Finger Lickin’ Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Delicious restaurant-style butter chicken made right at home with simple ingredients. This recipe is exactly how they make butter chicken in restaurants – and I’ve had people tell me it’s actually better! Trust me when I say it’s finger-lickin’ good!
Finger-Lickin’ butter chicken! That’s a little too much fun to say.
Sharing one of my all time favorite Indian food recipes today.
Last week I had this intense craving for creamy and spicy homemade butter chicken. I mean, it was so crazy that I could practically taste the butter chicken in my mouth as I thought about it. My heart started racing, my hands started shaking — okay, it wasn’t quite that dramatic; but you get the idea. I dug down deep into the LSJ files (this is actually one of the first recipes I ever posted on the blog!) It was time to retake some of the pictures and reintroduce you to my finger-lickin’ butter chicken recipe.
Not only am I replacing some of my old (read: not so great) photography. But I also reworked the recipe to make the ingredient list a little shorter without compromising any of the flavors. I also took the liberty of making the instructions easier to follow I am sharing my tried and true tips on how you can get this on the table even quicker on weeknights!
I can’t say I take all the credit for this recipe. This recipe comes from my mom, who got it from her sister, who once upon a time worked at a very popular Indian restaurant. So there. It’s authentic, restaurant-style butter chicken, for reals. <– I just took the liberty of tweaking a few things to make this recipe attainable for us everyday people. I promise you all tweaks are simple and don’t compromise the flavor!
Trust me when I say this, I took my job very seriously and strive to provide you with the best restaurant-style butter chicken you’ve ever had!
Recipe Video – How to Make This in 63 Seconds:
So about that BUTTER chicken. Ironically enough my recipe doesn’t contain that much butter. Butter chicken is also called ‘Murgh Makani’ and when translated to English, it means Butter Chicken. And in fact, the butter in this recipe is actually clarified butter or ghee.
Nowadays, ghee is readily available in most mainstream grocery stores. You can definitely find it at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. And if you live in an area where your supermarket doesn’t stock it, you can always purchase it online here.
Ingredients for Homemade Butter Chicken:
- Chicken: Feel free to use boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. I typically cut the chicken into 1½ inch pieces and then toss it in a marinade made with yogurt and spices.
- Seasonings: Butter chicken calls for an array of spices. To help curb the ingredient list, I use a sachet of tandoori masala. It’s usually available in powder/paste form in the international aisle. The one I use and LOVE can be found here. This helps cut down on the number of spices you’ll need. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still need a little garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, and some red chili powder. You can also swap the red chili powder for cayenne but the flavor will be slightly different. I also find cayenne pepper to be hotter so I would suggest using slightly less than what’s called for. But you won’t need ground turmeric and a few others as the tandoori masala already contains these. Garam masala is South Asian spice mix that contains ingredients like cloves, black pepper, black cardamom, cinnamon, green cardamom, and several other spices.
- Fenugreek Leaves: In Urdu and Hindi fenugreek leaves are called kasuri methi. This is an ingredient you can easily find in almost any South Asian grocery store as it is used in many dishes. If your mainstream grocery store has an international aisle, they may carry it there as well.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic: A lot of traditional Pakistani and Indian recipe call for freshly prepared ginger and garlic paste. Essentially, it’s just a combination of peeled knobs of ginger and a handful of cloves garlic broken down in a food processor with a little vinegar to help keep these ingredients fresh and some water. Some people also add a little oil for preservation, but this is optional. Nowadays, most South Asian grocery stores (as well as mainstream stores) sell prepared garlic and ginger paste. Feel free to make your own or purchase it for this recipe.
- Oil: You’ll need some oil to saute the onions and cook the butter chicken recipe. Feel free to use avocado oil, canola or even coconut oil for this.
- Yogurt: I like to use plain yogurt for this recipe. My mom has always taught me to beat the yogurt with the seasonings before adding the chicken pieces to ensure that the flavor disperses evenly throughout the chicken pieces.
- Ghee: We’ll use ghee (also called clarified butter) to prepare the butter chicken sauce for this recipe.
- Crushed Tomatoes: I use a can of crushed tomatoes for my butter chicken recipe. We’ll saute the onions season them with lots of spices and cook them with the tomatoes. The tomato puree will then be the base of the butter chicken sauce.
