- Prep time25 mins + 2 hrs marinate
- Cook time40 mins
- Servings5
- DifficultyMedium
- CategoryDesi
Butter chicken was invented to rescue dry tandoori chicken — leftover tikka simmered in a rich tomato gravy. The gravy is the star: tomatoes, ginger and whole spices simmered down, blended silky, then enriched with butter and cream. The tikka goes in at the end so it keeps its char. Kasuri methi, crushed between your palms over the pot, is the aroma you remember from every great restaurant version.
Ingredients
- For the tikka: 700 g (1.5 lb) boneless chicken thighs, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 tbsp tandoori masala, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 500 g (1.1 lb) tomato puree (passata)
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp honey or sugar
- 1 tsp salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Method
- Marinate the chicken in the tikka ingredients for at least 2 hours.
- Thread onto skewers and grill or broil at 250 C (480 F) for 12 to 14 minutes, until charred at the edges. Set aside.
- Melt 2 tbsp butter with the oil in a pot. Sauté the onion until soft and golden, 8 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste, cook 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree, Kashmiri chili powder and salt. Simmer 15 minutes, until thick and the fat glistens.
- Blend the gravy until completely smooth, then return to the pot. Stir in the remaining butter, garam masala and honey.
- Add the chicken tikka (cut into bite-size pieces if large) and simmer 8 minutes so the flavors marry.
- Crush the kasuri methi between your palms over the pot, stir in the cream, and serve with naan or basmati rice.
Tips for success
- Blend the gravy twice — silkiness is the entire point of makhani.
- Char the tikka properly; pale chicken makes pale butter chicken.
- A teaspoon of honey balances tomato acidity better than extra sugar.
Watch video tutorial
Prefer to watch it being made? This from Fallow walkthrough covers the same butter chicken step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.