Go Back
Butter Chicken — AI-generated food illustration

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Tender grilled chicken meets a silky tomato, butter and cream sauce. A gentle spice level makes this a comforting curry to serve with rice or naan.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Resting / soaking / chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Marination
  • 500 g boneless chicken thighs cut into 3 cm pieces
  • 100 g plain yogurt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp turmeric
Gravy
  • 30 g butter divided
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 400 g tomatoes chopped
  • 30 g cashews
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 0.5 tsp garam masala
  • 100 ml cream
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi crushed
  • 150 ml water plus extra as needed
  • 0.5 tsp salt adjust to taste

Method
 

  1. Marinate
    Combine chicken with all marinade ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.
  2. Cook the chicken
    Heat a heavy grill pan. Cook the chicken in batches for 10–12 minutes, turning until lightly charred and the centre reaches 74°C.
  3. Make the sauce
    Heat oil and 20 g butter. Cook ginger garlic paste for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, cashews, chilli powder, salt and water. Simmer covered for 15 minutes until soft.
  4. Blend
    Cool slightly, then blend the sauce until smooth. Return to the pan and loosen with a little water if required.
  5. Finish
    Add cooked chicken, cream, garam masala and kasuri methi. Simmer gently for 5–7 minutes. Stir in remaining butter and adjust seasoning.
  6. Serve
    Serve hot with naan or steamed basmati rice.

Notes

Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer after adding cream. For a nut-free version omit cashews and use a little extra cream; the sauce will be less thick. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 3–4 days; reheat thoroughly to 74°C.