Authentic Butter Chicken

Authentic butter chicken (Murgh Makhani) is a fan favorite at Indian restaurants, and now you can make it at home! The amazing spice mix is what makes it taste just like your favorite takeout.

The butter chicken recipe I’ve been searching for

Over Christmas, we went to my sister-in-law‘s house where she made us the best butter chicken curry that I’ve ever had (aside from an authentic Indian restaurant). It brought me right back to the days we used to go to Zyka near Atlanta with my husband’s side of the family. If you’re ever in the area, it truly is the best Indian food experience ever! 

But this recipe my sister-in-law made is a close second. I’ve started making it at home and found a shortcut to make it doable, even on busy weeknights! Yes, this chicken dinner has a few more steps than most, but the end result is beyond worth it, and my pre-made Indian spice mix makes all the difference for time-saving.

Butter chicken ingredients

High quality ingredients are so important for this recipe. Here are the basics of what you’ll need:

• Chicken – You can use bite-size chunks of either chicken thighs or chicken breasts for this recipe.
• Ghee – Absolutely essential! This is the “butter” part of butter chicken. Ghee is a traditional Indian cooking fat which is clarified butter. The dairy solids have simply been removed from the butter so you can cook it at a higher heat point.
• Plain yogurt & lemon – Perfect acidic base for marinating the chicken.
• Ginger & garlic – I love using fresh but you can also use a ginger and garlic paste.
• Tomatoes & tomato paste – Good quality canned tomatoes are the base of the sauce.
• Heavy cream – Essential for finishing the final dish and making it creamy and irresistible.
• Spices!! (more on this below)

Authentic spices are the key!

With this recipe, you can’t cut corners with the spices or substitute other spices like a generic curry mix and “hope for the best.” Having the right ratio of spices as listed is essential to make it taste like an authentic restaurant curry dish. Butter chicken has always been my favorite on the menu at any Indian food restaurant, and I’m so excited that I can make it at home now!

I was thrilled that we got to visit an authentic Indian grocery store next to Zyka on our way home from our trip. Check near you to see if there’s an Indian grocer, but if not, you can order all of these spices online as well.

Here are the key spices you’ll need for this recipe:

• Kashmiri chili powder
• Turmeric
• Garam masala
• Coriander powder
• Cumin
• Cinnamon stick
• Bay leaf
• Kasoori methi (or fenugreek leaves)

How to Make Authentic Butter Chicken

Here are the steps to making a butter chicken recipe so good, your family will rave, and you won’t need to order takeout so often!

1. Marinate the chicken

Marinating the chicken is essential to infuse flavor and tenderize the chicken. Cut chicken into bite-size chunks and add to a large bowl along with yogurt, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, and spices. Mix everything together and let it marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours (overnight for best results).

2. Measure the spices

The most time-consuming part of this recipe is measuring all the spices, because there are a lot of different ones that impart such great flavor. That’s why I created my Butter Chicken Spice Mix Blends (it includes the marinade mix and the sauce mix).

Or, if you don’t want to pre-make the spice mix, just measure out the spices you plan to use into a small dish to streamline the process.

3. Cook the chicken

In a large skillet, heat ghee on medium heat until sizzling. Add marinated chicken and cook a few minutes on each side until mostly done, but not fully cooked. (The chicken will finish cooking in the sauce later.) Transfer chicken to a separate dish to use later.

4. Make the sauce 

Now, the fun part! To the same pan, add more ghee and sautè the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and diced onion until onion is translucent. Then add in the cashews, garlic, and ginger and cook for an additional minute.

Add the additional spices and mix. If you’re using my pre-made spice mix, you’ll only need 3 Tablespoons added right in. Otherwise, measure out the specific spices and add.

Next, stir in the tomato paste and canned tomatoes. I also add a splash of water here to loosen things up. Cover and simmer the sauce for 20-25 minutes.

5. Blend sauce + simmer + final add-ins

Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick, then add your sauce into a blender along with the sugar and kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves) and blend until smooth.

Pour sauce back into the pan. Add a little bit of water to the blender and blend once more to get everything out, and pour into pan. Add in the chicken once more, bring to a boil to finish cooking and then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in heavy cream and serve.

Toppings & sides make it better!

Here are some ideas for what to serve with your fabulous butter chicken.

• Of course you’re going to serve this butter chicken over rice! You can also make a simple naan (Indian flatbread) to serve alongside it if you like.
• We also love adding a spoonful of plain greek yogurt and chopped cilantro to our bowl.
• I also make a quick cucumber salad (just sliced cucumbers, vinegar, EVOO, salt, and sesame seeds). You can serve this on the side or on top of the curry.
• I really enjoy adding some cooked chickpeas into my curry. It’s not my family’s favorite, but I love adding in legumes where I can, and in my opinion they complement the butter chicken so well.
• For those who like it hot, we sprinkle on some additional kashmiri chili powder or cayenne pepper!

Butter Chicken additions or substitutions

As I said earlier, I don’t recommend subbing out spices in this recipe as it will really change the authentic flavor. But, there are a few changes you can make to this recipe that won’t affect the final outcome much:

• For a lighter version, you can use chicken breast instead of thighs
• Sub canned light coconut milk for heavy cream to save some calories and fat
• Butter can be subbed for ghee, just be aware it has a tendency to burn quickly, so ghee is preferred. It can be found online and at most grocery stores now.
• You can also make this recipe with bone-in chicken thighs, which gives an even richer, deeper flavor. Follow all the same steps, but blend the sauce before simmering. Pour over chicken in a dutch oven, add in bay leaf and cinnamon stick, and allow to bake at 400 F for 30 minutes, then remove whole spices. Pour in cream and sprinkle with kasoori methi before serving.