Delhi’s most comforting curry — tandoori-spiced chicken folded into a silky tomato-butter sauce, known in India as murgh makhani, with a swirl of cream at the end. Richly spiced and gently sweet, it is made for scooping up with warm naan or spooning over basmati rice. One pan, one pot of comfort.
Ingredients
- 600g boneless chicken thigh, cubed
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp tandoori masala
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/3 cup cream
Method
- Marinate: mix the chicken with the yogurt, tandoori masala, ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice. Leave for 30 minutes, or overnight.
- Cook the chicken: grill or pan-fry the chicken pieces on high heat until lightly charred at the edges. Set aside.
- Make the sauce: melt the butter, soften the onion, then add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes, then blitz smooth.
- Season: return the sauce to the pan, stir in the garam masala, sugar and chilli powder, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Finish: add the chicken and cream, warm through gently and serve with naan or rice.
Recipe Card — Butter Chicken
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Category: Main Dishes · Chicken
Cuisine: Indian