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    Home » Recipes » Curry recipes

    Easy butter chicken (Murgh Makhani)

    Published: Apr 11, 2022 · Modified: May 30, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to recipe

    Liven up your curry night with this recipe for easy butter chicken (aka Murgh Makhani). It's mild enough for the whole family to enjoy but still packed with tons of flavour thanks to my special yoghurt and spice-infused marinade. The sauce is so good you'll be eating it by the spoonful!

    A serving of butter chicken on rice in a white dish.

    Serve butter chicken with rice and my easy 2-ingredient garlic naan bread so that you can mop up every drop of the incredible sauce!

    Jump to:
    • Incredible butter chicken
    • What you will need
    • What to do
    • What to serve with butter chicken
    • FAQ
    • Save for later
    • Relate recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    Incredible butter chicken

    Butter chicken is one of the most popular dishes to come out of India, and you will find it on the menu in every Indian restaurant in the UK.

    If you are a fan of curry, I think you are going to love this incredible butter chicken.

    It has a distinctive tangy flavour thanks to the chicken being marinated for at least an hour in thick Greek yoghurt which has been blended with spices such as coriander, garam masala, cumin and turmeric along with aromatics like ginger and garlic. Once marinated, the chicken is fried in butter and then simmered with onions in a mild tomato-based sauce enriched with cream until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked to tender perfection.

    Butter chicken curry is mild enough to be enjoyed by the whole family but still has enough flavour to satisfy the most discerning palate. And of course, if you want to make it a little bit hotter, you can always add extra chilli to spice it up a bit.

    You do need an hour or two to marinate the chicken, but once that's been done you can have this easy butter chicken on the table in just over half an hour.

    Close up of a dish of butter chicken.

    So let's take a look at how to make this incredible butter chicken curry.

    What you will need

    Equipment

    You will need a large dish or bowl to hold the chicken and the marinade, and a wok or a large frying pan with a lid to make the butter chicken.

    Ingredients

    **You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this easy butter chicken on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

    This butter chicken recipe will feed 4 people.

    Ingredients for the chicken and marinade.

    Chicken - I like to use skinless chicken breast fillets, but you could also use skinless thigh fillets. The chicken should be cut up into bite-sized pieces.

    Thick Greek yoghurt - use unflavoured yoghurt. Substitute with natural yoghurt.

    Lemon juice - to add a touch of sourness - you can use freshly squeezed lemon juice or bottled lemon juice. Substitute with white spirit vinegar.

    Spices - Turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander and cardamom. The cayenne pepper provides the heat and you can all more or less to your own taste. I used cayenne pepper, but you could substitute this with chilli paste.

    Ingredients for the butter sauce.

    Onion - peeled and coarsely chopped. Aim to get about one-inch pieces of onion.

    Garlic and ginger - you can use either freshly minced garlic and ginger, or for convenience, you can use minced garlic and ginger from a jar.

    Cream - single or pouring cream. If you only have heavy or double cream, substitute with half cream and half milk.

    Passata - this is made from tomatoes that have been peeled and deseeded and pushed through a sieve. It has a very thick, pourable consistency. In the UK you can buy this in cartons or in bottles in any supermarket. In the US it is sometimes called tomato puree.

    Butter - it may seem like a lot of butter to put into one recipe, but this dish is called butter chicken for a reason. Don't be tempted to substitute this for brick margarine - it won't have the same taste at all.

    Sugar and salt - for seasoning. I always like to add a teaspoon of sugar when I'm cooking with tomatoes as I find it helps bring out the flavour of the tomatoes.

    Sunflower oil - to add to the butter to prevent it from burning while frying the chicken.

    What to do

    Marinate and fry the chicken

    Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a large bowl.

    A glass dish filled with chicken pieces marinating in a butter curry sauce.

    Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken into the marinade, and mix well to ensure that the chicken is well submerged. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic film and leave it in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or longer if you have the time).

    Pieces of chicken being fried in a frying pan.

    Melt the butter and oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken until it is white on the inside (cut a piece in half to test).

