Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) | Best Restaurant Style Butter Chicken At Home

Indian Butter Chicken, Murgh Makhani, Restaurant style, dhaba style, punjabi butter chicken, rogan gosh, creamy butter chicken recipe, famous chicken dishes around the world

5 from 51 votes

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) | Best Restaurant Style Butter Chicken At Home

Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani is an easy-to-make, rich, creamy, and delicious, popular Indian dish where the chicken is cooked in an aromatic and spiced tomato-based gravy. This is one of my favorite chicken preparations. This is one of the most famous chicken dishes around the world.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Marination1

Total Time1 40

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Delhi, Indian, north indian, punjabi

Servings:

Calories: 377kcal

Author: Kushi

Ingredients

For the Chicken Marination

1 pound Chicken thighs or breast ( ½ kg)
¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder (haldi)
1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder or tandoori masala powder
1 inch Ginger , finely chopped or grated
1 clove Garlic , finely chopped or grated
2 strands Cilantro or Coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 Green chile , finely chopped
1 teaspoon Mint or Pudina, fresh or dried
½ teaspoon Red chile powder
¾ teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Lemon juice
¼ cup Yogurt (check tip)

For Butter Chicken Masala or Murgh Makhani Gravy

2 tablespoon Butter
½ teaspoon Cumin seeds or jeera (optional) - check tip for below 5 ingredients
1 Bay leaf (optional)
2 Cloves or laung (optional)
2 pods Cardamom or Elaichi (optional)
1 inch Cinnamon or dalchini (optional)
1 Onion , finely chopped
1 inch Ginger grated or finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic , finely chopped
1 or 2 Green chilies , chopped
2 large Tomatoes (or 2 to 3 tablespoon thick tomato paste)
12 to 15 Cashews
½ teaspoon Garam Masala or Tandoori Masala powder
¾ teaspoon Red chile powder
1 tablespoon Tomato ketchup (check tips)
Salt , to taste
½ teaspoon Fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi (optional)
5 tablespoon Heavy cream
½ inch Ginger , juliennes
4 strands Cilantro or Coriander leaves, for garnish
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Instructions

Step I (Chicken Marination)

Cut the chicken thighs to desired bite-size pieces. Add all the ingredients listed under marination, mix well and marinate for atleast 1 hour, preferably overnight. I have kept it overnight.
1 pound Chicken thighs, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder, 1 inch Ginger, 1 clove Garlic, 2 strands Cilantro, 1 Green chile, 1 teaspoon Mint, ½ teaspoon Red chile powder, ¾ teaspoon Salt, 2 tablespoon Lemon juice, ¼ cup Yogurt
You can marinate the chicken for up to 48 hours. The more you marinate more juicy and flavorful your chicken will be.

Step II (Prepare Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani)

Heat butter in a pan. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, and sauté for a couple of seconds till you get a nice aroma.
2 tablespoon Butter, ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 Bay leaf, 2 Cloves, 2 pods Cardamom, 1 inch Cinnamon
Add sliced onions along with a pinch of salt and sauté until onions turn light golden in color.
1 Onion
Add chopped ginger, green chilies and garlic and continue to sauté till they are golden in color.
1 inch Ginger, 3 cloves Garlic, 1 or 2 Green chilies
Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and keep them aside. In a blender, grind all the sautéed ingredients (except the bay leaf and cinnamon) along with chopped tomatoes, cashews, and about half a cup of water till you get a smooth paste.
2 large Tomatoes, 12 to 15 Cashews

Step III

Meanwhile, in the same pan add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick, 1 tbsp. of oil, marinated chicken thighs (from Step I) and roast it for about 5 to 6 mins on medium-high heat until the meat sears on all sides. Rotate the meat about halfway through.
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the ground paste from Step II, tandoori masala, red chilli powder, tomato ketchup, salt to taste and bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. The gravy thickens and leaves the side of the pan.
½ teaspoon Garam Masala, ¾ teaspoon Red chile powder, 1 tablespoon Tomato ketchup, Salt
Add cream, kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves. At this point, taste the gravy and adjust the spices and consistency with water if desired. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through but be soft and tender and the sauce or the gravy is thick and bubbling.
5 tablespoon Heavy cream, ½ teaspoon Fenugreek leaves
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and ginger juliennes.
½ inch Ginger, 4 strands Cilantro
Butter Chicken is now ready. Serve this with naan, roti, chapatis and ghee rice or brown butter rice.

Notes

For better results, marinate the chicken overnight.
Traditionally most Indian gravy and curry use whole spices (cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon and cumin seeds). It is readily available in our pantry. This enhances the flavor of the dish. If you are outside India and find it difficult to find one, simply skip it in the recipe.
Vary the spices as per your taste
You can substitute cream with milk or coconut milk or evaporated milk.
You can use serrano pepper or jalapeno instead of green chilies.
I generally add tomato ketchup as it gives the right balance of sour and sweetness to your dish. You can skip and add ½ sugar instead.
If using medium or small tomatoes, add 3 tomatoes to the recipe. You can even use canned crushed tomatoes.
I have tried this dish even without adding yogurt and it still tastes amazingly delicious. You can skip this ingredient if its not readily available in your pantry.

Nutrition