BUTTER CHICKEN OR MURGH MAKHANI

BUTTER CHICKEN OR MURGH MAKHANI

The Murgh Makhani recipe by Cuisine Valley, also known as Butter Chicken is a delicious and popular recipe from Pakistan. made by marinating and grilling boneless chicken pieces, after which they are cooked in a rich tomato and cream-based gravy.

Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani is an entree I love to order at restaurants. The dish consists of boneless chicken cubes marinated in yogurt and spices that are grilled till golden brown. The chicken
pieces are simmered in a fragrant tomato and cream gravy to make a decadent dish, best served with hot naan.

How to make butter chicken or murgh makhani?

Start off with marinating the chicken – ginger garlic paste and spices add flavor while the yogurt and lemon juice is responsible for tenderizing the chicken. Let it marinate for at least a few hours,
preferably overnight. If you are planning for a dawaat the next day, this step can be done the night before.
Once the chicken has marinated, put it on skewers and grill till golden brown and charred. This step can be done on a stovetop, the oven, the air fryer, or on a bbq grill. Once the chicken has been
grilled, set it aside. At this point, the grilled chicken can be eaten on its own – it makes the best chicken paratha rolls with green chutney and onions!
While the chicken is being grilled, make the butter chicken gravy. Start off with heating butter, then add spices, followed by onion and tomato puree. In the end, add cream, and add whole spice powder and dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi). This two-step process of grilling the chicken separately is what gives butter chicken that restaurant-style smoky flavor. It can be time-consuming, but the results are worth it.

PREPARATION TIME: 20 mins        COOKING TIME:30-35 mins   SERVING: 2

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken marinade:
Chicken (boneless breasts cut into bite-size pieces) 300 g
Ginger & garlic paste 1 tbsp
Green chili chopped
Yogurt 2 tbsp
Gram flour (besan) 1 tbsp
Red chili powder 1 tsp
Whole spice powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
lemon juice 2 tbsp
Butter 2 tbsp
For Gravy:
Butter 2 tbsp
Crushed green cardamom 4-5
Cinnamon stick 1 inch
Cloves 4
Onion chopped 1
Ginger & garlic paste 1 tbsp
Green chilies slit lengthwise
Red chili powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Tomato puree 1/2 - 3/4 cup
Cream 150 ml
2 tablespoon honey
Dried fenugreek leaf (Kasuri methi) 1 tbsp
Whole spice powder 1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander
Butter for garnish (optional)

METHOD

For Grilling Chicken:

• Place the ginger paste, garlic paste, green chilies in a bowl. Add yogurt, besan/chickpea flour, red chili powder, whole spice powder, coriander powder, lemon juice, and salt.
• Whisk together or mix with a fork to ensure there are no lumps. The marinade will be thick.
• Add the boneless chicken pieces and stir to combine properly. Make sure that all the chicken is coated properly. 
• Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Soak wooden skewers in water for about 15 – 20 minutes. 
• This is to ensure that they don’t burn when grilling. Skewer the marinated chicken pieces on the skewers, shaking off the excess marinade.
• Heat a grill pan or frying pan on medium, and melt about a tablespoon of butter. The grill pan will result in grilled marks that look beautiful visually but the frying pan can also be used. The chicken can also be baked off in the oven or cooked in an air-fryer.
• Cook for about 15 - 20 minutes till the chicken pieces are cooked through. 
• Cook them on medium-high heat for few minutes to result in a golden brown exterior with slightly charred edges. 
• After that, turn heat to low so that the chicken can cook through from inside. If worried about the chicken cooking through, cover with a  lid, which will create steam ensuring that the chicken is cooked from all sides. Add butter as required for basting and cooking the rest of the batches.
• Once the chicken is ready, take it off the skewers and set it aside.
• The chicken can also be eaten on its own with roti or rice, and even made into paratha rolls with chutney and onions.

For Gravy:

• Heat a medium saucepan and add butter. Once the butter melts, add cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. 
• Saute for about 30 seconds, and then add chopped onions. 
• Saute the onions for about 5 – 8 minutes till they turn light golden.
• Add ginger paste and chopped green chilies. Cook for a minute, and then add salt and chili powder. 
• Stir and then add the tomato puree, cooking for about 5 – 10 minutes. 
• Take the mixture off the heat, and blend using a hand blender or pour into a blender, and process for a few seconds. 
• Make sure to take out the whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves) while blending else it will clog the blender.
• Include the cream, and cook for about 2 minutes, making sure to stir to mix all the ingredients properly.
• Add the cooked chicken pieces, along with the honey and fenugreek leaves. 
• Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes till the chicken is warmed through, add water if the gravy feels too thick.
• Turn off heat, and add the whole spice powder, along with fresh coriander and butter for garnish.
• Serve hot with roti, paratha or rice.

Recipe Notes:

• The chicken can also be eaten on its own with roti or rice, and even made into paratha rolls with chutney and onions.
• If tomato puree isn't available, the following options can be substituted:
• Canned tomatoes - just take about 3/4 of a can of whole canned tomatoes instead of the tomato puree, but cook for about 20 minutes or so till soft. 
• If using canned tomatoes, it's best to puree the butter chicken gravy as it can be chunky otherwise. 
• Tomato paste - tomato paste is a thicker concentrate of tomato puree, but it can be watered down to make tomato puree. 1/3 cup of paste plus 2/3 cup of water will make about a cup of tomato puree.