Butter chicken was invented in 1950s Delhi when leftover tandoori chicken accidentally fell into tomato gravy.
Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani)
Dive into the rich, irresistible world of homemade Butter Chicken with our mouthwatering Chicken Makhani recipe! This dish features tender chicken simmered in a luscious tomato and cream sauce, infused with aromatic spices like garam masala and a hint of buttery goodness. Impress your taste buds and easily recreate that restaurant-quality flavor right in your own kitchen!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- ¾ tablespoon ginger garlic paste (11.2 ml)or use grated ginger and garlic
- ¾ to 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
- ½ cup water (120 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 500 grams (1.1 lbs) boneless chicken (499 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 2 tablespoon butter (28 g)
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt or hung curd (79.2 ml)use thick strained yogurt
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- ¾ to 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml)
- 600 grams (1.3 lbs.) diced fresh tomatoes or 1 cup passata/canned tomato puree or ⅓ cup double concentrate tomato paste or 1 – 14 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (590 g)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(8)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (optional) (5 ml)optional
- 1 cinnamon (optional)optional
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder (optional) (2.5 ml)optional
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala (5 ml)
- 1 to 1½ teaspoon garam masala (divided) (7.5-5 ml)
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (3.75 ml)substitute with paprika if needed
- ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon salt (1.65 ml)
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (haldi, optional) (0.62 ml)optional
📦Other(7)
- 28 whole cashews (42 grams, ⅓ cup) (79.2 ml)optionalomit for nut-free version
- 4 cloves (optional)optional
- 4 green cardamoms (optional)optional
- 1 to 2 green chiliesoptional
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (optional) (5 ml)optionalomit if not available
- ½ tablespoon kasuri methi crushed (7.5 ml)
- 1½ cups (130 grams) sliced onions (optional) (360 ml)optional
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Pat dry the chicken and mix with red chili powder, salt, and lemon juice. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- 2
Add ginger garlic paste, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, kasuri methi, turmeric, and yogurt. Mix well and marinate for at least 12 hours.
- 3
For the sauce, heat oil in a pan and sauté sliced onions until golden. Blend with tomatoes and cashews to a smooth puree.
- 4
In the same pan, add butter and the blended mixture. Cook until the sauce thickens.
- 5
Add marinated chicken and cook until done. Adjust seasoning as needed.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Marinate chicken in yogurt with 2-3% salt by weight for 12-24 hours - the lactic acid breaks down proteins while salt penetrates muscle fibers, increasing moisture retention by up to 15%.ingredient2-3% salt by weight
- ✓Cook the tomato-cashew base until it reduces by 40-50% and oil separates visibly around edges - this concentrates flavors and removes raw tomato acidity through Maillard reactions.technique40-50% reduction
- ✓Add butter at 160-180°F after removing from direct heat to prevent breaking the emulsion - high heat causes butter proteins to coagulate and separate from fat.timing160-180°F
- ✓Crush kasuri methi between palms before adding to release essential oils trapped in cell walls, increasing aromatic compound availability by 3-4x compared to whole leaves.technique3-4x aromatic increase
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of tomatoes to cashews in your base puree - cashews provide richness and natural thickening through their 46% fat content without overpowering tomato acidity.ingredient3:1 ratio, 46% fat content
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Butter chicken was invented in 1950s Delhi when leftover tandoori chicken accidentally fell into tomato gravy.
Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani)
Dive into the rich, irresistible world of homemade Butter Chicken with our mouthwatering Chicken Makhani recipe! This dish features tender chicken simmered in a luscious tomato and cream sauce, infused with aromatic spices like garam masala and a hint of buttery goodness. Impress your taste buds and easily recreate that restaurant-quality flavor right in your own kitchen!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- ¾ tablespoon ginger garlic paste (11.2 ml)or use grated ginger and garlic
- ¾ to 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
- ½ cup water (120 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 500 grams (1.1 lbs) boneless chicken (499 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 2 tablespoon butter (28 g)
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt or hung curd (79.2 ml)use thick strained yogurt
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- ¾ to 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml)
- 600 grams (1.3 lbs.) diced fresh tomatoes or 1 cup passata/canned tomato puree or ⅓ cup double concentrate tomato paste or 1 – 14 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (590 g)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(8)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (optional) (5 ml)optional
- 1 cinnamon (optional)optional
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder (optional) (2.5 ml)optional
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala (5 ml)
- 1 to 1½ teaspoon garam masala (divided) (7.5-5 ml)
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (3.75 ml)substitute with paprika if needed
- ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon salt (1.65 ml)
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (haldi, optional) (0.62 ml)optional
📦Other(7)
- 28 whole cashews (42 grams, ⅓ cup) (79.2 ml)optionalomit for nut-free version
- 4 cloves (optional)optional
- 4 green cardamoms (optional)optional
- 1 to 2 green chiliesoptional
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (optional) (5 ml)optionalomit if not available
- ½ tablespoon kasuri methi crushed (7.5 ml)
- 1½ cups (130 grams) sliced onions (optional) (360 ml)optional
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Pat dry the chicken and mix with red chili powder, salt, and lemon juice. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- 2
Add ginger garlic paste, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, kasuri methi, turmeric, and yogurt. Mix well and marinate for at least 12 hours.
- 3
For the sauce, heat oil in a pan and sauté sliced onions until golden. Blend with tomatoes and cashews to a smooth puree.
- 4
In the same pan, add butter and the blended mixture. Cook until the sauce thickens.
- 5
Add marinated chicken and cook until done. Adjust seasoning as needed.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Marinate chicken in yogurt with 2-3% salt by weight for 12-24 hours - the lactic acid breaks down proteins while salt penetrates muscle fibers, increasing moisture retention by up to 15%.ingredient2-3% salt by weight
- ✓Cook the tomato-cashew base until it reduces by 40-50% and oil separates visibly around edges - this concentrates flavors and removes raw tomato acidity through Maillard reactions.technique40-50% reduction
- ✓Add butter at 160-180°F after removing from direct heat to prevent breaking the emulsion - high heat causes butter proteins to coagulate and separate from fat.timing160-180°F
- ✓Crush kasuri methi between palms before adding to release essential oils trapped in cell walls, increasing aromatic compound availability by 3-4x compared to whole leaves.technique3-4x aromatic increase
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of tomatoes to cashews in your base puree - cashews provide richness and natural thickening through their 46% fat content without overpowering tomato acidity.ingredient3:1 ratio, 46% fat content