Finger Lickin’ Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
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Delicious restaurant-style butter chicken made right at home with simple ingredients. This recipe is exactly how they make butter chicken in restaurants — and I’ve had people tell me it’s actually better! Trust me when I say it’s finger-lickin’ good!
Finger-Lickin’ Butter Chicken! That’s a little too much fun to say.
Doin’ a little throwback Monday right here with some Indian food.
Last week I had this crazy intense craving need for creamy and spicy homemade butter chicken. I mean, it was so crazy that I could practically taste the butter chicken in my mouth. My heart started racing, my hands started shaking — okay, it wasn’t quite that dramatic but you kind of get the idea. I dug down deep into the LSJ files (this is actually one of the first recipes I ever posted on the blog!) It was time to retake some of the pictures and reintroduce you to my finger-lickin’ butter chicken recipe.
Not only am I replacing some of my old (and not so great) photography, I also reworked the recipe to make the ingredient list a little shorter without compromising any of the flavors. I made the instructions a little more easy to follow AND AND AND I am adding in tips, like, how to make some of the components ahead of time and just general advice on how to make this the best butter chicken you’ve ever had.
So about that BUTTER chicken. Ironically enough my butter chicken recipe doesn’t contain that much butter. And I used what’s called ghee (also known as clarified butter). If you’re wondering where in the heck you are going to find that, try Trader Joes or Whole Foods or here. Or if you prefer to use regular butter, I suggest you use a mix – ½ butter + ½ oil because butter can burn super easy.
This recipe is super simple. No need for you to grab whole spices and grind them up. I skip them and replace it with tandoori masala. Just follow the step by step directions, and you’ve got creamy butter chicken right at home that’s better than your favorite Indian take-out. It’s a combination of spices all blended together and it’s perfect for this restaurant-style butter chicken. It’s usually available in powder/paste form in the international aisle. The one I use and LOVE can be found here.
I can’t say I take all the credit for this recipe. I got the recipe from my mom, who got it from her sister, who used to work at an Indian restaurant once upon a time. So there. It’s authentic, restaurant-style butter chicken, for reals. <– Just tweaked a bit to make it easier for us everyday people, like you and me, without compromising flavor!
It’s all about that sauce when it comes to an authentic butter chicken recipe. No really. Like with most curries, this butter chicken actually tastes better with time. If you’ve got your life together, and you’re one of those people that recipe plan and prep food ahead (first of all, power to you!) then this butter chicken can be even better for you. Make the gravy portion of this recipe, blend it and allow it to cool completely before popping it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Let those flavors really get together.
You can also marinate the chicken in the ginger, garlic, yogurt, and tandoori masala and let it sit for 12-24 hours, covered in the refrigerator. The yogurt, ginger, and garlic really help make the chicken more tender. As always, I’m a fan of white meat chicken, so I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you could go the dark meat route and use chicken thighs as well. Some may even tell you it’s more flavorful that way, I’m not one of those people though. ???
Also, with a little weekend prep work, this recipe can be made weeknight friendly. Just make the sauce (and freeze it beforehand) and marinate the chicken on Sunday and pull it together in about 20 minutes on a Monday. That’s faster than ordering take-out and trust me, it tastes better too.
This is kind of a big deal for me. I usually leave the Indian food to mom or the Indian restaurants. But if there’s any recipe that’s worth making at home, it’s butter chicken. AM I RIGHT? I could eat this all week long. And yes, I’m going to say with confidence that this is the BEST butter chicken recipe you’ll ever make. A big thank you to all those that have tried it/loved it/commented/added it to your dinner rotations. <– Let me make the directions a little more clear and the recipe a little easier to follow for you!
Butter chicken, it’s what my dreams are made of.
Original recipe posted Dec. 20, 2013. Updated on Feb 22, 2016, with new pictures, minor recipe adjustments, and easy to follow directions.
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Finger Lickin' Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Delicious restaurant-style butter chicken made right at home with simple ingredients. This recipe is exactly how they make butter chicken in restaurants -- and i've had people tell me it's actually better! Trust me when I say it's finger lickin' good!
