Ajay Chopra
Butter Chicken is a popular North Indian chicken curry that is now famous across the country as well as internationally. ... Read More
Preparation Time
7-10 Min
Cooking Time
20-22 Min
Meal Type
main course
Difficulty
MEDIUM
For makhani masala
2 roughly sliced onions
4 - 5 roughly sliced tomatoes
3 - 4 green chillies
2 - 3 dried red chillies
1 small piece mace
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
8 - 10 garlic cloves
2 - 3 cloves
2 - 3 green cardamoms
2 big pieces of ginger
8 - 10 cashew nuts
250 ml water
For makhani gravy
3 - 4 tbsp oil
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 slabs butter
1 cup cream
1 tsp kasuri methi
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
fresh coriander for garnish
For the tadka
1 small cup chopped green chillies
1 small cup chopped garlic
In a pan, add some tomatoes, onions, green chillies, dried red chillies, a small piece of mace, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, garlic, cloves, green cardamom, ginger piece, cashews nuts and saute.
Add water and allow the mixture to boil. Cook the onion-tomato masala till it becomes soft and mashy.
Allow the masala to cool. Remove the whole spices; pour the rest of the mixture in a blender and blend till it becomes a fine paste.
Strain the paste to give it a smooth texture.
Heat oil in a pan and cook the ginger garlic paste and chilli paste in it. Add the makhani gravy to the pan and cook again.
Add chicken tikka / tandoori chicken pieces to the makhani gravy.
Add butter along with a dash of cream and kasuri methi. Finally add salt, sugar and garnish with fresh coriander.
Serve the Butter Chicken with Buttered Naan
Butter Chicken originated in the 1950s in Moti Mahal, a restaurant in Delhi. The legend is that there was no place to store the unsold tandoori chicken pieces in the restaurant, so the owner mixed these pieces in a gravy of tomatoes, butter and spices, thus accidentally giving birth to Butter Chicken. Over the years, this recipe has been modified to suit different tastes and palates.
This mildly spicy, velvety, creamy gravy, when served with naan or steaming hot rice.
