Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
The original, from Delhi's Moti Mahal restaurant — charred tandoor chicken in a velvety tomato-butter-cream sauce that's mildly spiced and universally loved.
TheRecipeWiki.com
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless chicken
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 whole onion
- 8 cloves garlic
- 2 inch ginger
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup cashews
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
- ½ cup plain yogurt
How to Make It
- 1
Marinate chicken in yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, turmeric, and kashmiri chili powder for 4+ hours.
- 2
Grill or broil until slightly charred and cooked through. Cut into pieces.
- 3
Make makhani sauce: sauté onion in butter until soft. Add garlic, ginger, tomatoes, cashews, cardamom, bay leaf, and whole spices.
- 4
Cook 20 minutes until tomatoes break down. Cool slightly, blend completely smooth. Pass through a strainer for ultra-silky texture.
- 5
Return strained sauce to pan, add butter and cream. Season with salt, sugar, and kashmiri chili for color.
- 6
Add chicken pieces, simmer 10 minutes.
- 7
Finish with dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) — the signature flavor.
- 8
Serve with basmati rice, naan, and extra cream swirled on top.