What is Butter Chicken?
Butter Chicken, known in Hindi as Murgh Makhani, is a North Indian curry made by simmering tandoor-grilled chicken pieces in a rich, silky sauce of pureed tomatoes, butter, cream, and aromatic spices including garam masala, fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), and cardamom. The sauce has a velvety orange-red color, a sweet-tangy-spicy flavor profile, and a signature buttery richness that distinguishes it from other Indian curries. The dish is one of the most internationally recognized preparations of North Indian Punjabi cuisine, invented at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi during the late 1940s and now served at virtually every Indian restaurant worldwide as the gateway dish that introduces global diners to the broader Indian curry tradition.
Popular Recipes and Regional Variations
The classic Moti Mahal Murgh Makhani is the original Delhi version, made by simmering leftover tandoori chicken in a tomato-cream-butter sauce — the dish was reputedly invented to use leftover meat from the previous day’s tandoor cooking. The traditional preparation uses charcoal-tandoor-grilled bone-in chicken pieces simmered in the makhani gravy, producing the signature smoky depth that defines authentic restaurant-style butter chicken.
The British-Indian Curry House Butter Chicken is the most internationally common version, sweeter and creamier than authentic Indian preparations, often using pre-cooked or simmered boneless chicken instead of tandoori. The Australian Butter Chicken follows similar adaptations and is among the most popular takeaway dishes in Australia. The American Butter Chicken typically uses boneless chicken thigh and significantly more cream than traditional recipes, producing a milder, more accessible version.
Modern variations include Vegan Butter “Chicken” using cauliflower, tofu, or jackfruit; Butter Paneer, the vegetarian Indian version using paneer cheese in the same sauce; Butter Chicken Pizza, an Indian-Western fusion popular in Canadian and Australian Indian-pizza establishments; Butter Chicken Pasta and Butter Chicken Lasagna, additional fusion creations; and the closely related Chicken Tikka Masala, often called “the British national dish” and considered by some to be a UK adaptation of butter chicken with similar but distinctly different sauce composition.
Preparation Technology
Marinate 800 g of boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 4 cm pieces in a mixture of 200 ml plain whole-milk yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons grated ginger, 6 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons garam masala, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder, and 1.5 teaspoons salt. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight (8–12 hours), for proper flavor penetration and tenderization.
Grill the marinated chicken in batches: a hot 230°C oven for 12–15 minutes, or a hot grill, or a heavy cast-iron skillet over high heat for 3 minutes per side until visibly charred and just cooked through. The chicken should have visible blackened edges — this char is the signature flavor element of authentic butter chicken and cannot be skipped. Set aside the cooked chicken with any accumulated juices.
For the makhani sauce, melt 60 g unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 finely chopped onions and cook 8 minutes until soft and golden. Add 2 tablespoons grated ginger and 6 minced garlic cloves, sauté 30 seconds. Add 800 g pureed canned San Marzano tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes blanched and pureed), 4 crushed cardamom pods, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Simmer 25 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and reduced.
Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing solids to extract all flavor and discarding spice husks — this straining step is essential for the silky-smooth texture that defines great butter chicken. Return the strained sauce to the pan over low heat. Stir in 250 ml heavy cream, 80 g additional butter, 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) crushed between palms, and 1 teaspoon garam masala. Add the grilled chicken pieces and any accumulated juices. Simmer gently 8–10 minutes to combine flavors and finish cooking. Adjust seasoning with salt, sugar, and lemon juice. Garnish with a swirl of cream, fresh cilantro, and additional kasuri methi. Serve hot with basmati rice, naan bread, or roti.
Tips and Common Mistakes
Skipping the chicken-marinating step produces flat, one-dimensional butter chicken lacking the complex spiced character of authentic preparations. The 4–12 hour yogurt-spice marinade tenderizes the meat through gentle dairy enzymes, infuses the chicken with flavor that the sauce alone cannot provide, and creates the surface that develops the signature char during grilling. Speed-cooked unmarinated chicken simmered directly in the sauce produces a fundamentally different and inferior dish.
Skipping the kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) produces butter chicken that misses the signature aromatic finish defining the dish. The dried fenugreek leaves are crushed between palms before adding to release their distinctive maple-syrup-and-curry aroma, providing the final aromatic note that distinguishes authentic butter chicken from generic cream-tomato curries. The leaves are available at Indian and Middle Eastern markets and are non-negotiable for proper preparation.
Skipping the sauce-straining step produces gritty, lumpy butter chicken instead of the silky-smooth velvet texture that defines great preparations. After simmering the tomato-spice base, pushing the sauce through a fine sieve removes whole spices, tomato seeds, and onion fibers, producing the characteristic smooth consistency. Restaurant butter chicken always uses strained sauce; home recipes that skip this step produce noticeably inferior texture even when other techniques are correct.
History and Cultural Significance
Butter chicken was invented at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi during the late 1940s by chefs Kundan Lal Gujral, Kundan Lal Jaggi, and Thakur Dass Mago, who reputedly created the dish to use leftover tandoori chicken from previous days by simmering the meat in a buttery tomato-cream sauce. According to Wikipedia’s account of butter chicken, Moti Mahal moved from Peshawar (now in Pakistan) to Delhi following the 1947 Partition of India, and the new restaurant became a culinary innovation hub where butter chicken, dal makhani, and tandoori chicken in their modern forms were all developed and codified.
The dish achieved international recognition during the second half of the 20th century through Indian emigration to the United Kingdom, where butter chicken became one of the defining dishes of the British curry-house tradition. The closely related Chicken Tikka Masala, sometimes claimed as a British invention, evolved from butter chicken’s adaptation to British tastes during the 1970s. A 2009 Indian court case awarded the Moti Mahal restaurant family the right to be officially recognized as butter chicken’s inventors, formally settling decades of disputed origin claims.
Today butter chicken is the most internationally recognized Indian dish, served at virtually every Indian restaurant worldwide as the standard introduction to Indian cuisine for non-Indian diners. The dish features prominently in Indian-themed pop culture, food media, and cooking competitions. Modern Indian chefs continue to develop creative interpretations including reduced-fat versions, plant-based adaptations, and luxury versions with truffle or saffron, while traditional Moti Mahal-style preparations remain available at the original Delhi restaurant location and at authentic Punjabi establishments throughout India and the global Indian diaspora.