Chicken marinated with selected spices and then grilled; a gravy prepared with butter, tomatoes, and cashew nut along with selected spices. The Grilled Chicken is then cooked in that heavenly gravy. Yes, I am talking about Butter Chicken! I guess the name is enough! Murgh Makhani! Naam toh shuna hi hoga 😉 !
It is said that butter chicken aka Murgh Makhani is one of the most searched Indian Recipes! And why not? This particular Indian Chicken Curry needs no further introduction and is one of a kind.
I, in fact, was thinking before coming up with the recipe of murgh makhani whether to write it or not! I mean the recipe for chicken makhani is widely available on the internet. Why should people read mine? Then I thought about my blogging motto. If I am cooking anything and capturing a few decent photographs, the recipe will go to the blog, and hence, here I am with the recipe for Restaurant-style Butter Chicken!
Jump to:
- Homemade Butter Chicken and why?
- About the recipe- Butter Chicken
- Recipe of Butter Chicken- changes over the year
- Makhani Gravy
- Cooking Restaurant-style Butter Chicken at home
- Butter Chicken Tips
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Equipment
- Top tip
- Butter Chicken FAQ
- Recipe Card
- Chicken Recipes
- Restaurant-style Butter Chicken Video Recipe
- Let's Connect!
- A Murgh Makhani Pin for your Pinterest board?
Homemade Butter Chicken and why?
Pasta loves butter chicken! She prefers to eat it for dinner, then the leftover the next day, and then if possible for dinner! Moreover, she loves the homemade murgh makhani because I use a lot of butter! By the way, I and Mehebub also love it a lot!
About the recipe- Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken is a classic Indian Chicken curry that originated in Delhi in the 1950s by the founders of iconic Moti Mahal - Kundan Lal Jaggi and Kundan Lal Gujral. In India, it is known as Murgh Makhani or Murgh Makhanwala though Butter Chicken is the universally known name now.
Recipe of Butter Chicken- changes over the year
Truly speaking, the changes are rather subtle. Simply speaking, chicken tandoori and a combination of Makhani Gravy turned into a miracle called Chicken Makhani. It is the gravy that makes this dish iconic. Butter Chicken is accepted universally because of the subtle taste, smooth texture, and aromatic flavor of the curry!
Makhani Gravy
I have to write about the iconic gravy in detail before going further with the recipe. A tomato-rich gravy cooked with a lot of butter. Cashew-nut paste makes it more reach and Makhani is signified by the silken buttery texture. Moreover, compared to other Indian dishes, Makhani is way more subtle in terms of flavor.
Cooking Restaurant-style Butter Chicken at home
Well, I don't have a Tandoor at home. This is normal I suppose. Yet, I cook so-called restaurant special classics at home. Having a foodie kid at home makes a mother do things like that you see! However, a few tricks work for this recipe of Butter Chicken. In fact, I am told even if I don't use a tandoor to grill the chicken for butter chicken, it tastes better than the one purchased from restaurants! At times, there is no harm in believing a 9-years old girl who thinks her mother is the best!
Butter Chicken Tips
- I don't believe in no-butter butter chicken! Hence, while I am cooking it, butter is a must. If you are following my recipe, please be assured that this particular recipe is brutal if you are counting the calories.
- By the way, Ghee will not work in this recipe! Use butter, please!
- Keep the spices simple; it works. Murgh Makhani is all about subtle flavor. Let the simple flavors play the game.
- You don't need a tandoor to grill chicken. A non-stick pan works fine for me.
- Last but not the least, make the makhani gravy properly.
Ingredients
Below is the basic ingredient list
- Boneless Chicken
- Onion
- Tomato
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Garlic Paste
- Butter
- Fresh cream
- Cashew nuts
- Kasoori Methi
- Salt
- Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- Tandoori Masala
- Turmeric Powder
- Cinnamon stick
- Green Cardamom
- Cloves
- Black Pepper
- Keora Water
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
I am sharing some of the major shots and details here while the recipe card will show you the recipe. Also, you must check the butter chicken recipe video on my channel Debjanir Rannaghar.
