Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken (or Murgh Makhani) is one of the most popular and best known Indian dishes around the world.  You can easily find many different recipe versions and variations to Butter Chicken.

This recipe comes from a famous Indian chef. I have to say this is an amazing version and as good as any butter chicken you will get in any restaurant.

This version emphasizes the fragrance and taste of the spices as they mix together with the butter and other ingredients to create a beautiful smooth sauce.

Served with basmati rice and naan is a great option to soak up the sauce and create a wonderful dish.

This recipe provides a subtle spiciness to underpin the overall flavour of the dish.  The original recipe adds extra chilli, but I have reduced the amount to our preference. Just add extra chilli to raise the spiciness to your preference.

Print Recipe

Butter Chicken

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

35 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 400 g Chicken Fillets thinly sliced to bite sized pieces
• 1 tbsp Ginger Paste
• 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
• 1 tsp Ground Chilli
• 1 tsp Salt

Butter Chicken Sauce

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Onion (or 1 small onion) diced
• 30 g Butter (about 2 tbsp)
• 500 g Tomatoes Roughly Cut
• 50 g Cashews
• 1/2 Cup water
• 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Malt Vinegar (or 1.5 tbsp White Vinegar)
• 3 1/2 tbsp White Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Ground Chilli
• 75 g Butter (about 5 tbsp)
• 3 tbsp Cream (full fat or thickened)
• 1 tsp Kasoori Methi (also known as fenugreek leaves)

Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 35 minutes Servings people Ingredients Chicken 2 tbsp Olive Oil 400 g Chicken Fillets thinly sliced to bite sized pieces 1 tbsp Ginger Paste 1 tbsp Garlic Paste 1 tsp Ground Chilli 1 tsp Salt Butter Chicken Sauce 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1/2 Onion (or 1 small onion) diced 30 g Butter (about 2 tbsp) 500 g Tomatoes Roughly Cut 50 g Cashews 1/2 Cup water 1 tbsp Garlic Paste 1 tsp Salt 2 tbsp Malt Vinegar (or 1.5 tbsp White Vinegar) 3 1/2 tbsp White Sugar 1/2 tsp Garam Masala 1 tsp Ground Chilli 75 g Butter (about 5 tbsp) 3 tbsp Cream (full fat or thickened) 1 tsp Kasoori Methi (also known as fenugreek leaves)

Instructions

Chicken

1. In a bowl add sliced chicken, ginger paste, garlic paste, ground chili & salt. Stir to fully combine and allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
3. Add chicken pieces and fry until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside

Butter Chicken Sauce

1. Using the same pan, add olive oil, butter & onion & fry for a few minutes until onions are cooked through.
2. Add tomatoes & cashews to pan.
3. Add water, garlic paste, salt, malt vinegar, sugar, garam masala & ground chili to pan and stir to mix through. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and pour contents into a large bowl.
5. Using a hand stick mixer, churn the mixture into a fine puree.
6. Pour mixture back into the same pan. NB: See Note below.
7. Add butter, cream & chicken to the pan, stir to mix through and let the mixture simmer for a further 6-7 minutes.
8. Remove pan from heat, pour mixture into a serving bowl, then garnish with cream and kasoori methi.
9. Serve with basmati rice and perhaps naan.

Recipe Notes

After you have pureed the butter chicken sauce mixture, the original recipes suggests you strain the mixture back into the same pan.  This removes some of the 'pulp' that is left over such as a little tomato skin. I don't do this step, myself. When I pour the mixture back into the pan, there is often some small amount of pulp sitting at the bottom of the bowl. I simply remove that.