Butter chicken is made with boneless chicken pieces and a lot of butter along with a rich masala paste, curd, fresh cream, and a variety of aromatic spices. Different stages of the cooking process may make you feel that the steps to make butter chicken at home are elaborate, but they are quite easy. Follow my recipe to learn them.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Butter chicken is a popular dish of North India but loved by people of all regions.
- Serve it hot with tandoori roti, naan, kulcha, or chapati.
- Butter chicken tastes sweet, spicy, creamy, and smoky.
- Other similar recipes are chicken tikka masala, chicken korma, chicken curry, and chicken handi.
The Ingredients:
To marinate the chicken:
- 700 grams chicken (boneless, washed and cut into medium pieces)
- ¼ cup curd (dahi)
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
To make the masala:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 piece cinnamon (1-inch stick)
- 1 piece mace (½ inch size)
- 4 pieces cloves
- 2 pieces black cardamom
- 1 cup onion (2 medium-sized, diced roughly)
- 2 tbsp cashew nuts
- 1 cup tomato
- 4 pieces green chilies
- Water (as and if required)
To cook the chicken tikkas:
- 2 tbsp butter
To make the curry:
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 tsp coriander seeds powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 2 cups water
- Salt to taste
- 4 tbsp fresh cream
- Coriander leaves (a handful, finely chopped)
- Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi, a handful, crushed)
- 1 tsp butter
To smoke butter chicken:
- 1 piece charcoal
- 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
This recipe came from a newlywed neighbor who moved in last year. I had given her some sweets as a welcome gesture, and she returned the favor with a small bowl of this dish. I loved the newness of the taste and asked her for the method. She shared it shyly.
I made it on Sunday. My husband said it “felt just like being freshly married,” and my sons appreciated the different spices. Now, it is our neighbor-inspired favorite. That moment reminded me how beginnings are sweeter when shared with food—and how exchanging recipes builds quiet bonds over balconies.
How to Make Butter Chicken? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: In a bowl, take 700 grams of boneless chicken, wash them, and cut them into medium pieces. To it add ¼ cup of curd (dahi), 2 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp of black pepper powder, ½ tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of red chili powder, 1 tsp of coriander powder, ½ tsp of cumin powder, ½ tsp of garam masala powder, 1 tsp of dry fenugreek leaves, and 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Mix everything nicely, cover the bowl, and keep it aside for half an hour to marinate the chicken properly.
Step 2: In the meantime, to make the masala, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a frying pan and add 1 piece of cinnamon (1-inch stick), 1 piece of mace (½ inch size), 4 pieces of cloves, and 2 pieces of black cardamom. Fry them for 10 seconds.
Step 3: Then, add 1 cup of onion (2 medium-sized, diced roughly) and fry them until they turn translucent.
Step 4: Now, add 2 tbsp of cashew nuts, 1 cup of tomato (diced roughly), and 4 pieces of whole green chilies to it. Cook them for a minute or so.
Step 5: Add water as required. Mix nicely. Cover the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium flame until the onions and tomatoes become soft.
(Pro tip: Adding water is needed if you are cooking the ingredients in butter because they will stick to the surface otherwise).
Step 6: Turn off the flame of the gas stove and let the ingredients cool down a bit. Then transfer it into a mixer and make a fine paste of it.
Step 7: Strain this paste. Discard the fibers and residue. Keep the strained masala paste aside.
Step 8: Now, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a grill pan or ordinary pan and put the marinated chicken pieces in it. Cook it for 15 minutes on a medium flame.
Step 9: Flip each of the chicken pieces carefully one by one and cook it until all the moisture released from the chicken evaporates.
(Pro tip: Ideally, at this stage, your chicken should be at least 80% cooked, if not more).
Step 10: Check the doneness of the chicken tikka pieces and turn off the gas stove. Keep the tikkas aside.
Step 11: Now, to make the curry or gravy for butter chicken, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a separate pan. As the butter melts, add ½ tsp of turmeric powder and 2 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder to it and mix nicely.
(Pro tip: Putting turmeric and chili powder at first enriches the color of the gravy).
Step 12: Now, add the masala paste and mix nicely.
Step 13: Then add the rest of the powdered spices, such as 2 tsp of coriander seed powder, 1 tsp of cumin seed powder, and 1 tsp of garam masala powder. Mix everything nicely. Cover it and cook for 10 minutes on a medium flame.
Step 14: After 10 minutes, add 2 cups of water to the masala and salt to taste. Mix them well. Cover it again and wait until it starts boiling.
Step 15: Now, add the fried chicken pieces to the gravy. Mix them nicely. Cover the pan and let it cook for another 10 minutes on a medium flame.
Step 16: After 10 minutes, remove the lid and add 4 tbsp of fresh cream to it. Mix the cream nicely with the gravy, cover it and cook for another minute or so.
(Pro tip: You may add the malai of milk instead of fresh cream, but that may not render the same authentic taste of butter chicken).
Step 17: Now, remove the cover and add a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves and mix it nicely with the gravy. Cover it again and cook for half a minute.
Step 18: Now, take the cover off and add a handful of crushed fenugreek leaves, or Kasuri Methi, to the butter chicken and mix it nicely. Switch off the gas stove and cover the pan for about a minute.
Step 19: By that time, take a piece of charcoal and burn it carefully on your gas stove. Let it become red hot.
Step 20: Remove the cover after some time and add 1 tsp of butter to the dish.
