Butter chicken (or Murgh Makhani in Hindi) is The famous Indian dish – is a rich creamy tomato gravy which usually serves as a side dish with steamed rice, Naans, Roti’s, phulka’s…. seen in menu in almost in every restaurant that serves Indian Cuisine.

Before start the preparation of Butter chicken:

• We can use Chicken Breasts, Chicken Thighs, Roaster chicken or any Chicken pieces.
• Clean the chicken and marinade with Spices. Dressed chicken can be cooked by using grill, Pan roasting, or Tandoor the chicken which is traditional method.
• Few people do with whole chicken breasts, which is dressed, grilled and cut into pieces.

I used Cut, Skinless, Roaster chicken pieces for making Butter Chicken. Then Marinade the chicken in the following manner.

Ingredients for First Marination:

• Chicken – 1 kg
• Salt – 1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tbsp
• Lemon Juice – 4 tbsp

Take the chicken pieces in a bowl and wash them and pat dry. Add salt, Red chilli powder, Turmeric powder, Lemon juice and mix well. Keep the marinate chicken in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Second Marination :

• Salt – 1 tbsp
• Yogurt – 1/2 cup
• Chicken masala powder – 2 tbsp
• Garam masala powder – 1 tbsp
• Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Pepper – 1/2 tbsp

After 3o minutes add the chicken to the above ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate the chicken for another 1 – 2 hours.

Frying the Chicken:

Heat 3 tbsp of butter in a pan and place the marinated chicken pieces in the pan and roast them for 10 minutes in a medium flame. Make sure that the chicken is roasted on all sides. Increase the roasting time if the chicken is not tender.

Ingredients for making Gravy:

• Onions – one (chopped)
• Green chillies – 5 (slit)
• Tomatoes – 4 tomatoes
• Butter – half cup
• Cashew nuts – 10
• Fresh Cream – 4 tbsp
• Coriander powder – 2 tbsp
• Cumin Powder – 2 tbsp
• Corn Flour – 1 tbsp
• Milk – 1 cup
• Sugar/honey – 2 tbsp
• Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek powder – 2 tbsp
• Pepper – 1 tbsp
• Garam masala powder – 1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
• Water to boil tomatoes

Preparations for making the Gravy:

1. Soak the cashews in half-a-cup of warm milk for 3o minutes and ground to make a paste.
   

   Milk and corn flour mix

2. Mix the corn flour in half cup of milk and keep aside.
   

   All masala’s were mixed with the water to make spice mix

3. Mix Cumin powder, Sugar, Garam masala powder, Coriander powder, Pepper and red chilli powder in a cup of water and keep aside.(Spice mix)
4. Soak fresh tomatoes in hot water for 10 minutes. Peel of the skin and make tomato puree.

How to make Butter Chicken Gravy:

1. Melt the butter in a pan and add chillies, onion pieces.
2. Fry till the onions pieces turns golden brown colour.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell has gone out.
4. Then add tomato puree to it and place the lid on it and cook well for 15 minutes.
   

   Added salt and chilli powder to the puree once it reaches boiling point

5. Add salt, chilli powder to the puree once it reaches boiling point.
6. Add the spice mix from the bowl into the pan.
7. Cook for 10 minutes and add the cashew paste and corn flour mixture to it.
   

   After adding Spice mix, cashew paste and corn fou

8. After adding the corn flour mixture the gravy becomes thick.
   

   Added Chicken pieces to the gravy

9. Add the chicken pieces to the gravy and let it cook for few minutes
   

   Adding fenugreek powder to the gravy

10. Add Fenugreek powder to it and mix well and let the chicken cooks in the spicy gravy for few minutes.
11. In this duration the chicken absorbs the gravy and will become soft and spice.
    

    Pour fresh cream on it and mix

12. Turn off the flame and add fresh cream to it and mix well.
13. You can pour some melted butter on it and mix well which is a optional.
    

    WoW ! Butter Chicken is ready to taste.

14. Tasty melted butter chicken in tomato spicy gravy will make your mouth watering.
    

    Butter chicken with Naan and a glass full of black current drink 🙂

Note:

• Taste the butter chicken before adding the cream to check that if you had added all the ingredients. If you missed any ingredients or the salt is low you can add it now.