Cut onion and tomatoes roughly!
Marination time is a must for the chicken!
You must use a blender or processor to make the makhani gravy mixture
See the texture of the makhani gravy
Use a non-stick pan to grill the chicken!
Substitutions
Ideally, I do not like to substitute any ingredients in this recipe. However, I cannot really ignore allergies or anything similar.
- Butter - Please no! Well if you must then use vegetable oil (considering there is some illness or allergy or you just don't take butter at all!
- Cashew nut - If you are allergic, you can use almonds. However, the flavor will not be the same!
- Cream - Mind that coconut milk will not make perfect butter chicken!
Variations
Well, well, well..... don't even wish for any idea related to butter-less butter chicken or butter chicken cooked with olive oil! This blog (or the writer) is not meant for those! I prefer a classic dish as it is and when I change it drastically (like not using butter); I just do not call it butter chicken!
- Spicy - Murgh Makhani is characterized by subtle gravy, however, if you want it spicy, replace half of the Kashmiri Red chili powder with degi mirch!
- Deluxe - Ummm! Murgh Makhanwala is deluxe!
- Kid-friendly - Fortunately, the recipe is already kid-friendly. I, after all, decided to come up with the blog post after cooking it hundreds of times for my daughter.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. I suggest using a non-stick pan and tawa to make the butter chicken at home! This way the process will not be messy and it would be easier to cook!
Top tip
Well, there are hundreds of recipes available for homemade butter chicken. I am quite sure most of them are good and I guess mine is as well. Hence, there is no pro-tip for this recipe. The only thing I would like to share is that I have written the recipe for murgh makhani in a way that I follow step-wise which means marination of chicken followed by making the makhani gravy followed by grilling the chicken and finally making the murgh makhanwala! Why is that? You need to utilize the marination time my dear! That's why!
Butter Chicken FAQ
I use a pan for this step! It works brilliantly. Remember that it is homemade we are talking about!
Well! We use butter in the gravy! The original name is Murgh makhanwala and hence the universally famous English name!
Read the recipe card. Check the video!
Recipe Card
Restaurant-style Butter Chicken | Murgh Makhani | Chicken Makhanwala
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 Portions 1x
Description
Butter Chicken is a signature Indian chicken curry cooked with grilled chicken and a special gravy called Makhani Gravy.
Ingredients
- 750g Boneless Chicken (cut into squares)
To make the chicken Tandoori (in a pan)
- 1 Tsp. Salt.
- 2 Tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp. Tandoori Masala
- 1 Tsp. Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tbsp. Garlic Paste
- 2 Tbsp. Butter
To make Makhani Gravy
- 4 Onions
- 5 Tomatoes
- 3-inches Ginger
- 6 cloves of Garlic
- 20 Cashew nuts
- 2 Tsp. Kasoori Methi
- 1 Tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 1 Tsp. Salt
- 1 Tsp. Sugar
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 Cloves
- 6 Black Pepper
- 5 Tbsp. Butter
- 150ml fresh cream
- 5 drops Keora Water
Garnish
- 1 Tbsp. Cream
- ½ Tsp. Kasoori Methi
Instructions
Marination
- Marinate the chicken with 1 Tsp. Salt, 1 Tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, 1 Tbsp. Tandoori Masala, 1 Tsp. Turmeric Powder and also 1 Tbsp. Garlic Paste.
- Keep the chicken marinated for 1 hour.
- Use the marination time to make the Makhani gravy.
Makhani Gravy
- Chop the onions and cut the tomatoes into halves.
- Melt around 4 Tbsp. of salted Butter in a pan.
- Add Tomatoes followed by Onion, 3-inches Ginger, 6 cloves of Garlic, and also 20 Cashew nuts.
- Now add ½ Tsp. Salt.
- Add 1 Tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder as well.
- Keep the flame medium, and mix thoroughly.
- Now add 4 Green Cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, 6 Cloves, and also 6 Black pepper.
