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Authentic Butter Chicken Recipe
Delhi, India
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We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
The essential elements of butter chicken are tandoori-cooked, bone-in, chicken pieces and a mild curry gravy consisting of tomatoes, butter, and cream. The chicken is marinated in spices and yogurt or cream for at least a few hours, but best if overnight, and then roasted in a clay oven (tandoor). The meat can be grilled or pan-fried instead of roasted, and the spices used in the marinade vary as each chef has his preferred combination. However, spices like garam masala, ginger, garlic, lemon, chili, turmeric, and much more are typically called for in most recipes. Once the meat is done, it is simmered in butter, tomato, and cream curry that is seasoned with a variety of spices, typically red chili powder, turmeric, cumin, and fenugreek leaves. The gravy can be thickened with cashew paste, and the cream can be used as a garnish instead of being added to the sauce. When done, butter chicken is garnished with a sprinkle of green chilies or coriander and served either ladled over ... Read more
Serve With
Cooking tips
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fenugreek substitutes
Perhaps surprisingly, your best choice is maple syrup. It contains a compound stolone, responsible for both the flavor and the aroma, also found in the fenugreek leaves. You should use if sparingly because you do not want your dish overly sweet and it's best to add it near the end of cooking as its flavor may fade during cooking. Other alternatives include mustard seeds and greens or a pinch of curry ... Read more -
serving
There are only two ways you can serve butter chicken. A more traditional way would be to serve it with naan flatbread, but serving it ladled over a bowl of white rice is also common.
Recipe variations
Butter Chicken
PREP 10min
COOK 30min
READY IN 40min
The following is the authentic butter chicken recipe, the same one they stick to in the kitchen of the Moti Mahala restaurant where the dish was invented.
Ingredients
700g chicken
FOR THE MARINADE
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger and garlic paste
salt to taste
1/2 kg curd (Indian yogurt dahi)
FOR THE GRAVY
175g white butter
1/2 tsp black cumin seeds
1/2 kg tomato, pureed
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
100g fresh cream
4 green chillies, sliced
1/2 tsp fenugreek leaves, crushed
Preparation
Step 1/5
The first step is to prepare the chicken. In a mixture of red chili powder, ginger, garlic paste, salt, and curd, leave the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of six hours, but best overnight.
Step 2/5
The following day, roast the marinated chicken in the oven preheated at 200 °C for 10-12 minutes. The meat should not be fully cooked, but only about 3/4 done.
Step 3/5
Next, start making the gravy. Melt one-half of the butter in a pan and then add the tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes before you start adding cumin seed,s sugar, red chili powder, and salt.
Step 4/5
At this stage, add the chicken, the remaining butter, fresh cream, sliced green chilies, and fenugreek leaves. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, then continue cooking until the chicken is done.
Step 5/5
Serve ladled over a bowl of rice or with a side of naan bread.
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