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons tandoori masala (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ginger paste and garlic paste (I used Gourmet Garden)
- ½ cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon oil
Butter Chicken Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) (see note)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoon EACH: ginger paste and garlic paste (I used Gourmet Garden)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (see notes)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (crushed between fingers)
Instructions
Chicken:
- In a medium bowl, combine the tandoori masala, ginger, garlic, and yogurt. Whisk until smooth, adjust seasonings to preference. Add the chicken and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes and ideally for 12-24 hours, covered in the refrigerator.
Butter Chicken Sauce:
- Heat the ghee in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they turn translucent and start to sweat, about 5-7 minutes, don't allow the onions to brown. Add ginger and garlic paste and let cook for 30 seconds, stirring so it doesn't burn. Add the can of crushed tomatoes along with the chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder and continue to cook for 5 minutes, if the mixture starts bubbling rapidly, add about ¼ cup of water and continue to cook.
- Remove from heat, add the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, you may need to add a couple water to help it blend (up to ¼ cup). Depending on how powerful your blender is, you may want to blend the mixture in two batches. Remember to hold the lid of the blender down with a kitchen towel when blending, to avoid accidents.
- MAKE AHEAD OPTION: At this point you can cool and refrigerate the sauce for 24-48 hours (or freeze it for up to 3 months), it will help blend the flavors even more, just remember to bring the sauce back to room temperature (use the microwave) before proceeding with the recipe OR you can continue on with the recipe immediately.
Assembly:
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the dutch oven over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken (discard any excess marinade) and cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring as required to brown all sides. Add the butter chicken sauce to the pot and heat everything through. Once it starts to bubble, add the cream and garam masala. When the sauce regains a simmer, add the crushed fenugreek leaves. Serve over basmati rice or with naan.
Notes
- Fan of dark meat chicken? You can replace the cubed chicken breasts with cubed boneless, skinless chicken thighs for more added flavor.
- GHEE: If you can't find it you replace it with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil.
- TANDOORI MASALA: is available in powder/ paste form. I prefer the powder but some of my readers recommended Patak's brand tandoori paste. You'll need about 2-4 tablespoons of the paste (to preference).
- CHILI POWDER: optional! If you prefer milder food, you may want to leave it out as the tandoori masala already has heat. Traditionally, a spicy pepper similar to cayenne is used. If you can't find Indian or Pakistani chili powder (usually sold at Indian stores), replace it with cayenne. 1 teaspoon can be a lot so if you prefer a milder flavor, replace with 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon.
IS THIS A GOOD CHOICE FOR YOU?
*Please note: the nutritional facts calculated are an estimate based on the ingredients i’ve used. If you’d like a more accurate count, please calculate them using the ingredients/brands you’ve used to prepare the recipe. The nutritional information provided is for 1/5th of the butter chicken recipe. This does not include naan or basmati rice.
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If you like this butter chicken recipe, you might also like:
instant pot chicken tikka masala
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273 Comments on “Finger Lickin’ Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)”
Hi can you use normal double thick cream?
Yes, I think that’s the equivalent to what we call heavy whipping cream here in the states! Hope you enjoy the butter chicken!
I have made this recipe few times now, over last couple years,i love cooking from scatch when I’ve time to, always tasted fabulous, I make extra sauce and freeze it now leaves me only to prepare chicken marinade part to prepare , thank you , will go in my family recipe collection ? five star
I made this for dinner tonight, comments from ‘Er Indoors” absolutely bloody lovely, or in my parlance “Back of the net!”.
Seriously delicious. My father-in-law is 1/2 Indian, and he was raving about it! I think I’ve made it at least 5x now. Good every time. Also, keeping the chicken pieces closer to 2″ blocks helped the meat stay nice and juicy?
So delicious! & so so easy!
Butter chicken is a traditional dish in our country India. You can find it in almost any social events. I personally love the Punjabi style butter chicken.
Last night I made your recipe at home and my boy love it very much. He want me to make it regularly. Looking forward for more recipes. Thank you.