    Cooked chicken breast pieces on a plate.

    Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, leaving the butter in the pan.

    Reserve any remaining marinade - this will be added to the sauce.

    Tips for frying the chicken

    • Let the marinade drip off the chicken before placing it in the frying pan. Any remaining marinade will be added to the sauce.
    • Keep the heat relatively high so the chicken cooks quickly, but not so high that the chicken burns before it has turned white.
    • Fry the chicken in batches - don't overcrowd the pan or you run the risk of the chicken releasing moisture and stewing rather than frying. This will lead to tough chicken!
    • Stir the chicken as it fries so that it cooks evenly on all sides.
    • Don't worry if the chicken doesn't turn brown. The marinade will prevent the chicken from browning. The chicken will be done when it is no longer pink on the inside.
    • You may also find that the yoghurt seems to curdle slightly in the butter. Don't worry, this will sort itself out when we make the sauce.

    Make the butter sauce

    Once the chicken has been fried, we can turn our attention to the sauce. This will be made in the same that that was used for frying the chicken.

    Onions and garlic frying in a nixture of butter and oil in a frying pan.

    Add the onions, garlic and ginger to the pan that the chicken was cooked in. There should still be enough butter/oil mixture in the pan left over from frying the chicken.

    Stir the onions as they are cooking, and fry them until they turn translucent (about 5 minutes). If the onions start to brown, turn down the heat. I like to turn the heat down as low as it will go and cover the pan with a lid so that the onions steam in their own juices.

    A frying pan containing pieces of chicken breast in a buttery tomato curry sauce.

    Add the tomato passata, the salt and sugar, the cream and all the remaining marinade to the softened onions. Stir well and then add the chicken along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.

    Adjust the heat to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and leave for 20 minutes.

    A frying pan of butter chicken garnished with chopped coriander.

    To thicken the sauce make a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornflour or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and drizzle it slowly into the sauce during the final 2 minutes of the cooking time. Stir until the desired consistency is reached. You may not need all of the cornflour.

    Garnish with chopped coriander.

    A white bowl containing rice and butter chicken alongside dishes containing tomato sambal and garlic naan bread.

    What to serve with butter chicken

    I like to serve murgh makhani with white rice (see this post for how to cook rice in the microwave) and my easy 2-ingredient garlic butter naan bread.

    If you want to serve with sides, why not try a dish of peas? It will also go well with a sambal made by mixing finely chopped tomatoes and onions with a pinch of salt and sugar and a tablespoon or two (depending on how many tomatoes and onions you have) of balsamic vinegar.

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    FAQ

    What does Murgh Makhani mean?

    Murgh Makhani is the Anglicised version of the Hindu words makhan, which means butter, and murga, which means chicken. It was originally developed by an Indian chef in Delhi in the early 1950s.

    Can I make butter chicken in advance?

    To save time you can prepare the chicken in the marinade and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

    Cooked butter chicken can also be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.

    Can I freeze butter chicken?

    Yes, butter chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. To use, let it defrost in the refrigerator and reheat it either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
    Do not freeze if you made the dish from previously frozen chicken.

    Save for later

    If you'd like to make this butter chicken yourself, why not pin the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Relate recipes

    You can find other delicious curry recipes on my curry recipes page. Here are few you may like:

    • Chicken tikka masla in a bowl with rice next to a plate of naan bread.
      Chicken tikka masala
    • A balti dish of beef madras curry with a wooden serving spoon.
      Easy Beef Madras curry
    • Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry in a dish in front of a plate of homemade buttered naan bread.
      Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry with lychees
    • Tandori lamb chops on a plate with naan bread and saag aloo.
      Tandoori lamb chops with saag aloo and garlic naan

    And don't forget the delicious Indian side dishes to serve alongside your Indian feast:

    • Beef samosas with peas and potatoes
    • Potato and onion bhajis
    • Samosas with cheese and sweetcorn filling
    • Saag aloo (spinach and potato curry)

    📋The recipe

    A serving of butter chicken on rice in a white dish.

