Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 60 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

Also known as “murgh makhni,” butter chicken combines succulent, flavorful chicken thighs with a creamy, buttery sauce. It’s one of the dishes Indian cuisine is known for, even though it’s not really Indian. The exact origin of butter chicken is debatable, but the one thing we know for sure is that it was created by two chefs from Peshawar, a city in modern-day Pakistan. After the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947, Kundan Lal Jaggi and Kundan Lal Gujral moved to Delhi, India, where they opened a restaurant with the same name as the Peshawari one called Moti Mahal. Visited by the likes of many renowned people, from celebrated chef Madhur Jaffrey to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the restaurant drew much attention, in large part due to its butter chicken. Here, it was made using day-old tandoori chicken in order to

Ingredients

2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder or hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 teaspoons finely grated garlic (about 6 cloves), divided
1 1/2 teaspoons peeled and finely grated ginger (from a 1-inch piece), divided
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 small lemon)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 medium), cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons raw cashews
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 green Thai bird’s-eye chile or serrano pepper, finely chopped (remove the seeds from the serrano before chopping)
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes and their juices
1 tablespoon heavy cream or coconut cream (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Cooked basmati rice or naan, for serving

Instructions

5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, the remaining 1 1/2 cups water, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend until very smooth.Pour the blended mixture back into the same skillet. Cover and cook on low heat, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes to let the flavors meld. The heat must be low, otherwise the mixture will splutter too much and begin to burn at the bottom. (This is a great time to make rice or naan.)Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors meld, about 5 minutes more.Stir in 1 tablespoon heavy cream if using and the remaining 3 tablespoons unsalted butter until the butter is melted. Turn off the heat. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with cooked basmati rice or naan.