Butter Chicken
Murgh makhani: charred chicken in a tomato and cream gravy, mild and fenugreek-scented
Allergens in Butter Chicken: milk, tree nuts.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 800g thigh, boneless, in large pieces Chicken
- 1/2 cup, thick Yogurt
- 2 tbsp, grated Ginger
- 8 cloves, crushed Garlic
- 2 tsp Kashmiri Chillifor colour without heat
- 1.5 tsp Garam Masala
- 800g, roughly chopped Tomato
- 80g Butter
- 1/2 cup Cream
- 1 tsp, crushed Kasuri Methidried fenugreek leaves. Not the seeds; this is the flavour most people cannot placeoptional
- 4 pods Cardamomoptional
- 10, soaked Cashewomit for a nut-free version; the gravy is thinneroptional
- 1 tsp Sugaroptional
- 1/2 Lemon
- to taste Salt
Cookware
stovetop, blender, oven
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- The dish depends on two things: char on the chicken, and a gravy cooked long enough to lose its raw tomato edge. Neither is optional.
- Thigh stays juicy through the double cooking; breast will dry out.
- Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) crushed in at the end is the flavour most people cannot place. If you have it, use it.
Method
- Marinate the chicken with the yogurt, half the ginger and garlic, the Kashmiri chilli, 1 tsp garam masala, lemon juice and salt. Leave at least 30 minutes, ideally 4 hours refrigerated.
- Grill, broil or pan-sear the chicken in a very hot pan until the edges char in places and it is just cooked. Do not cook it through to dryness; it finishes in the sauce. Set aside with any resting juices.
- Simmer the tomatoes with the remaining ginger and garlic, the cardamom and a splash of water, covered, for 20 minutes until completely collapsed.
- Blend the tomato mixture smooth with the soaked cashews if using, then pass it through a sieve. The sieve is what separates a silky makhani from a rustic curry.Discard the skins and seeds left in the sieve.
- Return the puree to the pan with the butter and cook 10 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring, until it darkens and thickens and the butter shows at the edges.
- Add the chicken with its juices, the cream, the sugar and the remaining garam masala. Simmer 5 minutes. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms and stir it through. Taste for salt and lemon.
Safe temperatures: Chicken and duck are done at 74°C / 165°F, taken at the thickest part and clear of the bone. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated. Freeze the gravy without the cream for up to 2 months and add cream on reheating; frozen cream sauces can split.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Butter Chicken (484 g) is about 515 calories, or 107 calories per 100 g.
High protein: 47 g a serving, 37% of the calories
| Per serving484 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 515 kcal | 107 kcal |
| Protein | 47.2 g | 10 g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.6 g | 3 g |
| of which sugars | 8.5 g | 2 g |
| Fibre | 3.7 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 29.6 g | 6 g |
| of which saturated | 16.1 g | 3 g |
| of which unsaturated | 10.5 g | 2 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for garam masala. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Gluten-free Indian recipes · Punjabi recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.