If there’s one thing I’m sure about, it’s that life is better with butter, and by association… butter chicken. It’s a staple in every Indian takeaway joint this side of the equator and a true favourite in our household, without a doubt. Thankfully in Australia, we tend to have incredibly high-quality Indian takeaway’s, but in Ireland, we didn’t find ourselves so lucky, and boy do I wish that I’d had this recipe on hand whilst eating my way through 1.5 years on lockdown…

I’ve based this on the Cheat’s butter chicken by the fabulous Adam Liaw… the major difference being that, due to my previously mentioned love of butter, I have doubled the dose, and also made a few little cheeky amendments to the spice mix too. Most of the ingredients should be readily available in your local supermarket – however, you may have to use your best super sleuthing powers to find the fenugreek in the spice section. If you have any lactating friends however, you may find they already have it on hand given it’s traditionally used to encourage breast milk production, but that’s a topic for another day…

The Sassy History of Butter Chicken

Butter chicken, which is also known as murgh makhani was originally created in 1947 by Chef Kundan Lal Jaggi, while working at his restaurant in Delhi. Apparently after making his ever popular tandoori chicken, he noticed that the pieces of chicken were becoming dry, so in order to prevent this from happening, he decided to douse them in the simple but oh-so-delicious buttery tomato-cream sauce that we know today. I personally wouldn’t mind my tandoori a little dried out but I’m glad this fellow found it offensive, because what a world it would be without this fabulous creation.

It’s rich, buttery flavours in a silky, smooth sauce filled with aromatic spices, capture the essence of North Indian cuisine.

Influenced by the Mughal empire, dishes from this region of India are known for being creamy and luxurious, and this dish beautifully demonstrates the balance of spices with the dish’s other ingredients for a sumptuous mouthful.

The recipe itself came about quite randomly – from the desire to reduce waste.

Rutchi – Inner spice

Learn more about Inner Spice at https://www.innerspice.com.au

And like any good curry, this recipe has since been developed over and over again, with spice mixes changing from region to region, each place and community adding their own little touch. At the foundation though it really is mind bogglingly simple to make, although it is a little time consuming if you do all the steps… I do implore you not to skip the cooking on the BBQ part however, the smokey charcoal flavour does make a difference. If you are feeling a little time poor, and let’s face it, who isn’t, the marinade process isn’t as pivotal for this dish because you’re not as interested in the end flavour of the chicken as you are in the amazing butter sauce… that said, go hard or go home and marinate for up to two days safely if you do want to experience in all its tender, spicy glory.

Also Read: Slow cooked Gojuchang chicken – recipe coming soon

brilliant butter chicken tandoori uncooked

Amazing flavour every time

Even though it is an easy peasy recipe, there are a few things that you really shouldn’t skip out on to get the best results.

Marinate your chicken: If you have the time and can start the process the day before, you’ll get both a richer flavour and a more tender chicken in the finished dish if you take the time to marinate it longer.
Use a BBQ or a skillet: This step ads a really undeniable depth to the overall flavour of the dish.
Toast your spices: It’s a small step but one giant leap towards activating the aromatics in the spices.
Use freshly ground spices or grind them yourself: I was once told by a Morroccan cooking instructor that packet spices “taste like sawdust” and since then I’ve been buying whole seeds and barks and grinding them myself… I have to say she wasn’t wrong about the flavour difference! So if you have the time, get grinding girlfriend!

For the love of fenugreek:

Though it is a pretty commonly used spice these days (and has other aforementioned qualities…) you may not be able to find it in your local supermarket. So if that’s the case here’s a few place you might want to try…

Indian grocery shops
General Asian food shops
Health food stores
Speciality gourmet grocery shops
Your heavily pregnant friend or new mother’s kitchen cupboards…

A note on ingredients:

There’s a lot of ingredients in this particular recipe… no denying it, but with a few little handy hints, you’ll be well on your way to making a restaurant quality feast every time.

Fenugreek: I’m sure there are versions of butter chicken out there that do not use this spice, but I’ve personally found it vital. It is a lot easier to come across the seeds than the leaves however, so if you ain’t got no time to find an Asian grocery store -using only the ground seeds is a perfectly fine substitute. In fact, I personally think I prefer their flavour to the leaves.

