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Murgh Makhani

The Miniature Life
Butter chicken, made right in the comfort of your home
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • Saucepot
  • Wooden spoon
  • Tongs
  • 2 bowls
  • Plate lined with paper towels

Ingredients
  

For the chicken and marinade

  • 500 g boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast
  • ½ inch stick of ginger, made into a paste
  • 4 cloves of garlic, made into a paste
  • ⅛ tsp red chilli powder
  • ⅛ tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp chopped coriander leaves cilantro
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1½ tbsp. full fat Greek yogurt
  • pinch of salt
  • vegetable oil for cooking

For the Makhani sauce

  • 700 g tomato puree or tomato passata This is just about one bottle of passata, or roughly 4-5 tomatoes
  • ½ tsp tomato paste
  • 40 g butter
  • 1 tsp ground Kashmiri chilli
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 4-6 green cardamom pods
  • ½ inch stick of cinnamon bark
  • ½ inch stick of ginger, made into a paste
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic, made into a paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
  • 120 mL cream and extra according to your taste

For garnishing

  • 1 tbsp. roasted cashews
  • 1 tsp pomegranate arils
  • 1 tsp fresh coriander leaves cilantro
  • a pinch of dried fenugreek leaves

Instructions
 

Preparing the chicken

  • Wash and pat dry the chicken
  • In a bowl combine all the marinade ingredients, then add the chicken and stir through
  • Set the bowl aside for 30 minutes to marinate before continuing
  • Heat ½ tsp of vegetable oil in a saucepot over a medium high to high ehat
  • Add the chicken to the pot and cook to sear each side of the chicken until brown. We want to develop colour on the chicken not necessarily cook it all the way through
  • Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel

Preparing the Makhani sauce

  • Heat 1 tsp of oil over a low heat in the pot and then add the butter in
  • Add the whole spices )cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves) and half of the fenugreek leaves and mix until fragrant
  • Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, then add the ginger paste and garlic paste. The residual moisture of the ginger and garlic can cause sputtering so be very careful. Cook the garlic and ginger until the raw smell is gone
  • Add the ground spices and cook for 20 seconds, then add in the tomato paste and puree (or passata). Mix everything through well and bring to a bowl with a good pinch of salt
  • Sprinkle half of the remaining fenugreek leaves over the top and cover the pot with a lid. Let the sauce continue to cook for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce to check if the tomato has completely cooked and if it needs more salt
  • Add in ¾of the cream and stir it through. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes
  • Taste the gravy for salt, pepper and creaminess ensuring that the tomato has completely cooked through. Typically you can tell the gravy is cooked once the oil starts to separate from the gravy
  • Add the chicken to the pot, and cover the pot with the lid. Cook the chicken in the gravy for a further 5 minutes
  • Serve the makhani hot with a garnish or toasted cashews, pomegranate arils, coriander leaves, the remaining dried fenugreek leaves and a drizzle of cream. Serve along with fresh rice or roti.
Keyword Butter chicken