- Onions: You’ll need a large yellow onion that is sliced down the middle, peeled and then cut into thin slices. Like most south Asian recipes, this one too starts with sauteing the onions in a little ghee until they’re soft. A lot of recipes call for golden brown onions which add add sweetness to the dish when the onions are caramelized. My butter chicken recipe doesn’t take the onions that far. You want the onions to soften and turn translucent, but not brown.
- Heavy Cream: My family has always used heavy cream or heavy whipping cream for our homemade butter chicken recipe. If you are dairy-free full-fat coconut milk would make a good substitution as this is what many of my readers have mentioned using.
- Prepared Rice or Naan Bread: You’ll want to serve this up with my restaurant-style fluffy basmati rice or homemade naan. I’ve got a couple of different naan recipes that I’ve shared. You can make my high protein2-ingredient flatbread or my traditional naan recipe for this. I’ll even rub it down with a little garlic butter and garnish with chopped cilantro. Trust me, these naans are fantastic!
How to make the best butter chicken recipe
- Marinate the chicken for maximum flavor. Whisk the ginger garlic paste, yogurt, and seasoning together until the yogurt is smooth. Add the chicken piece and let this hang out. The longer you marinate the more flavorful the chicken. Ideally, you want to let it go for 12-24 hours, covered in the refrigerator, but even 20-60 minutes will do. The yogurt, ginger, and garlic really help make the chicken more tender. As always, I’m a fan of white-meat chicken, so I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you could go the dark meat route and use chicken thighs as well. Some may even tell you it’s more flavorful that way. I’m not one of those people!
- Make the butter chicken curry. To a Dutch oven or any heavy bottom pan, add the ghee and saute the onions over medium high heat until they are soft and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic paste and give it a few seconds to bloom in the oil. Add the seasonings – chili powder, cumin, and coriander and let the spices cook in the oil. Stir often to keep them from sticking and burning. If you find the spices are cooking too quickly, you can add a splash of water or even chicken broth if you’d like. Blend the sauce in a traditional blender or use an immersion blender to make this quick and easy.
- Make ahead option. At this point, you can refrigerate the butter chicken sauce once it’s cooled down in an airtight container. You can also add it to a freezer-safe container or zippable bag and freeze it. This makes weekday dinner so much quicker to get out on the table. Marinate the chicken on Sunday and pull it together in about 20 minutes on a Monday. That’s faster than ordering take-out and trust me, it tastes better too!
- Finish it up. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. This is so that the yogurt has a chance to come to room temperature. I find that if you add it cold from the fridge the temperature difference sometimes causes the yogurt to curdle. To another clean pot or if you used a traditional blender, to the same pot add the remaining oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken. You want to discard any additional marinade. Saute the chicken until it’s golden on add aides. Add the prepared butter chicken sauce to the pot and stir to combine. You want to let the chicken finish cooking before you and the heavy cream and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala. Once the sauce reaches a simmer, taste and adjust the salt as needed. Then crush the fenugreek leaves between the palms of your hands to release their flavor and add them to the butter chicken. Butter chicken over fluffy basmati rice, it’s what my dreams are made of. If you’re looking for an authentic murgh makhani recipe, I’ve got you!
FAQs about Murgh Makani:
Butter chicken sauce is made of sauteed onions, tomato puree, and lots of spices. It’s finished at the end with a smattering of heavy cream and some fenugreek leaves.
Butter chicken and Murgh Makani are the same thing. Literally translated ‘murgh’ means chicken, and ‘makhani’ means buttery (or butter.) It always makes me laugh when people argue that a recipe tasted more like murgh makhani than butter chicken.
Chicken tikka masala packs more of a punch when it comes to spices, and may or may not contain any butter. I reserve the ghee for my butter chicken and opt for oil when I’m making chicken tikka masala. Butter chicken also is a tad bit sweeter (because of the sauteed onions or the addition of sugar in many recipes) and milder when it comes to spices than chicken tikka masala.
You can make the of this recipe, blend it, and allow it to cool completely before popping it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Like most Indian food, leftovers (or sauces prepared ahead) actually make the dish more flavorful. Many readers have also mentioned that they like to prepare the sauce and freeze it (without the heavy cream) to make butter chicken quicker on weeknights. This is something my family does as well!
If you like this butter chicken recipe, you might also like:
- chicken tikka masala
- 30-minute shrimp masala
- weeknight chana masala
- homemade palak paneer
- 30-minute brown lentil daal
Original recipe shared Feb 2016, updated with new post and images May 2023.
