Butter chicken done as two builds, not one pot — marinate and char the chicken first, then a separate makhani gravy that the chicken finishes in. Takes longer than dumping everything in together, but the char you get from the grill is the difference between restaurant butter chicken and boiled chicken in tomato sauce. Writing it down before I forget the ratios again.
Butter Chicken#
Ingredients#
For the chicken marinade
- 800g boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
- ¾ cup plain yogurt, whisked
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1½ tsp red chili powder (Kashmiri if you have it, for colour more than heat)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt, to taste
For the makhani gravy
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 5–6 large tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 2 cups tomato puree)
- 10–12 cashews, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between your palms
- ½ cup fresh cream, plus extra for drizzling
- Salt, to taste
- Fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish
Method#
Marinate the chicken. Combine the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, cumin powder, oil, and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and coat it thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is better — this is the base of the flavor, so don’t rush it.
Char the chicken. Preheat your oven’s grill (broiler) to high, or get a cast iron pan or tawa smoking hot on the stove if you’re not using the oven. Thread the chicken onto skewers if grilling, or lay it straight into the hot pan if pan-searing. Cook until the edges are properly blackened in spots and the chicken is just cooked through, about 12–15 minutes under the grill, turning halfway, or 4–5 minutes a side in the pan. Don’t cook it all the way through here if you’re going to simmer it in the gravy later — a slight undercook is fine, it finishes in the sauce. Set aside.
Build the base. In a pot, heat 1 tbsp of the butter with the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes — no need to brown it, this isn’t the mutton curry base. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute until the raw smell is gone.
Cook the tomatoes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they collapse and go soft, about 12–15 minutes. Add the drained cashews and cook for another 5 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and let it cool slightly.
Blend it smooth. Blend the tomato-onion-cashew mixture until completely smooth — this is what gives makhani gravy its silky texture instead of a chunky curry texture. Pass it through a sieve if you want restaurant-smooth, though I usually don’t bother.
Cook out the puree. Return the blended puree to the pot over medium heat. Add the turmeric, chili powder, and sugar, and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the raw tomato smell is gone and the mixture has thickened slightly. Watch it here — it spits as it thickens.
Bring it together. Stir in the remaining 3 tbsp butter, the cream, and the kasuri methi. Add the charred chicken and any juices left on the plate. Simmer on low for 10–12 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked through and the gravy has thickened to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and stir in the garam masala.
Finish. Drizzle with a bit more cream and scatter over the fresh coriander before serving.
Notes#
- Kasuri methi is not optional — it’s the ingredient that makes this taste like butter chicken and not just tomato-cream chicken. Crush it between your palms first to wake up the aroma before adding it.
- The char on the chicken matters more than people think. If you skip the grilling step and just poach the chicken straight in the gravy, you lose the smokiness that’s supposed to be there — that’s what the tandoor is doing in a proper restaurant kitchen.
- Cashews thicken the gravy without it tasting like a cream sauce. If you’re out of cashews, cream alone works but the gravy will be thinner and you’ll want to reduce it a bit longer.
Serving it#
This works both ways — with naan for mopping up the gravy, or over rice if you want it as more of a meal. I usually do naan if I’ve got the time to make dough and rice if it’s a weeknight and I’m using shop-bought naan or none at all. Either way, don’t skip the extra drizzle of cream on top before it goes to the table.
