Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani)

How to make Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhani

Butter chicken or murgh makhani originates from the Mughal Empire in India and is eaten through out the world today.

There are different variations of butter chicken but the basic principles of cooking butter chicken are marinating the chicken in yogurt and spices, then cooking the chicken in butter and adding the cooked chicken to a smooth aromatic tomato based sauce.

Chefs tasty butter chicken recipe is very aromatic and easy to prepare, there are a lot of ingredients used in this recipe but do not worry, it is simply a matter of marinating the chicken, cooking a sauce then refrigerating both, then after a few hours the procedure of cooking the butter chicken is easy because the two main parts of the recipe have already been done.

Cream can be added to the dish at the end of cooking, Chef adds evaporated milk instead, the option is yours.

This butter chicken recipe will impress family and friends and make them feel like they have eaten in a restaurant.

Simply follow Chefs easy step-by-step instructions and enjoy this delightful and aromatic dish.

Or see Chefs How to make butter chicken/murgh makhani video recipe

Ingredients for butter chicken (murgh makhani)

For marinade

2-3 Chicken breasts (diced)
1 cup Yogurt
1/4 tsp Ground cardamom
1/4 tsp Garam masala
1 + 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Tomato puree
1 tsp Garlic puree
1 large tsp Fresh ginger (grated)

For the butter chicken sauce

1 large Onion (diced)
Oil
3-4 inch Fresh ginger (chopped)
4-5 large Garlic (chopped)
Handful dried methi leaves
Handful dried curry leaves
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tsp Paprika
8-10 Whole green cardamoms (depends on size of pods)
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper/ Chili powder
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Sugar
Sprinkle black pepper
1 + 1/2 cup Sieved tomatoes/ Passata (or push some canned tomatoes through a sieve)

To finish

3 Tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Evaporated milk or Cream

Chefs Note... If using canned tomatoes try to use quality tomatoes that are thick in consistency, if the canned tomatoes are runny a little (1 Tbsp) tomato puree may be added.

Picture of green cardamoms, ground cloves, garam masala, cayenne pepper, paprika.

Picture of chopped fresh garlic and ginger.

Picture of butter melting in the pan.

How to make Butter Chicken / Murgh Makhani

Place all of the marinade ingredients except the chicken into a small bowl and mix.

Place chicken in a separate dish that it will be marinaded in.

Pour the yogurt marinade over the chicken.

Cover all of the chicken pieces in the marinade.

Cover the dish and place into the fridge for a few hours.

Heat up a large frying pan and drizzle in some oil. Add the onions and cook the onions for 5 minutes or until the onions soften.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few more minutes stirring often so that the garlic does not burn.

Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce, stir well and simmer for a few minutes.

Pour into a blender and pulse into a paste.

Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours.

When you are ready to cook the butter chicken remove the tomato base from the fridge and put through a sieve into a pan. This removes any little bits of cardamom shells and seeds that did not get blended in the food processor.

Pour the sauce into a small pan and gently heat on the lowest setting for 10-15 minutes stirring often. Do not boil the butter chicken sauce or else the spices will not be as aromatic and the tomatoes will burn, take your time.