Butter chicken is a classic Indian delicacy made with tandoori chicken pieces cooked in a rich and creamy tomato based butter sauce.
The origins of Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken can be traced back to a man named Kundan Lal Gujral who opened a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, Old Delhi after fleeing from Peshawar in Pakistan during the partition in 1947. This is the man who first created the famous Tandoori chicken by trying to cook chicken in the tandoor (locally used for baking naans) and placed India on the culinary map of the world. Then came his next creation – the mouth watering butter chicken. It so happened that the cooks in his restaurant recycled the left over chicken juices in the marinade trays by adding tomatoes and butter and cooking it to make a creamy sauce and then tossing the left over tandoori chicken pieces in this sauce. Lo and behold,the butter chicken was born! Legend has it that the butter chicken was accidentally created by a punjabi house wife who had lot of left over tandoori chicken, so she prepared a tomato based gravy with fresh cream and added the tandoori chicken pieces to it and simmered for a while. The result was the great butter chicken which we enjoy to this day. Now if we connect this legend with history, who knows this punjabi woman could have been Gujral’s wife too. Kundan Lal Gujral is still remembered as one who would personally serve his guests, while his wife would begin each day by grinding the masalas, a closely guarded secret that went into the signature dishes. Visiting dignitaries such as John F. Kennedy, Soviet Premier Kruschev, Shah of Iran have enjoyed eating at the Moti Mahal restaurant in New Delhi.

My style of butter chicken evolved after trying and testing with different proportions and variations of ingredients. I prefer using whole spices as they give a subtle dimension of flavour to the dish compared to ground spices which loose their flavour quickly. It is better to use fresh ripe deseeded tomatoes and soften them in the butter instead of tomato puree for that richness in taste. Also it is true, as one great chef puts it, that”tomatoes lose their colour and tartness when pureed”. The method and ingredients described in the recipe below if followed exactly brings out the taste and flavour very close to the original dish as made in some of the famous restaurants in New Delhi where I have dined.

Butter chicken can be made with whole chicken or chicken breasts that is with or without bones though the original butter chicken when first created by Chef Gujral was made with whole tandoori chicken pieces.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the marinade:
1.5 kg whole chicken (cut into 12 pieces at the joints)
1/2 cup hung yogurt/greek yogurt
4 tbs tandoori masala (Desi brand or home made tandoori masala, recipe given below)
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp kashmiri mirch (red chilli powder)
Salt to taste
2 tbs lemon juice

For the butter sauce:
1 cup whipping cream
2 fresh garlic cloves chopped
1/2 cup ginger juliennes
1 tbs Kasoori Methi
1 large onion diced
1 large fresh ripe whole plum or vine tomato + 2 tsp tomato paste (good quality)
2 – 4 slit green chilies deseeded
2 black cardamoms
2 bay leaves
6 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp mace (crushed)
1/2 tsp black pepper corns (whole)
1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
A pinch of powdered jaggery or brown sugar
1 tsp oil
2 – 4 tbs or more Butter

Home made Tandoori Masala for 1 whole chicken (2 lbs):
1/2 a cup of hung sour yogurt or greek yogurt
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp kashmiri mirch
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Shaan’s zafrani garam masala powder
1/8 tsp or less food colouring

Instructions:

1. Clean, wash and drain the chicken pieces. Rub with salt and lemon juice and keep aside for 15 minutes.

2. Mix together hung yoghurt, tandoori masala, chilli powder, salt and 1 tbs vegetable oil. Rub the chicken pieces well with this marinade and leave for 3 – 4 hrs in the fridge.

3. Roast the tandoori chicken in the centre of the oven preheated at 425º F for 20-25 mins. Remove and allow it to cool. If you can barbecue or grill the chicken pieces it is great. Alternatively you could also broil the chicken under the oven broiler for 5-6 minutes on each side.

4. Peel and dice the onion, cut the tomatoes into two halves, deseed, slit and deseed the green chillies too and keep them aside.

5. Now prepare the butter sauce. Take a cooking pot, set it on medium heat. Add 2 tbs butter and before it melts completely add the chopped garlic, sauté till it changes colour a bit and starts infusing its flavour into the butter. Now toss in the diced onions and the deseeded tomato halves into the pan. Sauté till the onions and tomatoes soften a bit. Remove from the pan, let it cool down, make a purée and set aside.

6. Add more butter (2 tbs) and a little oil (1 tsp)to the same pot and throw in the whole spices (cloves, green & black cardamoms, bay leaf, fennel seeds, whole black pepper corn) followed by ginger juliennes and split green chillies (optional). When you get a whiff of the aroma from the whole spices add the onion, garlic & tomato purée (from the previous step) to the pan, sauté well with the whole spices for 2 minutes then add 2 heaped tsps tomato paste and continue to sauté. Add 1/4 cup of water and mix well to form an aromatic butter gravy.

7. Now toss in the roasted chicken pieces with all its juices into the butter gravy, then pour in 1/2 a cup of the whipping cream. Mix well by turning over the roasted chicken pieces gently, cover with a lid and let the chicken cook in the butter sauce on low medium heat for 10 more minutes., till it is soft and juicy and the butter rises on top.

8. Taste and add some salt if required. As a finishing touch sprinkle a pinch of powdered jaggery or brown sugar. Take a tsp of Kasuri methi and rub it in the palm of your hand with your fingers to release the aroma and dust it in the pot. We add this in the final stage to make the sauce aromatic.

9. You could infuse a smoky barbecue flavour into the butter chicken by smoking it. Take a piece of charcoal, heat it on an open flame till it is red hot, then put it in small steel or a tin foil cup. (tin foil shaped into a cup to hold the burning charcoal). Place the tin foil cup in the centre of the chicken pieces, place the burning charcoal in it, then add a blob of butter or ghee to it. When it starts smoking, cover the pot with a lid and leave it to smoke for 5 mins. This gives a smoky barbecue flavour to the butter chicken.

10. Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle some more cream on top of the chicken, garnish with the ginger juliennes and serve hot with Naan or Basmati rice.

Tips:
1. To make the chicken more flavourful, skewer the chicken pieces and grill them under the broiler in the oven for 5-6 minutes on each side taking care not to over grill them as they would become dry. Remove as soon as you see brown spots appearing on the chicken. The best method is of course using the barbecued chicken pieces in the butter gravy which gives the smoky flavour.

2. An unglazed earthenware dish also infuses an earthy flavour which is very appealing to the taste. If you do not have one, a regular one is fine.

3. Also line the cookie sheet with tin foil and not parchment paper as it can catch fire or flare up. The tin foil keeps the cookie sheet clean.

5. If you do not find Desi tandoori masala, you can try Minar or Kissan brands. Any other store bought tandoori masala would not be a good substitute. The best thing would be to use this home made tandoori masala paste for the marinade (recipe given in the ingredients list above)

6. If you want to cut down on the cream and butter, use half and half or whole milk and olive oil instead. But you will have to compromise on the taste. Butter chicken is not butter chicken without butter and cream.

7. As an alternative to brown sugar you could add a bit of tomato ketchup for the finishing touch in order to balance the taste.

8. Do not skip on the kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) as this enhances the taste and takes it to the next level.

Recipe