter, almost maple-syrup aroma that sits underneath the whole dish in a good butter chicken. Without them the sauce tastes mostly of tomato and cream. Crumble them between your palms straight over the pan, and do it right at the end – the heat takes the flavour quickly.
How hot should it be?
Butter chicken is mild. Tikka masala is the hot cousin, and chilli is not what carries this dish. If you want more heat, use kashmiri chilli powder, which gives colour more than strength.
What to serve with it
Basmati rice and naan are standard. The rice should be dry and loose so it takes up sauce; rinse it until the water runs clear before cooking. A bowl of pickled onion or Indian pickle alongside breaks up the richness.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use chicken breast? Yes, but thighs stay juicier and cope better with sitting in the sauce. If you use breast, keep the frying time short and add it right at the end.
What is the difference between butter chicken and tikka masala? They are related, but butter chicken is milder and leans more clearly on butter and tomato. Tikka masala has more spice and chilli, and originally comes from British cooking.
Can I leave out the cream? Coconut milk works, but then it is no longer butter chicken. See coconut milk if you want to try.
Can I freeze it? Yes, the sauce freezes well. The cream can split a little on thawing; stir it warm again over a low heat.
The shortcut
If you have not got time for the marinade, there are ready-made curry sauces that take you most of the way. The rest of what you need is in Indian spices and the Indian range.