Made this last night and it turned out so well! Even my fiance from india loved it!
I absolutely love this recipe. I’ve made it more than a dozen times and it’s always a hit. Now this is what everyone expects me to make to every dinner party ?
Question: If I don’t have heavy cream can I use canned coconut milk?
Thanks!!!
Glad to hear you enjoy the butter chicken recipe! Yes, you can use canned coconut milk in place of heavy cream, however, it might have the little bit of coconut flavor – not in a bad way, but it will alter it just a bit!
Oh Wow! I must say i was a little hesitant when I tried this recipe because the spices used were different than many other recipes i’ve seen in the past, even supposed “100% authentic from the masters” recipes, but wow am I ever glad I did!
This was the best butter chicken I’ve ever made, and better than any sauce I’ve found in store! SO GOOD!
I did make a couple tiny adjustments.
First I had a hard time finding the recommended tandoori powder, so I used Patak’s tandoori paste instead, as we’re big fans of Patak’s and figured they wouldn’t let us down – it worked so well!
Second, because we had some older non-indian brand spices around, I upped the coriander power and cumin both to 2 tsp each, and garam masala to 1 tsp. We also omitted the fenugreek because we couldn’t find any.
It was so tasty! I think I’m going to make it again this weekend!
You said you recommend using Indian brand spices because they’re a lot more potent. If we don’t have Indian brand spices, would you recommend increasing the amount we use? if so, to approximately how much? I like my flavours strong and a lot of Indian I’ve tried making in the past seemed bland. I’m wondering if I should increase my measurements a bit when I try yours as I couldn’t find Indian brand spices?
Hey there! If you can’t find the tandoori masala I suggested, a non-Indian brand would also work! I would suggest maybe using a little over the two tablespoons listed (heaping instead of flat) if you’re looking for more spice and then adjusting as desired for next time. Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to say as the flavors can vary quite a bit from brand to brand. Hope that helps though!
This was a great recipe! The title speaks for itself. It does take preparation. It’s a little messy but I believe every step helps because I’ve tried it a few different ways. Thanks!
Would coriander powder be the same thing as crushed coriander seeds? That’s all we can get here and it’s a power.
Yes, it’s the same thing!
Is there a diff between tandoori masala and garam masala? If so, which garam masala do you use?
Hi there! Tandoori masala and garam masala are different, they contain different spices. I think I mentioned it in the post, but I usually use a homemade blend for the garam masala. For best results, I suggest using an Indian brand if it’s easily available, they are a lot more potent as the spices are roasted before grinding into powder form! I find I often have to use more garam masala to give it that same flavor when using a generic store brand garam masala and it doesn’t have that same roasted flavor. Hope that helps!
Approximately how many servings is this for?
I’m trying to make this for 3 adults and 2 children.
Do I need to double the recipe?
This makes enough for approximately 5 servings. You can always find this information on the recipe card, just above the title ?
Do I marinate the chicken cooked or uncooked!?
You marinate the chicken uncooked and then cook it under step 1 in ‘assembly’
Hi Marzia Do we need to add salt to this recipe? I didn’t see it in the list Of ingredients.
Hi there! The chicken seasoning I mentioned contains quite a bit of salt, so I found the recipe didn’t need any additional seasoning. Unless you’re using a salt-free version, I suggest leaving the salt out until the very end, tasting and adjusting according to preference 🙂
I made this recipe tonight and thought it tasted delicious! But the texture wasn’t right despite me blending the gravy with water, and disposing of the marinade during the assembly.
I suspect the problem may have been something to do with the tomatoes I used. I live in the UK where we don’t get “crushed tomatoes”. I used canned chopped tomatoes instead. The other options for me would have been: peeled plum tomatoes or passata. If we don’t have crushed tomatoes, what would be the best substitute? Could I just blend the plum tomatoes?
Passata would work really well in place of the crushed tomatoes 🙂
I made this and it was really good! Very flavourful! My only substitution was maple syrup for fenugreek leaves. Thanks!
