Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Get ready to rock your kitchen with this Butter Chicken recipe! It's like a cozy hug of creamy, rich Indian curry goodness right in your own home, and it nails that iconic vibrant orange-red hue. Say goodbye to takeout because this dish can give any Chicken Makhani a run for its money. Best enjoyed with a side of fluffy basmati rice or some garlicky homemade naan. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you!
Ingredients
First Marination
- 1 kg chicken thighs
- 0,5 pcs lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilly powder
- 2 tbsp musterd oil
Second Marination
- 0,5 tsp turmeric powder
- 0,5 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 0,5 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp tandoori mix powder
- 1 tsp fenugreek powder
- 0,5 tsp black salt
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp greek yoghurt
Butter Chicken sauce (1st stage)
- 1 kg tomatoes Use fresh and ripe tomatoes.
- 1 pcs cinnamon stick
- 1 pcs bay leaf
- 6 pcs cardamom pods
- 4 pcs cloves
- 50 gr butter
Butter Chicken sauce (2nd stage)
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 100 gr butter
- 2 tsp fenugreek leafs dried Kashuri Methi
- 8 pcs cashews Made into a paste
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chat masala
- 4 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Marination
- Grab a big bowl and combine all the ingredients for the initial marination. When it's all mixed up, throw in the chicken and give it a good toss to make sure it's completely covered in the marinade.
- Cover the bowl and and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the ingredients for the second marination to the chicken and mix thoroughly.
- Wrap the chicken in plastic and let it marinate in a fridge for at least 30 minutes, or even up to a whole day for more flavour.
Sauce (step 1)
- In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Toss in the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and cloves, letting them infuse their flavors into the butter for about a minute
- Carefully add the tomatoes, followed by half a cup of water. Be prepared to cover the pot with a lid promptly to prevent any splattering.
- Allow it to simmer for 30-45 minutes, ensuring the tomatoes completely dissolve and transform into a luscious sauce.
- Remove the bay leaf and blend the mixture until it reaches a silky, thick consistency.
- Strain the blended sauce to remove any remaining pulp and set it aside.
Grilling
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it sit out until it reaches room temperature.
- Place the chicken in a pre-heated oven and dry grill at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, flip the chicken pieces over and continue grilling for an additional 5 minutes.
- After grilling, set the chicken aside to rest. Once it's cool enough to handle, cut it into 1-inch pieces.
Sauce (2nd stage) Putting it together
- Take a piece of charcoal and heat it until it's red-hot.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 50 grams of butter to the pan and then pour in the sauce.
- Add the tomato puree, cashew paste and cook for 5 minutes until the fat starts to separate.
- Add the grilled chicken pieces to the sauce.Stir to coat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes, until the fat begins to separate again.
- Add the dried fenugreek leafs, coconut milk, honey, sugar and cook. Keep stirring gently.
- Infuse the dish with a smoky flavour by placing a red-hot charcoal in a heatproof bowl or aluminium foil, drizzling oil over it, covering with a lid, and allowing it to smoke for 2-3 minutes.
- Gradually pour in the heavy cream while stirring. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce becomes thick and creamy. This is the perfect time to taste the sauce and make any necessary spice, sugar adjustments
- Complete the dish by adding the dried fenugreek leaves and sprinkling the chaat masala on top.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!