Butter chicken is a traditional North Indian dish also known as murgh makhani. The dish gets its name from the generous amount of butter (makhan) used in the recipe, but also from the smooth, silken, butter-like texture of the gravy used to simmer the chicken. Butter chicken is thought to have originated in restaurants in order to use up leftovers of tandoori chicken, an extremely popular dish. Like all Indian recipes, there are countless versions of butter chicken, all with nuanced variations. This is our favorite recipe for the Indian classic.

Quick Info

⏱️ 270 min • 🍽️ 4 servings • ⭐ 93%

Nutrition

649 cal • 44g protein • 45g carbs • 36g fat

Tags

[Dinner] • [Lunch] • [High-Protein] • [High-Fiber] • [Meal]

Ingredients

• 1 dried bay leaf
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 20 whole black cardamom pods
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
• 4 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
• ½ whole nutmeg pod
• 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
• 6–8 garlic cloves
• 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chile powder
• ½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 8 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), cut into strips or cubes
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 whole black cardamom pod
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 4 whole cloves
• 2–3 green chiles, finely chopped (optional)
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1–2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chile powder
• 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
• 2½ cups canned crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup cashews
• Kosher salt, to taste
• ½–1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek (kasuri methi)
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground cilantro
• Cooked basmati rice
• Onion kulcha
• Plain or garlic naan
• Roti
• Paratha
• 12-inch wooden skewers

Instructions Preview

1. Make the garam masala: Add the bay leaf, c…
2. Transfer the spices to an electric spice g…
3. Make the ginger-garlic paste: Add the ging…

…and 10 more steps

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Recipe by: Katie Aubin, Betsy Carter, Kanchan Koya • From: Tasty 101