Restaurant syle Butter chicken or Murgh Makhani or Chicken Butter Masala

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is an Indian dish from the Punjab region. The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to Delhi, during the period of Mughal Empire. Butter Chicken is among the best known Indian foods all over the world. Its gravy can be made as hot or mild as you like so it suits your palatte. Also commonly known as Murg Makhani, Butter Chicken tastes great with other Punjabi dishes like Kaali Daal (black lentils), Naans(Indian tandoor made flatbread) and a green salad.

I think this is one of the staples of Indian restaurants outside India. I have eaten it at least 5-6 different Indian restaurants in last few years and each and every one had this on their menu. There are many varieties of recipes for this dish available. But over the years, I have experimented with different recipes of it and finally satisfied with this one as this is quite simple to make but result is finger-licking good.

This rich, creamy, buttery chicken is an excellent celebration dish to indulge once in a while and can satisfy your craving of Restaurant style food at home. Though I make it quite often whenever I crave for Punjabi food as this is my second favorite cuisine of all.

I prefer boneless chicken for this recipe as restaurants do but we can always combine with bone and boneless chicken for this. It's upto you.
Ok, so let's move on to the recipe.....do not get overwhelmed seeing the long list of ingredients...if you follow the steps, it's quite easy to cook and bring the restaurant style taste at home.

Ingredients : Print Recipe

Boneless Chicken : about 1 kg. (for better taste, cut into thin small pieces)

For marination ::
Lemon Juice : 1 tblsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp.
Salt : 2 tsp.
Mustard oil : 2 tblsp.
Ginger Paste : 1 tblsp.
Garlic paste : 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp.

For the gravy ::

Butter : 2 tblsp.(melted)
Oil : 2-3 tblsp.
Green cardamoms : 4
Cloves : 5-6
Cinnamon stick : 2 (1" piece)
Black peppercorns : 7-8
Onion : 2, medium
Tomato : 3 big, chopped
Ginger : 2 inch piece(made into paste)
Garlic : 8-10 cloves (made into paste)
Green chillies : 3-4 (slitted)
Cashewnuts/almonds : 10-12
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp. or to taste
Coriander Powder : 2 tsp.
Garam masala powder : 1 tsp.
Kasuri Methi (dry fenugreek leaves) : 1 tblsp.
Cream : 1/2 cup + 1 tblsp. for garnishing
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

How To ::

After cleaning, take chicken pieces in a wide bowl. Make a mixture of all the ingredients under "For marination" and apply this marinade to the chicken pieces well and refrigerate for at least three to four hours or overnight for better results.
For Making Gravy :: Heat 2 tblsp. oil in a pan, take few chicken pieces from the marinade at a time and fry in medium heat until light brown from all sides. Set aside. [You can also grill or cook the chicken pieces in oven until done]. Keep rest of the marinade sauce aside, we'll use that sauce later in the gravy.

Heat rest of the oil in the same pan, add sliced onions there and let them brown a bit. Add green chillies, cashewnuts and tomatoes in there. Saute in medium heat till all of them softens a bit, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Then make a smooth puree of it. You can strain the puree thru a strainer to get a lump-free smooth puree.
Now put a fresh pan on the stove and heat, add 2 tblsp. butter in there. Temper with whole spices(cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns), when aroma comes out, add ginger-garlic paste and saute in low flame for couple of minutes, then add the onion-tomato puree in the pan. Add turmeric, red chilli and coriander powder and mix with the puree.
Now add the fried chicken and mix well. Add about a cup of water, season with salt and let it cook till chickens are done. Lastly, add kasuri methi and garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, lower the flame and add cream in there. Mix with the gravy and look for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Your restaurant style butter chicken is done. Enjoy with naan and some salad by the side.

Printable Recipe [Click the link to print the recipe]