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Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Make the best butter chicken you've ever had with a few culinary tricks that transform ordinary ingredients into a luxurious Indian feast. My murgh makhani recipe combines tender char-grilled tandoori chicken with a luxurious curry sauce made with tomatoes caramelized with butter and cream.

4 Servings

Nutrition (1 serv.)	Amount	Nutrition (1 serv.)	Amount
Calories	454 kcal	Sugar	8 g
Carbs	22 g	Cholesterol	155 mg
Protein	28 g	Sodium	1565 mg
Fat	30 g	Fiber	5 g
Sugar	8 g
Cholesterol	155 mg
Sodium	1565 mg
Fiber	5 g

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 60 min Total Time: 315 min

https://norecipes.com/butter-chicken-recipe/

Puree ginger & garlic
Put 30 grams fresh ginger and 30 grams garlic into a small food processor and puree, you may need to add a bit of water to make it go. If you don't have a small food processor, you can grate by hand.
Make tandoori marinade
In a small bowl, whisk 1/3 cup plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1/4 teaspoon saffron, and 2 teaspoons of the garlic ginger mixture together. Save the remaining garlic ginger mixture for the sauce.
Marinate chicken
Put 450 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs in a freezer bag and pour the marinade all over it, rubbing it into the chicken. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and seal it. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Puree tomatoes
For the sauce, puree 600 grams whole stewed tomatoes with their juices along with 2 tablespoons tomato paste in a blender or food processor.
Temper spices
Add 3 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter to a pot along with the 6 pods green cardamom, 1 pod black cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick and 4 cloves. Fry the mixture until the cloves are puffy.
Brown aromatics
Add 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 2 fresh chili peppers, and remaining garlic ginger mixture and saute until browned, and very fragrant.
Caramelize tomatoes
Add the pureed stewed tomatoes and tomato paste and cook this mixture over medium heat until the tomatoes have become very thick and paste-like (about 45 minutes). Once the mixture starts sputtering you'll want to stir it pretty regularly to keep the sputtering under control while maintaining enough heat to reduce the liquid.
Grill chicken
While the tomatoes are reducing, grill the chicken. You can use either an outdoor grill or broiler, but in either case it needs to be very hot. You want to get the outside lightly charred, but you don't want to cook the chicken all the way through as it will finish cooking in the sauce. If you cook it completely now, it will get overcooked in the sauce.
Cut chicken
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Puree cashew nuts
In a blender or food processor, add 40 grams raw cashew nuts along with 2 cups of water. Puree until smooth and milk-like in color.
Make butter chicken sauce
When the tomato mixture is done caramelizing turn off the heat and add the cashew nut milk, whisking it together.
Strain sauce
Pass the sauce through a wire strainer into a saucepan, pressing on the solids with a silicone spatula to get as much sauce through as you can.
Add chicken
Cut the chicken into large chunks and add it to the pot with the sauce along with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves and 1 teaspoons garam masala. Simmer this for 6-8 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.
Finish with cream
Add 1/3 cup heavy cream and stir together and then turn the heat off. Plate the butter chicken and drizzle a little extra cream on top. Garnish with some cilantro leaves.

Ingredients

30 grams garlic (~ 5 large cloves, peeled)

30 grams fresh ginger (~ 1-inch piece, peeled and sliced)

450 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon saffron (threads crushed)

600 grams whole stewed tomatoes (1 1/2 small cans)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter

6 pods green cardamom

1 pod black cardamom

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

2 fresh chili peppers

40 grams raw cashew nuts (about 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

1 teaspoons garam masala

1/3 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Step 1

Puree ginger & garlic

Step 2

Put 30 grams fresh ginger and 30 grams garlic into a small food processor and puree, you may need to add a bit of water to make it go. If you don't have a small food processor, you can grate by hand.

Step 3

Make tandoori marinade

Step 4

In a small bowl, whisk 1/3 cup plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1/4 teaspoon saffron, and 2 teaspoons of the garlic ginger mixture together. Save the remaining garlic ginger mixture for the sauce.

Step 5

Marinate chicken

Step 6

Put 450 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs in a freezer bag and pour the marinade all over it, rubbing it into the chicken. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and seal it. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Step 7

Puree tomatoes

Step 8

For the sauce, puree 600 grams whole stewed tomatoes with their juices along with 2 tablespoons tomato paste in a blender or food processor.

Step 9

Temper spices

Step 10

Add 3 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter to a pot along with the 6 pods green cardamom, 1 pod black cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick and 4 cloves. Fry the mixture until the cloves are puffy.

Step 11

Brown aromatics

Step 12

Add 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 2 fresh chili peppers, and remaining garlic ginger mixture and saute until browned, and very fragrant.

Step 13

Caramelize tomatoes

Step 14

Add the pureed stewed tomatoes and tomato paste and cook this mixture over medium heat until the tomatoes have become very thick and paste-like (about 45 minutes). Once the mixture starts sputtering you'll want to stir it pretty regularly to keep the sputtering under control while maintaining enough heat to reduce the liquid.

Step 15

Grill chicken

Step 16

While the tomatoes are reducing, grill the chicken. You can use either an outdoor grill or broiler, but in either case it needs to be very hot. You want to get the outside lightly charred, but you don't want to cook the chicken all the way through as it will finish cooking in the sauce. If you cook it completely now, it will get overcooked in the sauce.

Step 17

Cut chicken

Step 18

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Step 19

Puree cashew nuts

Step 20

In a blender or food processor, add 40 grams raw cashew nuts along with 2 cups of water. Puree until smooth and milk-like in color.

Step 21

Make butter chicken sauce

Step 22

When the tomato mixture is done caramelizing turn off the heat and add the cashew nut milk, whisking it together.

Step 23

Strain sauce

Step 24

Pass the sauce through a wire strainer into a saucepan, pressing on the solids with a silicone spatula to get as much sauce through as you can.

Step 25

Add chicken

Step 26

Cut the chicken into large chunks and add it to the pot with the sauce along with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves and 1 teaspoons garam masala. Simmer this for 6-8 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.

Step 27

Finish with cream

Step 28

Add 1/3 cup heavy cream and stir together and then turn the heat off. Plate the butter chicken and drizzle a little extra cream on top. Garnish with some cilantro leaves.