Finger Lickin' Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Delicious restaurant-style butter chicken made right at home with simple ingredients. This recipe is exactly how they make butter chicken in restaurants -- and i've had people tell me it's actually better! Trust me when I say it's finger lickin' good!
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons tandoori masala (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ginger paste and garlic paste (I used Gourmet Garden)
- ½ cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon oil
Butter Chicken Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) (see note)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoon EACH: ginger paste and garlic paste (I used Gourmet Garden)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (see notes)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (crushed between fingers)
Instructions
Chicken:
- In a medium bowl, combine the tandoori masala, ginger, garlic, and yogurt. Whisk until smooth, adjust seasonings to preference. Add the chicken and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes and ideally for 12-24 hours, covered in the refrigerator.
Butter Chicken Sauce:
- Heat the ghee in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they turn translucent and start to sweat, about 5-7 minutes, don't allow the onions to brown. Add ginger and garlic paste and let cook for 30 seconds, stirring so it doesn't burn. Add the can of crushed tomatoes along with the chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder and continue to cook for 5 minutes, if the mixture starts bubbling rapidly, add about ¼ cup of water and continue to cook.
- Remove from heat, add the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, you may need to add a couple water to help it blend (up to ¼ cup). Depending on how powerful your blender is, you may want to blend the mixture in two batches. Remember to hold the lid of the blender down with a kitchen towel when blending, to avoid accidents.
- MAKE AHEAD OPTION: At this point you can cool and refrigerate the sauce for 24-48 hours (or freeze it for up to 3 months), it will help blend the flavors even more, just remember to bring the sauce back to room temperature (use the microwave) before proceeding with the recipe OR you can continue on with the recipe immediately.
Assembly:
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the dutch oven over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken (discard any excess marinade) and cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring as required to brown all sides. Add the butter chicken sauce to the pot and heat everything through. Once it starts to bubble, add the cream and garam masala. When the sauce regains a simmer, add the crushed fenugreek leaves. Serve over basmati rice or with naan.
Notes
- Fan of dark meat chicken? You can replace the cubed chicken breasts with cubed boneless, skinless chicken thighs for more added flavor.
- GHEE: If you can't find it you replace it with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil.
- TANDOORI MASALA: is available in powder/ paste form. I prefer the powder but some of my readers recommended Patak's brand tandoori paste. You'll need about 2-4 tablespoons of the paste (to preference).
- CHILI POWDER: optional! If you prefer milder food, you may want to leave it out as the tandoori masala already has heat. Traditionally, a spicy pepper similar to cayenne is used. If you can't find Indian or Pakistani chili powder (usually sold at Indian stores), replace it with cayenne. 1 teaspoon can be a lot so if you prefer a milder flavor, replace with 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon.
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and it had been a hit all 3 times. 1st time made it only for me and my husband. 2nd time for my parent. 3rd time for a dinner party of about 15 people. This is my new go to me if I want to impress someone. Making the sauce ahead of time was brilliant saved so much time.
*If you’re sensitive to spice heat omit the chilli powder. The tandoori mix is just enough to make you think “What is the wonderful taste” without the discomfort of the heat. I’ve made it with and without and both are amazing.
I’m so glad I found this recipe. 100% a must try!!!
it was really good
HI,
PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO IF I DON’T FIND CAN OF CRUSHED TOMATOES., CAN I USE RAW ? HOW MANY? AND DO I NEED TO FILTER THROUGH COLANDER IF USED FRESH PURIED TOMATOES?
You would need to cook the fresh tomatoes down. I would suggest using whatever can of tomatoes you have, (or can find) and using your blender or food processor. Your hands work too!
I made this in the slow cooker today and we had it for dinner tonight. OMG – it was so nice, it wasn’t as greasy as it normally is at a restaurant – which was really great.
The best part is that we have left overs and we will be enjoying it for a few more nights to come 🙂
What a great idea!
How did you adjust the recipe to use the slow cooker?
I’ve tried a couple of slow cooker butter chicken recipes and they were fine but needed something more. Did you cook the chicken and the sauce then throw that all in the slow cooker?