- Add 2 cups of Water and cover and let it cook for 15 minutes.
- You may adjust the time depending on how much is needed to soften the onion and tomatoes.
- Once soften, add 1 Tbsp. Butter.
- Mix and switch the flame off and let it comes to room temperature.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend to make a smooth mixture.
- Strain the mixture through a strainer.
- Now melt 1 Tbsp. Butter in a pan.
- Add ½ Tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder and also ¼ Tsp. Salt.
- Mix and you will see an amazing color forming in the pan.
- Now add the makhani mixture and give it a thorough mix.
- Now add 150ml of fresh cream and mix properly.
- Add 1 Tsp. Sugar and mix.
- Now add 2 Tsp. crushed Kasoori Methi.
- Bring it to a boil and lastly add ¼ Tsp. Keora Water.
- Makhni Gravy is ready!
Grilling the Chicken
- Heat 2 Tbsp. Butter in a pan and let it melt.
- Add ½ Tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder and mix it with the butter.
- Now add marinated Chicken and pan-fry after keeping the flame low.
- Fry for 10 minutes (both sides) and by then the chicken will be ⅔ done.
- Strain those from the pan.
Assembling the grilled chicken and makhani gravy
- Transfer the chicken to the makhani gravy and mix properly.
- While cooking keep the flame low.
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
- Check if the chicken is done or not. If not, cook for a few minutes.
- Now add 1 Tbsp. Cream and mix.
- Butter Chicken is ready!
- Garnish it with some fresh cream and crushed kasoori methi and serve hot with your choice of roti/ naan/ paratha or pulav.
Notes
Depending on the size of the onion and tomatoes, you can increase or decrease the number of those.
- Prep Time: 60min
- Cook Time: 60min
- Category: Side
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 200g
- Calories: 612
- Sugar: 12.7g
- Sodium: 1486mg
- Fat: 36.5g
- Saturated Fat: 19.2g
- Carbohydrates: 27.9g
- Fiber: 6.8g
- Protein: 44.2g
- Cholesterol: 184mg
Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Keema Paratha (also known as Chicken Paratha)
- Chicken Kosha (also known as Bengali Kosha Murgir Mangsho)
- Chicken Liver Pâté Recipe
- Instant Chicken Pulao Recipe (also known as Chicken Pulao in Pressure Cooker)
- Dhaba Style Chicken Curry (also known as Dhabe-wali chicken)
- Panch Phoron Murgi (also known as Bengali Chicken Curry with Panch Phoron)
- Murgi Khichuri (also known as Chicken Khichuri)
- Chicken Salad
- Orange and Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables (also known as Roast Chicken)
- Bangladeshi Chicken Roast | Biyebarir Chicken Roast | বাংলাদেশী বিয়েবাড়ির চিকেন রোস্ট
- Dak Bungalow Chicken Curry (also known as Chicken Dak Bungalow)
- Chicken Chaap; Chaap Bhaja, the perfect companion for Kolkata Biryani
- Aam Kasundi Murgi (also known as Bengali Style Chicken in Mango Mustard Sauce)
- Pishpash aka Pish Pash, the Anglo-Indian Rice, and Chicken Hotchpotch
- Doi Murgi (also known as Kolkata style Doi Chicken | Bengali Curd-based Chicken Curry Recipe)
- Kancha Lonka Murgi (also known as Bengali Chicken Curry cooked with the skin of Green Chili Paste)
- Robibarer Murgir Jhol from my Mother’s Kitchen (also known as Bengali Chicken Curry)
- Dhakai Morog Pulao (also known as Sahi Morog Pulao)
- Bengali Desi Murgir Dum (also known as Bengali Country Chicken Curry)
Restaurant-style Butter Chicken Video Recipe
Let's Connect!
I would love to see a picture if you are making the prawns following my recipe. You can share here at dolonchttrj@gmail.com. You can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and share it through Instagram as well. and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
A Murgh Makhani Pin for your Pinterest board?
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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