Butter Chicken Recipe (Indian Chicken Makhani)

Directions

  1. 1Marinate chicken with lemon juice, chili powder, and salt; rest for 20 minutes. Add yogurt, kasuri methi, oil, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala; marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
  2. 2Sauté onions (optional) until golden; cool.
  3. 3Blend tomatoes, sautéed onions, cashews, and water into a smooth puree.
  4. 4Melt butter, add whole spices, then ginger-garlic paste and chilies; fry until fragrant.
  5. 5Stir in red chili powder, garam masala, cumin, and coriander powder.
  6. 6Stir in tomato-cashew puree; bring to a boil, then simmer until thickened.
  7. 7Pour hot water and simmer until sauce thickens.
  8. 8Grill or bake chicken until cooked.
  9. 9Add chicken to the gravy; simmer until tender.
  10. 10Stir in salt, sugar, kasuri methi; add more garam masala and butter if desired.
  11. 11Stir in heavy cream; garnish and serve with rice or naan bread.

Ingredients

  • 0.5 kg boneless chicken
  • 0.5 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or paprika, adjust to taste, reduce for kids)
  • 0.25 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • 0.75 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 0.33 cup Greek yogurt (hung curd/thick curd)
  • 0.75 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or ½ tbsp fine grated ginger + ½ tbsp fine grated garlic)
  • 0.125 teaspoon turmeric (haldi, optional)
  • 0.75 teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)
  • 0.5 teaspoon cumin powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (optional, dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 0.75 tablespoon oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter or ghee (divided)
  • 2 inch cinnamon piece (optional, for extra flavor)
  • 2 to 4 green cardamoms (optional, for added flavor)
  • 2 to 4 cloves (optional)
  • 1.5 cups onions sliced (optional, cuts down acidity from tomatoes)
  • 600 grams fresh tomatoes (or 1 cup passata/canned tomato puree or ⅓ cup double concentrate tomato paste)
  • 0.75 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or ½ tbsp each fine grated ginger and garlic)
  • 1 to 2 green chilies (optional, deseed, slit or chop)
  • 28 whole raw cashews (soaked in hot water, sub with ¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream)
  • 0.5 cup water to blend (more if required)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder (reduce for kids, adjust to taste)
  • 1 to 1½ teaspoons garam masala (divided, adjust to taste)
  • 1 to 1½ teaspoons coriander powder (optional, adjust to taste)
  • 0.5 teaspoon cumin powder (optional, adjust to taste)
  • 0.5 to ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar (to balance the flavors)
  • 0.5 tablespoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 1.5 cups hot water to make gravy (cut down to 1 cup if omitting cashews)
  • 0.33 cup heavy cream or whipping cream (divided)
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (fine chopped to garnish)

Equipment

blenderpangriddle/tawawooden skewers (optional)oven (optional)

Tips

  • Marination is key for flavorful, tender chicken.
  • Using onions helps balance the tomatoes' acidity.
  • Cashews (or almonds) and cream create the rich gravy.
  • Gravy can be made ahead and refrigerated; grill chicken when needed.
  • Adjust spice amounts to your preference; fresh tomatoes and spices impact color.