Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Butter Chicken Recipe
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) is among the hottest curries on the earth and but occurs to be one of many best! No looking down arduous to search out components, this chef recipe that makes essentially the most unbelievable curry sauce.
It is a reader-favourite recipe included by well-liked demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
As somebody who loves meals with massive, BIG flavours, it’s no shock that Indian is one in all my favorite meals. A very good curry and binge watching Netflix is just about my concept of an ideal Friday night time. #NanaAlert! 😂
As a lot as I really like making Indian meals at house, typically I discover the record of components daunting. It’s simple sufficient to make as soon as I collect all of the components, however that’s the place I often fall quick as a result of it requires a visit to an Indian grocery retailer – and my closest one is a good drive away.
Butter Chicken is among the few exceptions. I used to be elated once I found a Chef recipe for Butter Chicken and realised how simple it’s. However extra importantly, you may get all of the components from any grocery store. Sure!
Is Butter Chicken actually Indian??
YES it’s! It’s referred to as Murgh Makhani and it hails from Northern India. It’s fairly a light curry in comparison with many Indian curries, and out of doors of India, it’s change into nearly everyone’s favorite curry!
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Make Butter Chicken Marinade and marinate chicken for 3+ hours (in a single day is greatest)
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Prepare dinner chicken
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Make sauce in the identical skillet
The key to the tender, flavour infused chicken is a spice infused yogurt marinade made with recent ginger, garlic, lemon juice and spices. The spices in Butter Chicken are turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder and cumin.
Do you know….You don’t want copious quantities of butter for a fantastic Butter Chicken!
The attractive Butter Chicken Sauce largely will get its richness from cream. Whereas some eating places take it excessive by stirring in a (very!) beneficiant quantity of butter into the sauce on the finish, I discover that it’s wealthy sufficient as it’s. The Butter Chicken flavour and expertise – however much less oily than restaurant variations!
The sauce will initially be a pale orange color however because it simmers and thickens, the color will deepen to a wealthy orange color.
To make a correct Indian feast, sides and starters are necessities! As a result of each curry wants papadums for dunking and naan to scoop up the sauce with, proper?
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No-fry fast papadums – simply microwave them! Place the papadums across the fringe of the microwave turntable and cook dinner on excessive for 45 seconds to 1 minute or till they’re overvalued. They’ll be mushy whereas heat however as quickly as they quiet down, they crisp up. They don’t broaden as a lot as when deep fried, however neither will your thighs. 😂
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Samosas! The last word Indian appetiser. Leftovers make nice snacks and even lunch!
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Correct naan – A recipe within the works for five years, I’m thrilled to lastly share my correct naan recipe that may be simply made at house (no tandoor wanted!)
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Shortcut “naan” – For a less complicated, no-yeast flatbread that’s simply pretty much as good, my Straightforward No Yeast Flatbread seems to be and tastes similar to actual naan (besides it’s a lot quicker and simpler!). Strive telling me this doesn’t seem like it belongs on this feast!
And it’s MADE for dunking in that creamy Butter Chicken Sauce!!
Readers have additionally requested for Vegetable Aspect choices – so as to add some greens to a meal. Indian meals doesn’t actually have recent facet salads like in Western delicacies. Partly as a result of a lot Indian meals is vegetarian, so that you get loads of veggies in your eating regimen!
However listed below are some Vegetable Aspect Choices you possibly can add on the facet of Butter Chicken:
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Indian Tomato Salad – with a refreshing minted yogurt dressing;
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Cucumber salad with lemon yogurt dressing – one other nice refreshing salad that goes completely with curries;
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Just a few sliced cucumber and wedges of tomato – not dressed. Good cool, refreshing facet
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South Indian Thoran-style Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Coconut is recent, crunchy and shot by means of with light spices and coconut!
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For a less complicated cabbage salad, attempt my On a regular basis Cabbage Salad
I hope this has impressed you to attempt your hand at making an Indian feast at house! You’ll truthfully be amazed how a lot depth of flavour there’s within the Butter Chicken regardless of how few components are in it. – Johnsat x
PS Don’t miss the brand new streamlined oven model: One-Pan Baked Butter Chicken. Readers are loving it!
It is a reader-favourite recipe included by well-liked demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
It is a reader-favourite recipe included by well-liked demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt , full fat
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp tumeric powder
- 2 tsp garam masala (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper powder (Note 2)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1.5 lb / 750 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp (30 g) ghee or butter, OR 1 tbsp vegetable oil (Note 3)
- 1 cup tomato passata (aka tomato puree) (Note 4)
- 1 cup heavy / thickened cream (Note 5)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- Basmati rice
- White rice
- Coriander/cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Optional blitz: for an extra smooth sauce, combine the Marinade ingredients (except the chicken) in a food processor and blend until smooth. (I do not do this)
- Marinade: Combine the Marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours (minimum 3 hrs).
- Cook chicken: Heat the ghee (butter or oil) over high heat in a large fry pan. Take the chicken out of the Marinade but do not wipe or shake off the marinade from the chicken (but don’t pour the Marinade left in the bowl into the fry pan).
- Place chicken in the fry pan and cook for around 3 minutes, or until the chicken is white all over (it doesn’t really brown because of the Marinade).
- Sauce: Add the tomato passata, cream, sugar and salt. Also add any remaining marinade left in the bowl. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Do a taste test to see if it needs more salt.
- Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves if using. Serve with basmati rice.
- The Butter Chicken is pictured with my very easy No Yeast Flatbread and no-fry papadums (Note 5).
Notes
1. Garam Masala is a spice mix that is readily available at supermarkets nowadays. You will find it in the spice section and it costs around the same as other spices.
2. Pure chilli powder – This is not chili powder as Americans know it! American Chili Powder contains things other than ground dried chili. Use pure chili powder or cayenne pepper to add a spice kick. The spiciness is very mild.
3. Ghee is a clarified butter used in Indian cooking (see this Movie Popcorn Butter recipe for more info). For this recipe, it can be substituted with butter or almost any neutral flavoured cooking oil.
4. Tomato passata is pureed tinned tomatoes. Nowadays it is readily available in supermarkets, usually alongside pasta sauces. It costs just a tiny bit more, sometimes the same, as canned tomatoes. Called Tomato Puree in America.
If you can’t find it, puree canned tomatoes using a blender. This will also work with what is called “Tomato Sauce” in America (Australia! Don’t use what we call Tomato Sauce!)
5. For a lighter version, use OR for a lighter version use 3/4 cup light cream + 1/4 cup milk (full fat or low fat)
6. No Fry Quick Papadums – Place store bought raw papadums (which are really cheap – around $1 for a packet) in the microwave on the edge of the turntable. Then microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until puffed up. They will crisp up when they cool.
7. Adapted from a recipe by Luke Mangan, an Australian chef and restaurateur. The only adjustments I made was to add salt (I am sure it was inadvertently omitted from his recipe) and providing the lighter option for the cream.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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