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–+ servings

butter chicken

This is the classic murgh makhani. It is not a braise, but it is pieces of grilled or baked chicken coated in a sauce. This is vastly different from the curry house version and will change your mind about what butter chicken should be.
a bowl of butter chicken with rice
prepare: 10 minutes
cook: 20 minutes
total time: 30 minutes
difficulty: simple
yield: 4 servings
calories: 691 kcal
diet: gluten free
cuisine: Indian, mughlai

equipment

  • small frypan
  • large pot

ingredients

for the sauce

for serving

instructions

  • Heat a small pan on medium heat, then add the cumin seeds. Once they darken and become aromatic, remove them from the heat, cool, then grind to a fine powder.
  • Make a smooth paste with the tomato puree, ginger, garam masala, jaggery, chilli, food colour, coriander stalks, lemon juice, and the ground cumin seeds.
  • Melt the butter gently in a large heavy pan on medium-low heat, and then slowly fold in the tomato mixture, mixing well to combine. Add the salt, mix, then cook the sauce gently for 10 minutes until the raw tomato smell has gone.
  • Gently add the cream, stirring continuously, and bring to a simmer. Do not let it boil, as you do not want the cream to split.

to serve

  • Cut cooked and warm tanduri chicken into large pieces and place into a serving dish. Cover chicken with butter sauce, and gently toss to coat all the pieces. Pour remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve.

notes

This recipe does not include the time to make the tanduri chicken.
The food colour, which is optional, is only to give the appearance that people associate with this dish. We rarely use it.
Use an unsalted tomato puree with no added sugar. An Italian passata would serve well provided it has no added herbs.
Use cream that has come to room temperature. Cold cream is more likely to split when added to the sauce.

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nutrition

Serving: 250 g | Calories: 691 kcal | Carbohydrates: 14 g | Protein: 22 g | Fat: 62 g | Saturated Fat: 34 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 211 mg | Sodium: 373 mg | Potassium: 711 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 8 g | Vitamin A: 2737 IU | Vitamin C: 25 mg | Vitamin D: 2 µg | Calcium: 95 mg | Iron: 3 mg