    Easy butter chicken (Murgh Makhani)

    Liven up your curry night with this recipe for easy butter chicken (aka Murgh Makhani). It's mild enough for the whole family to enjoy but still packed with tons of flavour thanks to my special yoghurt and spice-infused marinade. The sauce is so good you'll be eating it with a spoon!
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Main Course
    Asian Inspired
    Calories 524
    Prep 10 minutes minutes
    Marinating time 1 hour hour
    Cook 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    5 from 1 vote

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • 1 Pyrex bowl for marinating
    • 1 Wok or
    • 1 Large frying pan with lid

    Ingredients

    Chicken and marinade

    • 1 pound / 450 grams skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs
    • 1 cup / 240 ml thick Greek yoghurt unflavoured
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 2 teaspoons garam masla
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper adjust to your own taste or substitute with chilli paste.

    Butter sauce

    • 1 large onion coarsely chopped
    • 1 cup / 240 ml tomato passata
    • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
    • ½ teaspoon crushed ginger
    • ½ cup / 120 ml single or pouring cream
    • 3 ounces / 85 grams butter
    • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
    • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 teaspoon sugar optional
    • 1 tablespoon cornflour optional (for thickening)

    Instructions

    Chicken and marinade

    • Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a large bowl.
      1 cup / 240 ml thick Greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garam masla, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and mix it into the marinade. Make sure the chicken is well submerged.
      1 pound / 450 grams skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs
    • Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic film and leave it in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or longer if you have the time).
    • When you are ready to fry the chicken, melt the butter and oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken until it is white on the inside (cut a piece in half to test).
      3 ounces / 85 grams butter, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
    • Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, leaving the butter in the pan.
    • Reserve all the remaining marinade to add to the sauce.

    Butter sauce

      • Bring the same pan to a medium heat and add the chopped onions, garlic and ginger. There should still be enough butter/oil mixture in the pan leftover from frying the chicken.
        1 large onion, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, ½ teaspoon crushed ginger
      • Stir the onions as they are cooking, and fry them until they turn translucent (about 5 minutes). If the onions start to brown, turn down the heat. I like to turn the heat down as low as it will go and cover the pan with a lid so that the onions steam in their own juices.
      • Once the onions are softened, add the tomato passata, the salt and sugar, the cream and all the remaining marinade. Stir well and then add the chicken along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.
        1 cup / 240 ml tomato passata, ½ cup / 120 ml single or pouring cream, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar
      • Adjust the heat to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and leave for 20 minutes.
      • The sauce should be thick enough, however, if you would like to thicken it further, make a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornflour or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and drizzle it slowly into the sauce during the final 2 minutes of the cooking time. Keep stirring until the desired consistency is reached. You may not need all of the slurry.
        1 tablespoon cornflour
      • Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice and naan bread.

      Notes

      Tips for frying the chicken
      • Let the marinade drip off the chicken before placing it in the frying pan. Any remaining marinade will be added to the sauce.
      • Keep the heat quite high so that the chicken cooks quickly, but not so high that the chicken burns before it has turned white.
      • Fry the chicken in batches - don't overcrowd the pan or you run the risk of the chicken releasing moisture and stewing rather than frying. This will lead to tough chicken!
      • Stir the chicken as it fries so that it cooks evenly on all sides.
      • Don't worry if the chicken doesn't turn brown. The marinade will prevent the chicken from browning. The chicken will be done when it is no longer pink on the inside.
      Nutrition has been calculated excluding any rice or naan that may be served with this dish.

      Nutrition

      Calories - 524kcal | Carbohydrates - 16.1g | Protein - 31.1g | Fat - 38.1g | Saturated Fat - 19g | Cholesterol - 129mg | Sodium - 511mg | Potassium - 674mg | Fiber - 3.7g | Sugar - 5.9g | Vitamin D - 12µg | Calcium - 149mg | Iron - 2mg

      I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

      Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
      All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
      Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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      About VJ

      Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

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