Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) features tender spiced chicken marinated in yogurt and grilled, and then served in an aromatic spiced tomato-based sauce that’s velvety smooth and rich with cream and butter.
I have to share a secret…
This is my very favorite meal in the whole world. (And I’m excited because I only make it two or three times a year…after all it is butter chicken!)
I’ll admit this recipe may look intimidating at first glance because of the long ingredient list and drawn out instructions. But take a deeper look…a lot of the ingredients are probably things you already have in your fridge or pantry, and not including marinating the chicken, this dish only takes about two hours to prepare.
Think about it this way: you’re only two hours away from heaven. And on a Sunday afternoon, what could be better than the smell of Indian spices filling the house?
I invite you all to try my favorite dish and let me know how you like it. By the way, I’d love to hear what your favorite meal is!
Indian Butter Chicken and Where it Comes From
Murgh makhani (also known as butter chicken) is an Indian dish of chicken marinated in a spiced yogurt mixture and typically cooked in a tandoor, which is a traditional clay oven. For home cooks, you can grill or roast the chicken in a hot oven. Once cooked, the chicken is combined with a richly-spiced tomato-based cream sauce that’s made even more luxuriously velvety with the addition of butter.
According to Wikipedia, chicken makhani was invented in the 1950s by three Indian restauranteurs in Delhi: Kundan Lal Jaggi, Kundan Lal Gujral and Thakur Dass. The story goes that they came up with the recipe by combining leftover chicken with a creamy spiced tomato gravy that was rich with butter.
What Ingredients are in Indian Butter Chicken (Makhani) Sauce?
In addition to butter, cream, onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato, makhani gravy has quite a few spices. It typically contains a spice mix called garam masala that’s a blend of the following: cloves, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, black and/or white pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and mace. I’ve occasionally seen variations that include star anise and/or fennel as well.
Along with garam masala spice mix, butter chicken usually has fenugreek (which has a pleasant almost caramelized sugar aroma) and turmeric (which adds color). You can also add chili powder. Additionally, feel free to customize your spice blend by adding more of any spice you like (I usually add a bit more cumin, coriander, and cinnamon).
How to Make Indian Butter Chicken
Indian Butter Chicken is very easy to make! Cook the chicken and gravy separately, and then combine to serve.
Chicken:
The thing to keep in mind when you want to make butter chicken is that the chicken needs to marinate in the fridge at least two hours before cooking (but overnight is better, and up to two days is fine). After marination, the chicken is traditionally cooked in a clay oven called a tandoor; however, at home, I either grill it or cook it in the oven (425F for about 12 minutes or so). Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F and the juices run clear.
Don’t rush the marinade because this is what lends flavor to the chicken, and additionally helps tenderize the meat.
Makhani Gravy:
To make Makhani gravy, starting by cooking onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno in oil. Subsequently, add tomato products (like diced or crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste), along with liquid (such as water or chicken stock). Spices lend depth of flavor, and then the mixture cooks a bit so the flavors can blend.
After cooking a while, blend the gravy until smooth. I then add golden raisins for bursts of sweetness to help balance the spice. After that, the cooked chicken is added. Finally, the dish is finished with butter and cream and typically served with basmati rice. The sauce should be thick enough on its own without the need to add flour of any kind.
Difference Between Indian Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala
The first difference is their place of origin; chicken mahkani is from India; however, according to Tasting Table, chicken tikka masala is a British invention from the 1960s. Chicken makhani has butter, which chicken tikka masala usually doesn’t have, and additionally, makhani has more cream. Tikka masala is more heavily spiced.
I’m not sure if either of these are authentic differences, but I have personally noticed a couple of other differences at restaurants. Mahkani usually comes with golden raisins in the gravy, and tikka masala usually comes with sautéed bell peppers in the gravy.
Other Indian Recipe Inspiration:
- Dal Makhani (Indian Butter Lentils) from An Edible Mosaic
- Homemade Naan Bread from Budget Bytes
- Indian Rice Pilaf (Pulao) from Indiaphile
- Indian-Spiced Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala) from An Edible Mosaic
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) features tender spiced chicken marinated in yogurt and then grilled, served in an aromatic spiced tomato-based sauce that’s velvety smooth and rich with cream and butter.
