Butter Chicken
Butter chicken at home — Murgh Makhani, Indian Butter Chicken, Crockpot Butter Chicken, and Butter Chicken with Fresh Garlic Naan for easy weeknights.
★ lunch
lunchMurgh Makhani | Butter Chicken
Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken originated in Delhi - the culinary capital of India. It’s dubbed one of Indias most loved curries. This dish consists of chicken peices immersed in a rich, thick, and creamy spiced tomato and butter sauce. The subtle tang and velvety texture is my favorite part of this dish! It’s traditionally served with basmati rice or naan and garnished with cilantro but I had to improvise! It was still scrumptious!
Ashley PanIngredients
- Marinade:
- 4 Chicken Thighs - boneless skinless
- 2 Tbsp Yogurt - Plain
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Ginger Paste
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- Remaining Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 Red Onion - small dice
- 4 cloves Garlic - minced
- 1 cup Tomato Sauce
- 1 cup Coconut Milk | Cream
- 1 tsp Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 Tbsp Butter - Salted
- sprinkle Scallions | Cilantro - chopped
Instructions
- 1Marinate chicken in marinade ingredients for 1 hour in the fridge
- 2Heat a large pan to medium high
- 3Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil, sear chicken on all sides, remove and set aside
- 4Reduce heat to medium, add 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 5Sauté onions and garlic for 5 minutes
- 6Add tomato sauce, coconut milk (or cream), curry powder and Garam masala
- 7At this point the sauce can be sieved to make it velvety smooth and returned to the pan, bring to a simmer
- 8Add back the chicken and add the butter, simmer for 10 minutes, serve with rice or naan, garnish with scallions (or cilantro) Enjoy!
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Open in Pepper →The Creamy Tomato Chicken Everyone Asks For
Butter chicken is one of those dinners that tastes like it took all day and doesn't. Yogurt-marinated thighs, a tomato sauce softened with butter and cream, and a pot of rice — that's the whole plan.
Cooks on Pepper reach for this collection when they want something warmer than another chicken bake, especially on a cold night when the slow cooker can do the work while everyone's at practice.
Every recipe here is a real version of the dish: Murgh Makhani with a plain yogurt marinade, Indian Butter Chicken built on butter and diced onion, Crockpot Butter Chicken with coconut milk and sour cream, and Butter Chicken & Fresh Garlic Naan when you want bread to mop the plate.
Quick Tips
- 1
Marinate the chicken first
Let boneless skinless thighs sit in plain yogurt and ginger for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you can plan ahead.
- 2
Brown the chicken separately
Sear the pieces 3 to 4 minutes per side before they go in the sauce so you get color, then finish them in the tomato base.
- 3
Cook the onion down
Give the diced onion 8 to 10 minutes in butter over medium heat until it's soft and golden, not just translucent.
- 4
Add dairy off heat
Stir in cream, coconut milk, or sour cream after you pull the pan off the burner so the sauce stays smooth instead of separating.
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