📍 Delhi
Butter chicken (murgh makhani)
Chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, seared and finished in a creamy sauce of tomato, butter and fenugreek.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 35 min
- Waiting and resting
- 60 min
History
Murgh makhani is credited to the kitchen of Delhi's Moti Mahal restaurant in the mid-20th century, where leftover tandoori chicken was simmered in a sauce of tomato, butter and cream, although its authorship is disputed. Today it is one of the best-known North Indian dishes in the world.
Ingredients
Preparation
- 1
Mix the chicken with the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp garam masala, chili, lemon juice and salt; marinate for 60 minutes in the refrigerator.
- 2
Sear the chicken in a very hot pan for 8-10 minutes until charred in spots; set aside.
- 3
Melt 40 g butter in the same pan, add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until thickened.
- 4
Blend the sauce, return it to the heat, add the chicken and cook for 8 minutes until it reaches 74 °C in the center.
- 5
Stir in the cream, the remaining butter and garam masala and the crumbled fenugreek; adjust the salt and serve with basmati rice.
Cooking tips
- Crush the fenugreek between your palms before adding it to release its aroma; it is the touch that defines this dish.
References to consult
References provide information about the dish, its context or a technique. Quantities in this version may differ from those in the source.
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