Butter Chicken

Imagine a dish so rich and flavorful, it transports you straight to your favorite restaurant. This Butter Chicken recipe isn’t just easy—it’s a celebration of bold spices and creamy indulgence, crafted to perfection in your own kitchen. Golden, tender chicken pieces soak up a luxurious curry sauce, bursting with vibrant flavor.

Also known as “murgh makhni,” butter chicken combines succulent, flavorful chicken thighs with a creamy, buttery sauce. It’s one of the dishes Indian cuisine is known for, even though it’s not really Indian. The exact origin of butter chicken is debatable, but the one thing we know for sure is that it was created by two chefs from Peshawar, a city in modern-day Pakistan. After the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947, Kundan Lal Jaggi and Kundan Lal Gujral moved to Delhi, India, where they opened a restaurant with the same name as the Peshawari one called Moti Mahal. Visited by the likes of many renowned people, from celebrated chef Madhur Jaffrey to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the restaurant drew much attention, in large part due to its butter chicken. Here, it was made using day-old tandoori chicken in order to prevent food waste (it’s a story after my own heart).

My version of butter chicken is a multistep process, yet I promise that it’s one you will most definitely make multiple times. The key is to be intentional in every step. Marinate the chicken overnight if you have the time, and sear it well. Caramelize the onions with the spices and tomato paste. Blend the onion mixture, crushed tomatoes, and cashews until completely smooth. Cook the sauce on low heat until the oil starts separating from the sides of the pan. Cook the seared chicken in the sauce until just right. Trust me, it’s worth it!  

Why You’ll Love It

  • It’s buttery without using too much butter. Soaked cashews make the sauce even creamier.
  • You don’t need a tandoor to get that signature smoky flavor. Searing the chicken on high heat mimics the effect of the tandoor. The yogurt marinade will char on high heat, giving it the slightly smoky and burnt flavor that you’re after.

Key Ingredients in Butter Chicken 

  • Chicken thighs: I am a bone-in chicken thighs fiend, but to make it simpler for the masses, this recipe uses boneless chicken thighs. Dark meat is my go-to because it retains the most flavor and takes marinated meat to the next level with how juicy the outcome is. But, if you prefer white meat, feel free to substitute chicken breast. 
  • Whole-milk yogurt: The ultimate meat tenderizer, marinating any kind of meat in yogurt overnight is bound to give you the most succulent result. Flavorful with spices, ginger, garlic, and lemon juice, the marinade may be one of the best out there. 
  • Kashmiri chile powder: A type of spice made from chiles grown in Kashmir. It is known for providing a vibrant red color without adding too much heat. It’s a great natural coloring agent for curries and roasts.
  • Cashews: This recipe calls for blending an onion-tomato sauce with soaked cashews. Soaking the cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes or more helps to break them down much more easily to create a smooth, creamy, and nutty sauce. 
 

How to Make Butter Chicken 

  1. Marinate the chicken. Make the yogurt-based marinade in a bowl, adding the spices, ginger, garlic, and lemon juice and whisking well to remove any lumps. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, mix the marinade and chicken well in the bowl or add the chicken and marinade to a zip-top bag, then seal and mush them around so that the spiced yogurt covers every piece of chicken.
  2. Soak the cashews. Before beginning to prepare the butter chicken, soak the cashews in boiling water, so when you blend them, they have had time to soften.  
  3. Sear the chicken. In order to ensure that excess marinade doesn’t end up on the pan, pat dry the marinated chicken. Sear on high heat so that charred spots form, which provides the smoky flavor you are looking for and mimics the tandoori effect. Remove the chicken and juices from the pan, and set aside.
  4. Make the onion-tomato-cashew-based sauce. After wiping the pan clean, heat the ghee up and caramelize the onions with spices, ginger, and garlic. Add the tomato paste and allow the mixture to caramelize further. Blend the onion mixture with crushed tomatoes, water, and cashews until very smooth. Return the sauce to the heat with 1 cup of water and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chicken and juices, continuing to cook it in the sauce for another 5 minutes. 
  5. Finish the butter chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat. Add heavy cream and butter. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and enjoy with rice, naan, or chapati. 

Helpful Swaps 

  • Hot paprika can be substituted for the Kashmiri chile powder. 
  • You can use bone-in chicken thighs if you love them like I do, or boneless, skinless chicken breast.
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