Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhini)

I love cooking Indian food at home. It doesn't usually compare to the rich, bold flavors of restaurant cooking, but it satisfies the craving. I'm always looking for new curry recipes, so I was excited to try this one for Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhini).


As we've found with all curries, they seem to taste better the next day once the flavors have a chance to fully meld. Unfortunately the dominant flavor was lemon. One lemon was way too much and overpowered the dish. I've cut it down to half a lemon in the recipe below. This was pretty good but not one of our favorites.

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhini)
Prevention RD

Chicken Marinade:
1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 onion, diced
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced finely
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Butter Sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
2 cups canned tomato pureed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped (garnish)

At least 24 hours before, place the chicken marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, shake gently to toss together and close tightly. Place in the Ziploc bag in a large bowl. and place in refrigerator until ready to use

Remove the chicken from refrigerator, and heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan, and add the chicken marinade into the pan. Cook the chicken until no longer pink, about 7 to 8 minutes

In a small skillet, add a tablespoon of butter, cinnamon stick, and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

In the large Dutch oven, add the butter spice mixture, tomatoes, tomato paste and reduce heat to a slow simmer. The sauce will start to thicken, and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the honey, fenugreek leaves (if using), turmeric, 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, and heavy cream and let it simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and discard. Taste for seasonings, add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve over basmati rice and garnish with chopped cilantro.