Chicken is delectable white meat and is one of the most common types of poultry in the world. Chicken meat is most preferred throughout different cuisines around the world. It provides essential vitamins mainly from the B complex including Niacin or vitamin B3, which is essential for the metabolism of fats in the body. It is lean meat with rich nutritional value, it is a great supply of protein which is important for sustaining our muscles. Chicken meat is largely used across most continents and is used to make a variety of dishes. One such dish is Butter Chicken Recipe or Murgh Makhani, which has become an inseparable part of Indian cuisine. It is one of the popular chicken curries that you can easily find around the world. Its popularity can also be understood by the fact that today several variations of this dish have come into existence. This is a mouth-watering delicacy that has a long history. Originating in Delhi, this is by far one of the most popular chicken dishes eaten in restaurants and is the first dish that comes to your mind when eating out. Chicken butter masala with a little sweet and mildly spicy flavour, this non-vegetarian recipe was traditionally made with leftover tandoori chicken which was marinated with yoghurt and a melange of spices and then cooked in a gravy of tomatoes and, cream and loads of butter. It is one of those dishes which were discovered by accident, however, it has remained at the top of its game since all these years. Now, you might be wondering what it takes to make this unique variety of chicken? You will be surprised to know that butter chicken gravy is prepared using all the authentic Indian spices such as coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste, and last but not the least garam masala, which has become an epitome of Punjabi cuisine. The spices that go into this famous dish may vary from place to place, and which might result into more dense flavours. First, the chicken is cooked in tandoor using these spices and afterwards, it is simmered in a creamy and buttery tomato gravy, which provides this dish with a very distinctive flavour. If you are not getting the true flavour of Butter Chicken Recipe, this might be because of the buttery-tomato sauce or gravy in which you are cooking the tandoori chicken. The trick to preparing a mouth-watering gravy is to saute to cook the tomato paste for 15-20 minutes, before adding tandoori chicken to it. This mouth-watering chicken butter masala delicacy goes well with naan or kulcha, and you can also pair it with basmati rice as well. You can enjoy this lip-smacking butter chicken recipe on occasions such as kitty party, potluck, and even buffet. So, don’t wait any longer and try this delicious butter chicken ki recipe with step by step at home and enjoy with your loved ones!
Ingredients of Butter Chicken
For Marination
For Garnishing
How to make Butter Chicken
Step 1 Prepare the marinade and marinate chicken overnight
To prepare this mouth-watering chicken recipe, first prepare the marinade for the chicken. For the same, take a large bowl and mix together yoghurt, onion paste, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, sugar, salt, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, and mace powder. Add pieces of raw chicken in the bowl and mix well. Allow the chicken to marinate overnight. Once the chicken is well marinated, roast it in a tandoor or an oven till its 3/4th done.
Step 2 Prepare the masala and then blend to make puree for the gravy
Now, heat little butter in a pan over moderate flame. Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, red chillies, and crushed coriander seeds. Sauté the ingredients for half a minute. Now in the same pan, add a bit of onion, red chilli powder, coriander powder, kasoori methi powder and tomatoes. Sauté them for 5 minutes and once done, transfer the mixture in a blender to make a puree.
Step 3 Cook marinated chicken in the gravy
Heat the remaining butter in a pan. Add the pureed mixture and bring it to a boil. Add marinated chicken pieces, salt, fresh cream, and mix well. To make sure that the consistency is not too thick, add some water to the mixture. Now add sliced green chillies, crushed fenugreek leaves and let it simmer for few minutes. Bring it to a full boil.
Step 4 Garnish Butter Chicken with cream and serve hot
Transfer the dish to a serving bowl and garnish it with coriander leaves and cream. This butter chicken recipe is easy-to-make and can be made by using simple ingredients available in the kitchen. If you’re a spice junkie and love all things spicy, then customize this chicken recipe a bit by adding more green chillis or black pepper powder. Try it and relish the burst of Indian flavours. Serve it with naan or rice.
Step 5 Tips for making restaurant-style Butter Chicken
1. The size of the chicken matters. If you are using a small and young chicken, 4 hours of marination works. If the chicken you are using is larger sized or older chicken, marinate it for at least 12 to 16 hours to get tender butter chicken. 2. If you don’t have hung curd, you can use thick curd too, but the cooking time might increase. 3. Turn the stove off while adding chilled cream to the gravy otherwise the gravy may curdle. This, or you can take a small amount of gravy in a separate bowl and add the cream. Mix well and then add it to the butter chicken. This way the cream will not curdle.
