INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN

I have tried a few Indian foods, and Butter Chicken is one of my absolute favorites. I instantly fell in love when I tried it in one of the famous Indian restaurants. Since then, I told myself I needed to make my version too. I watched several videos on how to make Butter Chicken and even checked a few recipes. I guess I got overwhelmed by the many ingredients, which is why I didn’t make it sooner.

A few months ago, I got a new Indian colleague. Having her with me inspired me, and I decided to make Butter Chicken. Butter Chicken, also known as Murgh Makani, is made up of a cream-butter-tomato sauce and several Indian spices. After the chicken is cooked, it is mixed with the velvety, flavorful gravy. It is usually enjoyed with basmati rice or any type of Indian bread, such as naan, roti, or paratha.

THE CHICKEN

Traditionally, butter chicken uses tandoori chicken, which is cooked in a type of Indian oven called a “tandoor.” Cooking the chicken in a tandoor oven gives a smoky flavor. But of course, we don’t have this in our apartment. Our ingredients for achieving the smoky flavor are our gas oven, “magic coal,” and some oil or butter. After cooking the chicken under the oven grill, I put the skewered chicken in a heatproof dish. In the same dish, I put another heatproof dish with some butter in it. Finally, I burned a small piece of magic coal and put it in the bowl with butter, covering it with aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes. THIS STEP IS OPTIONAL, but the smokiness really adds an amazing flavor to the whole dish.

THE GRAVY

The gravy or sauce (is there really a difference between the two??) is a mixture of tomato paste, heavy cream, butter, and several Indian spices. The gravy could be thin or thick, depending on your personal liking. I was frustrated within the first few minutes of cooking the gravy because I didn’t get the same color as in the restaurant. Do I really have to get the same color? Definitely yes! My colleague told me I could add more Kashmiri chili powder because it adds color to the dish, but I couldn’t handle the heat. In the end, I achieved the color I wanted by adding smoked paprika and sweet paprika. I know that this is not part of the authentic butter chicken ingredients, but hey, I am not claiming this is authentic. It worked for me!

INDIAN BREAD OR RICE

I tried pairing this Butter Chicken with garlic naan, paratha, and basmati rice. Personally, since the gravy is thick, I prefer it with naan bread. I love butter chicken with thin gravy with basmati rice.

NOTES ON INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN:

• You can use boneless & skinless chicken breast instead of chicken thigh fillets, but I believe that chicken thighs retain more moisture than chicken breasts.
• The use of magic coal is optional but adds a nice smoky taste to the butter chicken, and it’s AMAZING!
• The addition of smoked & sweet paprika is also optional but makes the color of the gravy more vibrant. My colleague suggested that I add more Kashmiri chili, but I couldn’t add more heat to the dish.
• Although I have yet to try, I believe the chicken thighs can be cooked in an air fryer.

MY BFF and my colleague were not huge fans of butter chicken until I made it for them. I have made this twice already, and my colleague is already asking for her share the next time I make this. And I know I will make it again soon. Oh my!!! I am salivating!

WANNA SEE HOW I MADE THIS?

I shared a recipe video on our YouTube channel. I hope you can check it out. While you are there, maybe you’d see something you’d like. If you do, please don’t forget to share, like, and subscribe. Hope to see you there!

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Butter Chicken (Murgh Makani)

It is a classic Indian dish featuring tender chicken in a rich, creamy tomato-based gravy.

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Marinating Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes

Author Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

Ingredients

• 500 g chicken thighs fillets

Marinade:

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 inch peeled ginger
• Half of green chili
• ¼ cup Greek full fat yogurt
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• Pinch of saffron

Gravy:

• ¼ stick butter
• Half of green chili
• 2 tbsp ginger paste or grated ginger
• ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 6 pods green cardamom
• 6 whole cloves
• White onion finely chopped
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1-2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp sweet paprika (optional)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1-2 tbsp honey (or to taste)
• 1-2 tsp of dried fenugreek leaves
• 250 ml heavy cream
• Salt (to taste)

Instructions

For the marinade:

1. Add garlic, ginger & chili to a food processor, and make a paste.
2. In a bowl, add the paste, chicken and the rest of the ingredients under “marinade ingredients”. Mix and marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight. I marinated mine overnight.
3. When the marinating time is up, skewer the chicken pieces and place under the grill oven/broiler for 20-30 minutes or until cooked & charred, flipping halfway thru cooking.

4. OPTIONAL (see notes): When the chicken skewers are cooked, place them in a heatproof bowl/oven dish. Take a bowl and add small amount of butter (about 1 tbsp) or oil. In a naked flame, burn a magic coal for a few minutes. Turn off the flame and put the magic coal in the small bowl with butter (you will notice a smoke coming from it) and then cover with aluminum foil. Let it stay covered for 10 minutes.

For the gravy:

1. Melt butter in a pan over low-medium heat.
2. Add chili, ginger, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and cloves, then cook for a minute. Add onion and cook until soft.
3. Add tomato paste, chili powder, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, coriander powder, honey, and cream. Mix. Season with fenugreek leaves. Cook until the gravy reaches your preferred consistency. Season with salt. Perform a taste test and adjust as per your liking.
4. Add the cooked chicken thighs and mix.
5. Serve with naan bread, paratha, or rice.

Recipe Notes

• You can use boneless & skinless chicken breast instead of chicken thigh fillets, but I believe that chicken thighs retain more moisture than chicken breasts.
• The use of magic coal is optional but adds a nice smoky taste to the butter chicken, and it’s AMAZING!
• The addition of smoked & sweet paprika is also optional but makes the color of the gravy more vibrant. My colleague suggested that I add more Kashmiri chili, but I couldn’t add more heat to the dish.
• Although I have yet to try, I believe the chicken thighs can be cooked in an air fryer.

 

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