Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

creamy tomato-butter chicken curry

Makes 6 servings · 852 kcal per serving

Ingredients

• 1000 g Chicken Thigh
• 150 g Plain Whole-Milk Yogurt
• 30 g Lemon Juice
• 80 g Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 650 g Tomato
• 220 g Butter
• 220 g Heavy Cream
• 90 g Cashews
• 30 g Kashmiri Chili Powder
• 20 g Garam Masala
• 9 g Ground Cumin
• 5 g Turmeric
• 7 g Kasuri Methi
• 25 g White Sugar
• 20 g Vegetable Oil
• 22 g Salt
• 10 g Green Chili

Method

1. Marinade: Whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, half the ginger-garlic paste, and half the Kashmiri chili with the turmeric, cumin, and half the salt. Coat the chicken and rest at least 1 h, ideally overnight.
2. Char: Sear the chicken hard in a hot pan until spotty-brown but not cooked through, ~4 min a side. Set aside.
3. Gravy: Simmer the tomatoes, cashews, green chili, and the remaining ginger-garlic paste and Kashmiri chili with a splash of water until the tomatoes collapse, ~15 min. Blend smooth and sieve. Melt in the butter and cook over medium until the gravy thickens and butter-fat rims the edges, ~5–8 min.
4. Finish: Add the chicken and simmer until cooked through, ~10 min. Stir in the cream, sugar, garam masala, remaining salt, and the kasuri methi crushed between your palms. Simmer 2–3 min; don't boil once the cream is in.