I loved this recipe!!! So did my husband and friends!! I’m Bengali and my husband is Indian so we have very good sense in how these foods should taste. This butter chicken recipe has got to be hands down the best. It’s better than my family recipe! The only change I would do is to add a tbsp of the coriander, cumin, gram Marsala, garlic and ginger paste and 1/4 tsp of chili powder. ( in most Indian restaurants this dish is the mildest so putting a whole tsp makes it a spicy dish.)
I now understand why this recipe has been rated 5 stars by all. It’s the best butter chicken recipe I’ve ever come across. So yummy and delicious! Thanks for sharing
I just made this recipe for the 4th time tonight, and I think I finally got it perfect this time! It was amazing – I’m so glad I made a double batch and froze half. After practicing several times, these are the tweaks that work for me…
I was having a really hard time getting my sauce smooth enough. No matter how much water I added, or how long I blended, it was always grainy. But no big deal, I just started running it through a fine mesh sieve and it’s fine!
I also had some issues with graininess because the yogurt was curdling when cooking the chicken. I did some research on other Indian recipes and how they prevent it from curdling in dishes like Chicken Tikka, etc. Turns out that adding some kind of stabilizer to the yogurt is all it needs. I used cornstarch (1 tsp per 1 cup yogurt). I also switched from pan frying the chicken to cooking it in the oven under the broiler, in a roasting pan with a rack. 3-5 minutes on each side and it’s nice and caramelized on the outside while still having some internal temperature leeway to finish it off in the sauce without it getting dry.
I used basmati rice (which I’ve never made at home before) and it tasted SO authentic next to this curry. Also toasted some naan and brushed with ghee. They were the perfect accompaniments!
When canned tomatoes are called for, I ALWAYS use certified San Marzanos (I use Cento brand, but there are others). Yes, they are a bit pricier – but I promise you can really tell the difference and it is so worth it.
I doubled my chicken batch too, and cooked the extra half juuuust long enough to be cooked through after resting. I froze that chicken to go along with the extra sauce I also froze for a later date. I’ll report back here to let everyone know how it goes when I defrost and throw it all together, but I’ve had great success freezing cooked chicken in the past.
Amazing recipe, thank you so much for sharing with us!!
It’s decent. With due respect, I wish u had put a “go to recipe” button. Cause by the time I went through the history of mankind…I lost interest and just ordered it from a restaurant.
I think most Indian recipe sites go on and on and on about things that people really don’t care or get tired. My parents are Indian, so I understand, it’s an Indian thingy. So I kept saying “get to the point” growing up.
Ure recipe is good so thought I should let you know. Thanks
There is a ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the page…
Its really finger licking recipe, my husband have it on dinner last night he came back from work and was so hungry at that time I placed a very large dish with dressed Butter Chicken with the naan and salad ,
literally he licked his fingers and said : from where did you order this amazing food ?
from internet and made by me’ I said. 🙂
thank you very much for sharing such amazing recipe
with love
Fatu
I made this and it was really good! Very flavourful! My only substitution was maple syrup for fenugreek leaves. Thanks!
I made this recipe tonight and thought it tasted delicious! But the texture wasn’t right despite me blending the gravy with water, and disposing of the marinade during the assembly.
I suspect the problem may have been something to do with the tomatoes I used. I live in the UK where we don’t get “crushed tomatoes”. I used canned chopped tomatoes instead. The other options for me would have been: peeled plum tomatoes or passata. If we don’t have crushed tomatoes, what would be the best substitute? Could I just blend the plum tomatoes?
Passata would work really well in place of the crushed tomatoes 🙂
Hi Marzia Do we need to add salt to this recipe? I didn’t see it in the list Of ingredients.
Hi there! The chicken seasoning I mentioned contains quite a bit of salt, so I found the recipe didn’t need any additional seasoning. Unless you’re using a salt-free version, I suggest leaving the salt out until the very end, tasting and adjusting according to preference 🙂
Do I marinate the chicken cooked or uncooked!?
You marinate the chicken uncooked and then cook it under step 1 in ‘assembly’
Approximately how many servings is this for?
I’m trying to make this for 3 adults and 2 children.
Do I need to double the recipe?
This makes enough for approximately 5 servings. You can always find this information on the recipe card, just above the title ?
Is there a diff between tandoori masala and garam masala? If so, which garam masala do you use?
