When it comes to my favorite dishes, I have pretty high standards. It takes a lot to truly impress me with Dal Makhani, Keema, Aloo ke Parathe, and of course, the beloved Murgh Makhani—Authentic Butter Chicken.
For me, every element of authentic butter chicken has to come together perfectly to make it one of the most iconic North Indian dishes. The chicken should be tender, juicy, and well-marinated, while the sauce needs to be smooth, flavorful, and balanced—never too sweet or overly oily. The spices should be just right, and most importantly, it should never taste like plain boiled chicken drowned in butter and cream. Every bite should be rich, comforting, and packed with the perfect blend of flavors!
Ingredients
For the chicken:
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs or tenders, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
½ cup whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon tandoori masala (I use swad brand)
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon haldi/turmeric powder
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
½ tablespoon salt
For the makhani sauce:
2 cup onion, chopped
2 cup tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
3 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoon butter
3 green cardamom
12-14 whole cashews
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
2 tablespoon oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek)
1 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds
½ teaspoon dhaniya/coriander powder
1 teaspoon lal mirch/red chili powder
¼ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon tandoori masala
3 teaspoon salt; adjust to taste
For Garnish: fresh cilantro
Method
For the chicken:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large oven tray with parchment paper or coat them with a very thin layer of oil.
Marinate the chicken in yogurt, ginger garlic paste, haldi, oil, lemon juice, salt, tandoori masala.
Let marinate for 20 minutes.
Line on baking tray and cook for 20 minutes, turning the pieces over after 10 minutes so that they cook evenly
For the makhani sauce:
In a small bowl, soak the cashews in one cup of hot water. Set aside.
On medium high, heat the one tablespoon of oil in a deep pan or wok.
Add in the onions and sauté until translucent, followed by the chopped tomato and cashews, cook until the oil starts separating.
Remove from heat and in a blender or a food processor, purée until smooth and reserve.
Heat the butter and remaining oil in the same pan and add the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves and cumin seeds.
Once they start expanding add in the ginger garlic paste followed by the onion tomato cashew purée and tomato paste.
Add in the red chili powder, tandoori masala, coriander powder and salt. Mix well, taste for salt / adjust as needed. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
If the sauce is very thick add in ¼ cup of hot water and mix the sauce well. Add in the chicken tikka or leftover tandoori chicken pieces.
Cover and let simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Uncover and mix in kasoori methi and garam masala.
Add in heavy cream, mix together and turn off the heat.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Notes
- If the gravy gets too thick, add in ⅓ cup of hot water at a time until you get your desired consistency.
- If you don’t have cashews or are allergic, feel free to substitute with blanched almonds. If you are making a nut free version double the amount of heavy cream.
- This recipe can be made up to two days ahead of time and refrigerated. Just reheat when ready to serve.