Restaurant Style Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhani

Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhani

Butter chicken/Murgh Makhani is a lip-smacking, lusciously creamy chicken curry with the flavor of butter. Grilled pieces of chicken are cooked in a buttery gravy with cashew nut paste and cream, which gives the curry sauce its richness and taste. It is an iconic North India delicacy and a treat for all chicken lovers. Murgh makhani with naan/flatbread or basmati rice tastes divine. It is falling in love with food all over again! Recreating this popular dish at home may sound complicated, but let me assure you, it is quite simple to make at home. You can prepare an incredible dinner with minimal ingredients.

As a South Indian, my first introduction to the rich, yet mildly spiced butter chicken was during a visit to Delhi years back. I was instantly in love with it and always wanted to try making it at home. There are a few tips to make the best restaurant-style butter chicken. Always use good quality butter, ghee, and cream. Marinate and grill the pieces of chicken before simmering it in the gravy. The recipe was created by a chef who wanted to reuse leftover Tandoori Chicken. The restaurants bake the chicken in a tandoor oven, which gives it a smoky flavor. In this recipe, I used boneless tandoori chicken pieces, but you can also use pan-fried chicken. Give this recipe a try. Let me know how it turned out for you. Enjoy!

Murgh Makhani Sauce
The magical part of the Butter Chicken is the sauce. The sauce consists of onion, tomatoes, garlic, and ginger, combined with earthy spices and cashew nut paste. It is cooked in butter and finished off with some cream. For more intense flavor, add part ghee and butter. The trick to making a great sauce is to let the onions and tomatoes cook for at least 10-15 minutes until they are almost dry on your pan and oil separates. Let it cool down, blend until smooth. For an extra silky smooth texture, use a fine-mesh strainer. Cashews and cream are the key ingredients for a beautiful, creamy sauce. Cashew nuts also add a slightly nutty flavor and help thicken the sauce to that perfect consistency. This sauce is freezer friendly, so double the recipe. Store it in the freezer for quick weekend meals. The curry sauce is magical, and you can add anything to it, like chicken, prawns, paneer, or vegetables.

The Chicken
It is best to marinate the chicken overnight or at least for an hour. To marinate the chicken, I have used Tandoori chicken spice mix. You can use boneless or chicken with bone. Grill the chicken before adding it to the sauce. If you prefer the pan fry method, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Sear chicken in a skillet or pan.Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side.Set aside and keep warm. Keep those charred bits on the pan to make your sauce. Cook the sauce in the same pan and bring it to a boil and add the chicken pieces.

Restaurant Style Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhani
Ingredients

Marinade for chicken

Chicken- 2 lb
Ginger- garlic paste- 1 tsp
lemon juice-a few drops
salt to taste
Kashmiri Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Gram flour- 2 tsp
Garam masala- 1 tsp
Yogurt (hung) 1/2 cup
Mustard powder- 1/3 tsp
Kasoori methi powder- 1/3 tsp
Oil 3-4 tsp

For the masala
Onion- 1 medium (optional)
Tomato-5-6 medium
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter- 3 tsp
Cashew nuts- 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste- 1 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Cardamon powder- 1/3 tsp
Heavy cream- 1/2 cup
Kasoori methi- 1/3 tsp

Heat 2 tsp of oil and add gram flour and roast it in a slow flame for about a minute till you get a nice flavor. Allow this to cool a bit.

Mix all ingredients listed in the marinade (except oil) along with the gram flour paste and coat the chicken with it. Finally, add the oil on top. Let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and arrange the marinated chicken on a greased baking tray. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Bast with the juices in between so that it does not get dry. For the next 5 minutes, bake in 400 degrees F.

Note If you want a quicker version you can marinate the chicken and pan-fry it.

To prepare the sauce soak cashew nuts in warm water and then make a fine paste.

Finely mince onion. Heat butter and some ghee in a heavy bottom pan and add onions and saute. Next, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till raw flavor disappears. Add turmeric powder, salt, and mix. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for three to four minutes till tomatoes get cooked, and the oil separates. Let it cool down, and blend until smooth. For an extra silky smooth texture, use a fine-mesh strainer.

Bring this sauce back to a boil. Pour the cashew nut paste and continue to cook in a low flame. Stir continuously and cook till the masala start leaving the edges of the pan and gets thick. Mix chilly powder, garam masala, cumin powder and saute for a minute.

Mix two cups of warm water and add the baked chicken. Simmer in low flame for 6-8 minutes. Finally add the fresh cream and Kasuri methi, mix and switch off the flame. Serve with naan, chapati, or pulao.