Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

What Goes With It

• A Gewürztraminer or a wheat beer
• Garlic naan is essential; basmati rice optional
• Finish with gulab jamun

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Idiyappam, Kerala Appam, Lachha Paratha.

How to Cook Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

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1. Marinate the chicken in the yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, spices and salt, covered, in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

   Mark done

2. Grill the chicken on skewers under the highest heat for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, until charred at the edges. Reserve every scrap and juice from the tray.

   Mark done Start 12 min timer

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy pan and cook the onion, garlic, ginger and cashews over medium heat for 10 minutes until the onion is soft and golden.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

4. Add the tomatoes, Kashmiri chilli powder and salt with 200 ml of water. Simmer, partly covered, for 20 minutes until everything is soft and the tomatoes have broken down.

   Mark done Start 20 min timer

5. Blend to a completely smooth purée — take the extra minute — then pass through a sieve back into the pan.

   Mark done

6. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and darkens to a deep orange-red.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

7. Add the grilled chicken and its juices, the honey and the garam masala. Simmer gently for 8 minutes.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

8. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the cream, then beat in the cold butter a cube at a time until glossy.

   Mark done

9. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms over the pan and stir it through. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

   Mark done

Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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A Few Notes

Kashmiri chilli powder gives colour without much heat — it is what makes butter chicken red rather than brown.

Sieving the sauce is the single biggest upgrade you can make to the texture.

Kasuri methi is worth seeking out. Nothing else produces that particular savoury-sweet aroma.

Swaps and Variations

• In a sauce, full-fat crème fraîche can usually take the place of the double cream; single cream is thinner and more likely to split if it boils, so keep it below a simmer.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Storing and Reheating

Refrigerate 3 days, freeze 3 months without the cream and butter, adding them fresh on reheating for the best texture.

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani): Your Questions Answered

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) Nutrition

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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