Hi there! Tandoori masala and garam masala are different, they contain different spices. I think I mentioned it in the post, but I usually use a homemade blend for the garam masala. For best results, I suggest using an Indian brand if it’s easily available, they are a lot more potent as the spices are roasted before grinding into powder form! I find I often have to use more garam masala to give it that same flavor when using a generic store brand garam masala and it doesn’t have that same roasted flavor. Hope that helps!
Would coriander powder be the same thing as crushed coriander seeds? That’s all we can get here and it’s a power.
Yes, it’s the same thing!
This was a great recipe! The title speaks for itself. It does take preparation. It’s a little messy but I believe every step helps because I’ve tried it a few different ways. Thanks!
You said you recommend using Indian brand spices because they’re a lot more potent. If we don’t have Indian brand spices, would you recommend increasing the amount we use? if so, to approximately how much? I like my flavours strong and a lot of Indian I’ve tried making in the past seemed bland. I’m wondering if I should increase my measurements a bit when I try yours as I couldn’t find Indian brand spices?
Hey there! If you can’t find the tandoori masala I suggested, a non-Indian brand would also work! I would suggest maybe using a little over the two tablespoons listed (heaping instead of flat) if you’re looking for more spice and then adjusting as desired for next time. Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to say as the flavors can vary quite a bit from brand to brand. Hope that helps though!
Oh Wow! I must say i was a little hesitant when I tried this recipe because the spices used were different than many other recipes i’ve seen in the past, even supposed “100% authentic from the masters” recipes, but wow am I ever glad I did!
This was the best butter chicken I’ve ever made, and better than any sauce I’ve found in store! SO GOOD!
I did make a couple tiny adjustments.
First I had a hard time finding the recommended tandoori powder, so I used Patak’s tandoori paste instead, as we’re big fans of Patak’s and figured they wouldn’t let us down – it worked so well!
Second, because we had some older non-indian brand spices around, I upped the coriander power and cumin both to 2 tsp each, and garam masala to 1 tsp. We also omitted the fenugreek because we couldn’t find any.
It was so tasty! I think I’m going to make it again this weekend!
I absolutely love this recipe. I’ve made it more than a dozen times and it’s always a hit. Now this is what everyone expects me to make to every dinner party ?
Question: If I don’t have heavy cream can I use canned coconut milk?
Thanks!!!
Glad to hear you enjoy the butter chicken recipe! Yes, you can use canned coconut milk in place of heavy cream, however, it might have the little bit of coconut flavor – not in a bad way, but it will alter it just a bit!
Made this last night and it turned out so well! Even my fiance from india loved it!
Butter chicken is a traditional dish in our country India. You can find it in almost any social events. I personally love the Punjabi style butter chicken.
Last night I made your recipe at home and my boy love it very much. He want me to make it regularly. Looking forward for more recipes. Thank you.
So delicious! & so so easy!
Seriously delicious. My father-in-law is 1/2 Indian, and he was raving about it! I think I’ve made it at least 5x now. Good every time. Also, keeping the chicken pieces closer to 2″ blocks helped the meat stay nice and juicy?
I made this for dinner tonight, comments from ‘Er Indoors” absolutely bloody lovely, or in my parlance “Back of the net!”.
I have made this recipe few times now, over last couple years,i love cooking from scatch when I’ve time to, always tasted fabulous, I make extra sauce and freeze it now leaves me only to prepare chicken marinade part to prepare , thank you , will go in my family recipe collection ? five star
Hi can you use normal double thick cream?
Yes, I think that’s the equivalent to what we call heavy whipping cream here in the states! Hope you enjoy the butter chicken!
I make it during special occasions because it is special. It tastes divine and never flops
So happy to hear that, Saaidah!
I made this recipe earlier this week, and I am making it again today since I have all the ingredients now, lol, and I think I can incorporate some minor changes to make it even better. I got 5 star reviews from my friend I shared it with. I feel like when I have had this dish at restaurants it has been a smoother consistency. I am going to try for that today. I may try a combination of blender and immersion blender. I am also going to use a different type of onion and a different brand of crushed tomatoes. Overall this is a great recipe for making great butter chicken. Even with 3 tablespoons of the tandoori paste it was still very mild. I added extra to the marinade this time and will probably add some chilli powder to take it up a notch in the spice…it won’t be hot, just a little zing . Is there anything special that can be done with the rice to make it an amazing meal?
My family loved this. I made double the sauce so they could soak it up with naan and rice. They liked that!
That’s awesome! So happy to hear that, Ellena!