Ingredients
Spice Mix:
- 5 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek
Chicken:
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 5 teaspoons Spice Mix
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into large bite-sized pieces
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter ghee
- 2 medium-large onions chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh-grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon sugar or you can use coconut sugar
- 5 teaspoons Spice Mix
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce more or less to taste
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juices
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup golden raisins sultanas
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus more for garnish if desired (optional)
For Serving:
- Prepared basmati rice or prepared cauliflower rice
Instructions
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For the spice mix, combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
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For the chicken, combine all ingredients in a large bowl; cover it and marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
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For the sauce, heat the ghee in a 5-quart pot over medium heat; add the onion and jalapeno and cook until softened, but not browned, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and ginger and cook another 30 seconds, then add the Spice Mix and lemon juice and cook 30 seconds more. Add the hot sauce and tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, then add the tomato paste and chicken stock.
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Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally; cool slightly.
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Puree the sauce until completely smooth using an immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender.
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Return the gravy to the pan and add the bay leaf and raisins. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the butter until melted, then turn off the heat. Stir in the cream (don’t let it come up to a boil again).
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While the sauce is cooking, you can cook the chicken. The chicken can be skewered and grilled, cooked in a broiler, or cooked in a very hot oven until it’s no longer pink.
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Add cilantro and the chicken to the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired (you may want to add more salt, sugar, spices, hot sauce, lemon juice, etc.)
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Serve with prepared basmati rice or prepared cauliflower rice.
Update (May 16, 2018): I made this dish again and perfected the recipe and snapped a few pictures, so I decided to update both the recipe and the photos in this post. As a point of comparison to show how much my photography has evolved, I kept one of my original photos (below).
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Rosa says
August 30, 2009 at 10:39 pmA flavorful dish! Really mouthwatering!
Cheers,
Rosa
nora@ffr says
August 31, 2009 at 3:53 amyummm!! love t try this dish with some naan or paratha!! :) i had butter chicken once from one of my indian friend! OMG!! it was heavenly delish! thanx for the recipe faith!
Krista says
August 31, 2009 at 6:58 amI love butter chicken but my family does not so sadly I don’t eat it very often!
Dawn says
August 31, 2009 at 7:49 amWhenever someone says a dish is their FAVORITE, I feel like I have to try it! Yes this does looks a bit intimidating :) But looks so delicious!
Chiara says
August 31, 2009 at 9:23 amWOW. I love Indian food, and his recipe looks amazing. I’ll try it this week! My favorite dish in the world, by the way, is traditional Indian chicken curry =)
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie says
August 31, 2009 at 10:23 amOh, wow, the butter chicken looks absolutely delicious! Thank you for the step by step instructions, I simply must try this!
Karyn (French Charming says
August 31, 2009 at 3:31 pmThanks for sharing your favorite recipe with us! I eat a lot of chicken and I’m always looking for new and interesting recipes…I can’t wait to try this!
Hugs,
Karyn
She-Fit says
August 31, 2009 at 4:26 pmOh man, I still have a few hours till dinner and this dish is making me hungry. Sounds delicious
Blond Duck says
August 31, 2009 at 5:47 pmI don’t think I could restrain myself and eat this only a few times a year!
Reeni says
August 31, 2009 at 6:19 pmI’m so happy that you posted this! I haven’t cooked much Indian food at home even though I love it. I would love to try this!
Holly says
August 31, 2009 at 7:22 pmyou get me everytime – Indian IS my fave cuisine!
theungourmet says
August 31, 2009 at 11:51 pmThis is a beautiful dish! I can see why it’s your favorite! You are so right, there is nothing better than the scent of curry cooking! :p
Heavenly Housewife says
September 1, 2009 at 1:00 amHmmm, i’m going to have to try this one of these days. I’ve had it at restaurants, but never made it myself. It looks fantastic. I dont really know if i have a “favorite dish” as there are just so many foods i love, but indian food is one of my favorites.
Nadia says
September 1, 2009 at 5:24 ami like indian cusine, have saved it, will def try it out.
Priti says
September 1, 2009 at 5:28 amOh wow..that’s looks delicious…I hav never made butter chicken myself…this is so tempting and nice pics dear
Adelina says
September 1, 2009 at 10:11 amI love Indian butter chicken and it’s one of the many dishes I always order whenever I go to my favorite Indian restaurant! I definitely take down your recipe and try it soon!
One question, if you don’t mind me asking, should I look for fenugreek in a powder form or does it come in some other forms? I’ve never worked with this ingredient so I’d appreciate if you could guide me!
Thanks again for posting and for sharing!
admin says
September 1, 2009 at 6:26 pmAdelina, I’ve only found fenugreek in powder form…I hope this helps! If you make this dish, let me know how it turns out!
