Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Juicy tender chicken simmering in a velvety spiced creamy tomato sauce, this butter chicken is the pinnacle of comfort food.

I love a good one-pot dinner, especially one that packs a punch in the flavor department. If you enjoy Indian food and are looking to incorporate more into your everyday cooking, then this is a great recipe to start with. This butter chicken takes less than an hour and is easier to make than you might think. Brimming with juicy chicken, aromatic spices, tomato sauce, cream, and herbs, this one-pot marvel is definitely a must-try.

WHAT IS BUTTER CHICKEN?

Distinguished from tikka masala, Murgh Makhani, or butter chicken, is a succulent chicken dish simmered in a spiced tomato sauce. While sharing some similarities with tikka, butter chicken stands out with its creamier and milder flavor profile. Originating from northern India, it is not only one of the easiest and quickest curries to prepare but, in my opinion, also one of the most delicious. The tomato sauce is skillfully infused with warm spices like cumin, coriander, and the essential garam masala. The dish is garnished generously with cilantro and served alongside long-grain rice and naan. If you have never tried curry before, this is definitely the one to start with.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR BUTTER CHICKEN

I’ve divided this into two sections: one listing the spices used in both the chicken marinade and the sauce, and the other covering everything else. If you haven’t worked with some of these spices before, I’ve included a link to the ones I used. I cannot stress enough how crucial it is to use good-quality, fresh spices. This will significantly impact the final dish.

THE SPICES

• Garam Masala – The most important spice in this dish. See below, it needed it’s own section.
• Ground Cumin -I grew up consuming this spice almost daily, so trust me when I say that good cumin should have a distinct aroma. What should it smell like, you ask? Well, the professional food blogger might describe it as earthy, spicy, and almost woody. However, I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t tell you that it should have a serious BO-like scent. If your cumin doesn’t smell at least a bit like a slightly sweaty armpit, it’s time to get a new one—find it HERE!
• Ground Coriander – Or, also known as cilantro seeds, the herb and the spice couldn’t be further apart. Much like cumin, coriander is a warm spice with a slightly citrusy undertone. Need coriander? Get it HERE!
• Sweet Paprika – Not hot or smoked. I use the Hungarian Paprika from The Spice House.
• Chili Flakes
• Kashmere Chili – Absolutely optional, but if you are looking for a mild level of heat with some terrific flavor then this is the chili powder to use. In between a paprika and a cayenne this chili powder isn’t over powering in spice, but can add a nice level of heat, and lends great color to the dish.

WHAT IS GARAM MASALA

If this is your first time cooking an Indian-inspired dish, you may not have used this spice before. Garam Masala is a blend of ground spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cumin, cardamoms, coriander, nutmeg, mace, and bay leaf. It has an earthy taste, and depending on where you buy it, it can also be spicy (with the addition of chili flakes). For the sake of this recipe, there is no substitution for this spice unless you want to go the extra mile and make your own HERE. As with all my spices, I used The Spice House; their blend swaps out a few of the spices, but the end result is a warm and flavorful mixture

EVERYTHING ELSE

• Chicken Thighs – Boneless-skinless, unless you want to waste time butchering. The chicken is cut into cubes, marinated, seared, and finally simmered. I know what you are going to ask, can you substitute for chicken breast. Ugh, technically yes but I am not responsible for the possibility of the chicken becoming dry. Chicken thighs is much more forgiving that white meat, so searing it for 8 minutes followed by simmering for 15-20 doesn’t dry out the meat. Substitute at your own risk.
• Crushed Tomatoes
• Onion – Yellow, Spanish, or Vidalia.
• Garlic – Fresh only!
• Ginger – A little goes a long way in this dish. I usually opt for fresh ginger over dried.
• Butter -If you have ghee feel free to substitute.
• Cilantro

TOOLS NEEDED

• Blender or an Immersion Blender – The final sauce is smooth and velvety, and in order to get that texture you are going to have to throw it into a blender. Personally I hate using a traditional blender to process hot sauces, so feel free to use an immersion blender instead.
• Braiser or Dutch Oven – You need a large pan with depth for this recipe. The pan photographed is the All Clad Cast Iron Braiser.

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER CHICKEN

Prep + Marinade the Chicken – Start by cubing the chicken thighs. Simply cut each thigh once down the center (longways), and then, depending on the size of the thigh, cut it into 3-4 pieces the other way, creating cubes close to 1 inch in size. If your chicken is overly fatty, trim away some of the fat and discard it. Place the chicken in a bowl and drizzle in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili flakes, and about 1/2 tsp of freshly grated ginger, as well as 3 cloves of grated garlic. Mix thoroughly and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Sear the Chicken – Once the chicken has sat for 10 minutes, place your pan on the stove over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add the chicken and sear for about 3-4 minutes on each side. We aren’t looking to cook the chicken completely, so don’t worry that it is still undercooked. Remove the chicken and place in a clean bowl.

Make the Sauce – To the same pot, add 2 tbsp of butter. Take the spices for the sauce and add them to the butter; this is called blooming, which helps bring out their flavors. Cook the spices for 2 minutes. Add the onions and sauté for 3 minutes before adding the garlic and cooking for another 2. When adding the onions, include a heavy pinch of kosher salt. Once both the onions and garlic are soft, add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

Blend the Sauce – Turn off the heat. Using either a traditional blender or an immersion blender, blend the sauce until it is smooth. Turn the heat back on to low-medium and stir in the heavy cream. Once the sauce is well-mixed, add the chicken along with any juices that pooled in the bowl. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. In the final moments, top with a generous amount of chopped cilantro.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH BUTTER CHICKEN

There are 2 mandatory things you need to serve with butter chicken, absolutely do not skip these.

• Basmati Rice – This long grain rice is THE rice for this dish. While the medium grain that you store in your pantry technically also works, basmati is aromatic, and just complements this spiced tomato sauce so well.
• Naan – This is an under and hour, one pot recipe, there is no need to make your own naan. In fact there are great naans that can be bought in the frozen food section of the supermarket that are almost just as good as fresh. My favorite to get is the Trader Joes Garlic Naan (which is photographed).

STORING/REHEATING

Store butter chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, place the desired amount back in a pan and heat on low until warm throughout.

Love a good chicken dish? Yeah, me too. Check out the recipes below!

Chicken Provencal
Garlic Parm Chicken Thighs