Its really finger licking recipe, my husband have it on dinner last night he came back from work and was so hungry at that time I placed a very large dish with dressed Butter Chicken with the naan and salad ,
literally he licked his fingers and said : from where did you order this amazing food ?
from internet and made by me’ I said. 🙂
thank you very much for sharing such amazing recipe
with love
Fatu
It’s decent. With due respect, I wish u had put a “go to recipe” button. Cause by the time I went through the history of mankind…I lost interest and just ordered it from a restaurant.
I think most Indian recipe sites go on and on and on about things that people really don’t care or get tired. My parents are Indian, so I understand, it’s an Indian thingy. So I kept saying “get to the point” growing up.
Ure recipe is good so thought I should let you know. Thanks
There is a ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the page…
I just made this recipe for the 4th time tonight, and I think I finally got it perfect this time! It was amazing – I’m so glad I made a double batch and froze half. After practicing several times, these are the tweaks that work for me…
I was having a really hard time getting my sauce smooth enough. No matter how much water I added, or how long I blended, it was always grainy. But no big deal, I just started running it through a fine mesh sieve and it’s fine!
I also had some issues with graininess because the yogurt was curdling when cooking the chicken. I did some research on other Indian recipes and how they prevent it from curdling in dishes like Chicken Tikka, etc. Turns out that adding some kind of stabilizer to the yogurt is all it needs. I used cornstarch (1 tsp per 1 cup yogurt). I also switched from pan frying the chicken to cooking it in the oven under the broiler, in a roasting pan with a rack. 3-5 minutes on each side and it’s nice and caramelized on the outside while still having some internal temperature leeway to finish it off in the sauce without it getting dry.
I used basmati rice (which I’ve never made at home before) and it tasted SO authentic next to this curry. Also toasted some naan and brushed with ghee. They were the perfect accompaniments!
When canned tomatoes are called for, I ALWAYS use certified San Marzanos (I use Cento brand, but there are others). Yes, they are a bit pricier – but I promise you can really tell the difference and it is so worth it.
I doubled my chicken batch too, and cooked the extra half juuuust long enough to be cooked through after resting. I froze that chicken to go along with the extra sauce I also froze for a later date. I’ll report back here to let everyone know how it goes when I defrost and throw it all together, but I’ve had great success freezing cooked chicken in the past.
Amazing recipe, thank you so much for sharing with us!!
I now understand why this recipe has been rated 5 stars by all. It’s the best butter chicken recipe I’ve ever come across. So yummy and delicious! Thanks for sharing
I loved this recipe!!! So did my husband and friends!! I’m Bengali and my husband is Indian so we have very good sense in how these foods should taste. This butter chicken recipe has got to be hands down the best. It’s better than my family recipe! The only change I would do is to add a tbsp of the coriander, cumin, gram Marsala, garlic and ginger paste and 1/4 tsp of chili powder. ( in most Indian restaurants this dish is the mildest so putting a whole tsp makes it a spicy dish.)
I made this in the slow cooker today and we had it for dinner tonight. OMG – it was so nice, it wasn’t as greasy as it normally is at a restaurant – which was really great.
The best part is that we have left overs and we will be enjoying it for a few more nights to come 🙂
HI,
PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO IF I DON’T FIND CAN OF CRUSHED TOMATOES., CAN I USE RAW ? HOW MANY? AND DO I NEED TO FILTER THROUGH COLANDER IF USED FRESH PURIED TOMATOES?
You would need to cook the fresh tomatoes down. I would suggest using whatever can of tomatoes you have, (or can find) and using your blender or food processor. Your hands work too!
it was really good
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and it had been a hit all 3 times. 1st time made it only for me and my husband. 2nd time for my parent. 3rd time for a dinner party of about 15 people. This is my new go to me if I want to impress someone. Making the sauce ahead of time was brilliant saved so much time.
*If you’re sensitive to spice heat omit the chilli powder. The tandoori mix is just enough to make you think “What is the wonderful taste” without the discomfort of the heat. I’ve made it with and without and both are amazing.
I’m so glad I found this recipe. 100% a must try!!!