Incredible Recipes
Butter chicken — murgh makhani — was invented in Delhi in the 1950s at a restaurant called Moti Mahal, founded by Kundan Lal Gujral. He had originally run a restaurant in Peshawar (in what is now Pakistan) before Partition in 1947 forced him to relocate to Delhi, where he reopened Moti Mahal in the Daryaganj neighborhood.
The dish was born out of practicality. Moti Mahal was famous for its tandoori chicken, and at the end of each day there would be leftover roasted chicken pieces that were drying out. To rescue them, the kitchen developed a sauce made of butter, tomatoes, cream, and spices, and tossed the chicken in it to make the meat moist and rich again. The result was so popular that it became a dish in its own right.
A couple of things worth knowing:
Moti Mahal is also widely credited with popularizing tandoori chicken itself and inventing dal makhani (the creamy black lentil dish) around the same time, using a similar butter-and-cream technique. Together these three dishes essentially defined the “North Indian restaurant” template that spread around the world.
The dish is closely related to but distinct from chicken tikka masala, which most food historians believe was invented
600 grams boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
0.5 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons garlic-ginger paste
1 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons paprika
0.5 teaspoons turmeric
0.8 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons garlic-ginger paste
400 grams crushed tomatoes (canned)
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoons paprika or Kashmiri chili powder
0.8 cups cup heavy cream
1 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 teaspoons sugar
0.5 teaspoons salt
Sear the chicken: Heat 1 tbsp of 3 tablespoons butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken in a single layer and sear until lightly charred on the outside (it doesn’t need to be cooked through). Remove and set aside.
Sauté the onion: In the same pan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add 1 medium onion, finely chopped and cook until soft and golden.
Add aromatics: Stir in 2 tablespoons garlic-ginger paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Simmer the sauce: Add 400 grams crushed tomatoes (canned), 1 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoons garam masala, and 1 teaspoons paprika or Kashmiri chili powder. Stir, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until thickened and the oil starts to separate.
Blend (optional): For a silky restaurant-style sauce, blend it with an immersion blender until smooth. Skip this step if you prefer a rustic texture.
Finish the curry: Stir in 0.8 cups cup heavy cream, then crush 1 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) between your palms and add it along with 1 teaspoons sugar and 0.5 teaspoons salt. Return the seared chicken to the pan and simmer gently until cooked through and the sauce is rich and glossy.
Serve: Taste and adjust salt or cream. Serve hot with rice or naan, garnished with a swirl of cream and fresh coriander if you like.