Blond Duck says
September 1, 2009 at 10:24 amYea–some weird code messed everything up on my site!
Juliana says
September 1, 2009 at 10:59 amThis chicken dish looks so yummie…love the spices in the mix…by reading the ingredients in it…my mouth was watering :-)
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
September 1, 2009 at 4:37 pmThat’s fantastic! And you know I don’t think a single person on earth doesn’t love Butter chicken! I’m going to try this when I get my kitchen back :)
lynn@queenofthecastlerecipes says
September 1, 2009 at 5:42 pmThis really does look lovely, and it’s making me soooo hungry.
deeba says
September 8, 2009 at 6:38 amJust made a version of butter chicken day before from the Moti Mahal Book. Yours looks very very good. Bookmarking it. YUM!!
natalie says
September 9, 2009 at 8:04 pmThese look incredible. I am working on learning to cook so sites like this are very helpful!
Crystal says
September 11, 2009 at 12:08 pmOkay so I just made the marinade for the chicken and I kind of made a mistake. I used all the spice mix instead of just 5 tsp!
Any advice?
Can I just lessen the amount of spice mix i use for the gravy?
admin says
September 13, 2009 at 9:57 pmCrystal, The chicken can be marinated anywhere from two hours to about twelve hours (you could even go a little longer if need be). If you put all the spice mix in the marinade, I would recommend either adding a little more yogurt (maybe increase by 1/2 cup) or decreasing the marination time (to 30 minutes or an hour). While cooking the chicken, most of the marinade will drip off, so even though there is an increased amount of spice in the marinade, it won’t really affect the flavor outcome of the dish as a whole. You could decrease the spice by about half and it would still be a very flavorful dish though. Let me know if you have any other questions! :)
Crystal says
September 11, 2009 at 12:38 pmAlso, when marinating overnight, what is minimum amount of hours?
Adelina says
October 27, 2009 at 9:18 amI got your recipe and decided to make this right away! I followed everything instructed and was quite please with the result! However, mine didn’t come out with a “yellowish” color, but rather more of a deep red-orange
“gravy”. Could this has anything to do with the type of curry that I use?
Great recipe! I wanted to cut back the fat so I used 2% milk instead of the cream. But then I had some leftover sour cream in the fridge so I used 1 Tbsp. of that as well!
Thanks for sharing and for posting!
admin says
October 27, 2009 at 3:17 pmAdelina, I’m glad the recipe came out well! The color of your gravy could definitely be because of the curry, since the different spices in it give the dish so much color. Thanks for sharing, and feel free to let me know if you try any other dishes! :)
Dorothy says
March 10, 2010 at 1:26 pmOh yum…
Brandy directed me here for this recipe! The recipe I used was very mild and rich; on my next go-around I’ll definitely give yours a shot. Having a hard time finding fenugreek, but I have all the other spices already.
Nisa Homey says
January 26, 2011 at 11:31 pmFaith, I am totally impressed by ur Indian cooking…butter chicken is an all time fav and goes well with nan or tandori roti…as garam masala is needed in almost all our food we always grind it an keep…check out my butter chicken…in a more simpler way.
http://nisahomey.blogspot.com/2010/10/butter-chickenrestaurant-style.html
Mary @ mary mary quite contrary says
September 15, 2012 at 7:48 amHave to try this recipe to go with your Naan Bread ! Indian nights are on the horizon !! Yummmm….Mary x
Sharon says
June 2, 2014 at 1:13 pmI printed this recipe out a while back and finally tried it and it is AMAZING! Very authentic taste and not hard at all. I didn’t find fenugreek but it was still just perfect. Thank you so much!
Rabia Fawad says
March 11, 2016 at 11:16 amHey where are the ingredients of the spice mix listed ? I couldn’t find them on the post . Btw I would love to try this recipe. Have tried for ages could never find the “perfect” butter chicken recipe ever. Hope this one works !!!
Faith says
March 11, 2016 at 12:43 pmRabia, The ingredients for the spice mix are listed in the recipe. Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try – it’s my favorite! :)
Cecilie says
February 12, 2019 at 10:51 amHi,
Wow. Looks amazing. I must try that. What is Spice mix? Is it a specifik product you but?
Regards Cecilie
Denmark
Faith says
February 14, 2019 at 7:52 amCecilie, Thanks so much! The recipe for the spice mix I use is included in the recipe; I hope this helps!