Chicken thighs: I’ve only ever used skin off, and I think both the fat content and consistency of cooked skin might not bode well in the overall dish. That said I’d say chicken breasts would probably work as well here.

Turmeric: I’ve only used dried so far but fresh would work too, you just have to remember that dried spices usually have a more concentrated flavour to their original wetter form.

Yoghurt: I’ve use Greek yoghurt because I like the thickness of it and obviously there’s no sugar or other additives in it. But here’s my plot twist, I’ve also used a combo of yoghurt and kefir because I’m a sucker for diverse microbiological ferments – a weird fetish I know – and the results were identical. Although I’m not sure what benefit it really had after the cooking process (as heat will kill good bacteria) but I felt healthier eating it. So all I’m saying here is that all sorts of fermented dairy goods would probably work here – and possibly also dairy free too!

Garam masala: Here’s one way you could really make this dish your own. I’ve used bog standard shop bought garam masala, but this is one of those spice mixes that always differs according to the region its from – just like Ras al hanout. You could potentially make your own or even just by using a less commercial version will probably change the overall flavour significantly enough to put your own individual stamp on it.

Coriander: I grind my seeds fresh, but any old coriander seed powder should do.

Cumin: Same as the coriander above.

Cloves: You can sub in 5 whole cloves if you can’t find the powder, and then remember to pick them out at the end… it’s for this reason I just go straight in with the powder however cos my memory is a sieve and I’m so likely to end up serving it and inevitably me or another family member will suddenly bite on a whole clove… which let me tell you isn’t pleasant.

Cardamom: You can also use the whole seeds here but don’t forget to bash them a little (it’s very therapeutic) so you realease the seeds inside and the aroma. Again I just find it easier to use powder.

Passata: Just in case you’re not aware of the difference between this and tinned tomatoes, it’s had the seeds and skins strained out of it – so for the thick and velvety consistency you’re going for with this dish, I recommend sticking to passata. That said, tinned tomatoes, and in fact fresh tomatoes are what they would have originally used so it won’t change the flavour all that much. You can also substitute 4 tbsp of tomato paste if you have neither on hand, you’ll just need to manage the liquid in the sauce and may need to add a dash of water throughout the cooking process in this case.

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Brilliant Butter Chicken

Prep Time 1 1

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 2

This incredible Butter chicken recipe will give your local Indian takeaway a run for it's money. Rich, velvety, and bursting with flavour, this is the real deal!

Equipment

1 skillet or hot grill
1 food processor
1 frying pan
1 saucepen

Ingredients

For the tandoori / marinade

1 kg chicken thighs (deboned and skinless)
1 tbsp lemon juice (approx half a lemon)
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup greek yoghurt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander seeds ((fresh if possible))
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala

For the Butter chicken sauce

1 whole onion
3 cm piece of ginger
6 cloves garlic (peeled)
1 whole red chilli (de-seeded for a milder curry)
80 grams salted butter ((probably could sub ghee but haven't tried))
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tsp cinnamon ground
1/3 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp turmeric ((heaped))
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar (more or less to desired to taste)
1/2 tsp garam masala (fresher the better)
2 tbsp fenugreek (50:50 combination of powdered ground seeds and leaves OR just powdered seeds)
500 ml tomato passata (canned would work but will make the sauce chunky)
250 ml thickened cream

For essential garnassssh

2 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped fine)
2 tbsp greek yoghurt
1 tbsp lime pickle
1 tsp chilli flakes (if you feelin spicy)

Instructions

Making the marinade

Combine spices and lemon with yoghurt and smother the chicken thighs in it and put aside in the fridge overnight.

Making the tandoori

Fry chicken on BBQ or grill until cooked through with charred bits on the outside. Leave to rest and then cut into pieces.

Making the butter sauce

You can do this on the day or you can make the sauce in advance the day before…
Blend the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in a blender until it becomes nearly a paste
Heat pan to medium heat and add butter – when melted, add spices (except for fenugreek and garam masala) and fry until spices are fragrant.
Add the onion paste, cook until the onion is translucent and you feel like paste is cooked (about 5 minutes on medium)
Add the passata and combine
Add the fenugreek, garam masala, cream and salt to taste.
Add back the chicken and heat until simmering and warm enough to serve.