Step 21: Take a small stainless-steel bowl and put the red-hot charcoal in it. Put 1 tsp of ghee (clarified butter) on it and quickly put the bowl in the pan gently and cover it quickly. Let it smoke for 5 minutes. Seal the hole in the cover with a piece of paper as shown so that not even the slightest bit of smoke escapes from inside.
Step 22: Remove the bowl with charcoal carefully after 5 minutes.
Step 23: Check the gravy.
Step 24: Your tasty, spicy, and smoky butter chicken is now ready. Take it out in a serving bowl, garnish it with a tablespoon of fresh cream, and serve it hot along with tandoori roti or naan.
Recipe Card
Butter Chicken | Murgh Makhani
Ingredients
To marinate the chicken:
- 700 grams chicken boneless, washed and cut into medium pieces
- ¼ cup curd dahi
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
To make the masala:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 piece cinnamon 1-inch stick
- 1 piece mace ½ inch size
- 4 pieces cloves
- 2 pieces black cardamom
- 1 cup onion 2 medium size, diced roughly
- 2 tbsp cashew nuts
- 1 cup tomato
- 4 pieces green chilies
- Water as and if required
To cook the chicken tikkas:
- 2 tbsp butter
To make the curry:
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 tsp coriander seeds powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 2 cups water
- Salt to taste
- 4 tbsp fresh cream
- Coriander leaves a handful, finely chopped
- Fenugreek leaves Kasuri Methi, a handful, crushed
- 1 tsp butter
To smoke butter chicken:
- 1 piece charcoal
- 1 tsp ghee clarified butter
Instructions
- In a bowl, take 700 grams of boneless chicken, wash them, and cut them in medium pieces. To it add ¼ cup of curd (dahi), 2 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp of black pepper powder, ½ tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of red chili powder, 1 tsp of coriander powder, ½ tsp of cumin powder, ½ tsp of garam masala powder, 1 tsp of dry fenugreek leaves, and 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Mix everything nicely, cover the bowl and keep it aside for half an hour to marinate the chicken properly.
- In the meantime, to make the masala, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a frying pan and add 1 piece of cinnamon (1-inch stick), 1 piece of mace (½ inch size), 4 pieces of cloves and 2 pieces of black cardamom. Fry them for 10 seconds.
- Then, add 1 cup of onion (2 medium size, diced roughly) and fry them until they turn translucent.
- Now, add 2 tbsp of cashew nuts, 1 cup of tomato (diced roughly), and 4 pieces of whole green chilies to it. Cook them for a minute or so.
- Add water as required. Mix nicely. Cover the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium flame until the onions and tomatoes become soft. (Pro tip: Adding water is needed if you are cooking the ingredients in butter because they will stick to the surface otherwise).
- Turn off the flame of the gas stove and let the ingredients cool down a bit. Then transfer it into a mixer and make a fine paste of it.
- Strain this paste. Discard the fibers and residue. Keep the strained masala paste aside.
- Now, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a grill pan or ordinary pan and put the marinated chicken pieces in it. Cook it for 15 minutes on a medium flame.
- Flip each of the chicken pieces carefully one by one and cook it until all the moisture released from the chicken evaporates. (Pro tip: Ideally, at this stage, your chicken should be at least 80% cooked, if not more).
- Check the doneness of the chicken tikka pieces and turn off the gas stove. Keep the tikkas aside.
- Now, to make the curry or gravy for butter chicken, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a separate pan. As the butter melts, add ½ tsp of turmeric powder and 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder to it and mix nicely. (Pro tip: Putting turmeric and chili powder at first enriches the color of the gravy).
- Now, add the masala paste and mix nicely.
- Then add the rest of the powdered spices such as 2 tsp of coriander seeds powder, 1 tsp of cumin seeds powder, and 1 tsp of garam masala powder. Mix everything nicely. Cover it and cook for 10 minutes on a medium flame.
- After 10 minutes, add 2 cups of water to the masala and salt to taste. Mix them well. Cover it again and wait until it starts boiling.
- Now, add the fried chicken pieces to the gravy. Mix them nicely. Cover the pan and let it cook for another 10 minutes on a medium flame.
- After 10 minutes, remove the lid and add 4 tbsp of fresh cream to it. Mix the cream nicely with the gravy, cover it and cook for another minute or so. (Pro tip: You may add the malai of milk instead of fresh cream but that may not render the same authentic taste of butter chicken).
- Now, remove the cover and add a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves and mix it nicely with the gravy. Cover it again and cook for half a minute.
- Now, take the cover off and add a handful of crushed fenugreek leaves or Kasuri Methi to the butter chicken and mix it nicely. Switch off the gas stove and cover the pan for about a minute.
- By that time, take a piece of charcoal and burn it carefully on your gas stove. Let it become red hot.
- Remove the cover after some time and add 1 tsp of butter to the dish.
- Take a small stainless-steel bowl and put the red-hot charcoal in it. Put 1 tsp of ghee (clarified butter) on it and quickly put the bowl in the pan gently and cover it quickly. Let it smoke for 5 minutes. Seal the hole in the cover with a piece of paper as shown so that not even the slightest of smoke escapes from inside.
- Remove the bowl with charcoal carefully after 5 minutes.
- Check the gravy.
- Your tasty, spicy, and smoky butter chicken is now ready. Take it out in a serving bowl, garnish it with a tablespoon of fresh cream and serve it hot along with tandoori roti or naan.
