Murgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
A recipe for Murgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)! This comforting dish pairs grilled chicken pieces with a creamy, spiced tomato curry.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ poundsboneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) pieces)
- 1 tablespoonfreshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoonkashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoonsalt
- ⅓ cupwhole milk greek yogurt
- 1 ½ teaspoonskasuri methi (kasoori methi, dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 teaspoongaram masala
- ½ teaspoonturmeric
- 1 ½ tablespoonsmustard oil or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tablespoonsgrated ginger
- 1 ½ tablespoonsgrated garlic
- 8cashews or blanched almonds
- 4 tablespoonsunsalted butter or ghee
- 4green cardamom pods (crushed)
- 1black cardamom pod (crushed)
- 4black peppercorns
- 3whole cloves
- 1cinnamon stick (2 inches (5 centimeters))
- 1 teaspoonfenugreek seeds (methi)
- 2 inchesfresh ginger (grated)
- 4 clovesgarlic (peeled and grated)
- 1fresh green chilies (minced, stem and seeds discarded)
- 1 tablespoontomato paste
- 14 ouncespureed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoonskashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoonsalt (plus more as needed to taste)
- 1 tablespoongranulated sugar or honey
- 1 cuphot water (plus more as needed)
- 2 teaspoonskasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 teaspoongaram masala
- ⅓ cupheavy cream
- heavy cream
- fresh cilantro (chopped)
- steamed basmati rice
- naan
Directions
To prepare the chicken:
- 1
Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice, Kashmiri red chili powder (1 teaspoon), and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- 2
Add the yogurt, kasuri methi (1 1/2 teaspoons), garam masala, turmeric, oil, ginger, and garlic to the chicken and toss, lightly massaging, to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
- 3
If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
- 4
Preheat a grill to 400˚F (200˚C). Arrange the marinated chicken on skewers.
- 5
Grease the grill and cook the skewers in a single layer, not touching, until golden and lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes, or until just golden and lightly charred on the other side. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this point as the pieces will simmer further in the sauce. Set aside.
To make the butter chicken:
- 1
Place the cashews or almonds in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside for 20 minutes. Remove from the water and blend or crush in a mortar and pestle until smooth.
- 2
In a large pan or pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
- 3
Once melted, add the green cardamom, black cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon stick.
- 4
Cook until starting to become fragrant, about 2 minutes, then stir in the fenugreek seeds.
- 5
Once the seeds begin to sizzle, stir in the ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Cook just until fragrant the moisture from the pastes evaporate.
- 6
Stir in the tomato paste, then the pureed tomatoes, Kashmiri red chili powder, and salt.
- 7
Cook until the tomato mixture is reduced to a thick paste, 15-20 minutes.
- 8
Pour in the water and add the cashew/almond paste. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- 9
Stir in the sugar and kasuri methi. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding a little more salt if desired.
- 10
Add the grilled chicken pieces, stirring to coat. Cover and simmer for about 5-8 minutes, until cooked through. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little more hot water. Additional seasonings may be needed.
- 11
Remove the cover, reduce heat to low, and stir in garam masala and heavy cream. Simmer lightly just until heated through, about 2 minutes, then remove the pan from heat.
- 12
Discard the cinnamon stick and other whole spices.
- 13
Serve the Butter Chicken immediately with a drizzle of additional heavy cream, a sprinkling of chopped cilantro leaves, and alongside rice and/or naan.