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Butter Chicken
Murgh Makhani — Charred Yogurt-Marinated Thighs in a Silken Tomato-Butter Gravy
Charred yogurt-marinated thighs folded into a silken tomato-butter gravy, marbled with cream and dusted with kasuri methi — smoky at the edges, gently spiced, glowing tandoor-orange.
Per serving ≈ 665 cal · 42g protein · 47g fat · 19g carbs
This is what I cook when the table is big and the eaters disagree about everything — the spice-averse, the heat-chasers, the person who 'doesn't really like Indian food' and then takes thirds. Makhani was invented to use up the day's leftover tandoori chicken in a fat-rich tomato gravy, and it still does its old job: it makes strangers comfortable. Serve it in the center with rice and torn naan and let people build their own plate.
Cooking around dairy, gluten, wine, meat…? tap to adjust
The Tools
- Mixing bowl (marinade)
- Box grater or microplane (ginger/garlic)
- Sheet pan + wire rack (broiling/charring)
- Broiler, grill, or heavy skillet (the char)
- Heavy-bottomed pot or kadai (gravy)
- Blender or immersion blender
- Fine-mesh sieve (silk)
- Whisk
- Metal tongs
- Instant-read thermometer (optional)
✚ ends up in the sink · essentials unless marked optional
The Marinade & Chicken
Why this works Tandoori cooks marinate in two stages, and the order matters. First, lemon and salt rubbed straight onto the bare meat: salt starts seasoning inward immediately and the acid wakes the surface, work neither can do through a curtain of yogurt. Twenty minutes is enough. Then the yogurt-spice coat goes on for the long rest: yogurt's lactic acid and calcium gently loosen the muscle proteins — tenderizing without the mushy overshoot straight lemon would cause over hours — while its fat and body cling to the chicken, holding the ground spices in close contact so they perfume the meat instead of rinsing off. Thighs, not breast: they stay juicy through a char and a simmer where breast would seize dry. FOOD SAFETY: the long marinate happens in the refrigerator, never on the counter — yogurt-coated raw chicken at room temperature is a bacterial fast lane. Discard leftover raw marinade.
- 800g (about 6), cut into 2-inch chunks Boneless skinless chicken thighs 800 g
- 3/4 cup (180g) Full-fat plain yogurt 180 g — Not Greek-thick — regular whole-milk yogurt loosens and coats better
- 1 tbsp, grated Fresh ginger — Low-FODMAP as used
- 1 tbsp, grated (about 4 cloves) Garlic
- 1.5 tsp, divided Kashmiri chili powder — 1/2 tsp in the first marinade, 1 tsp in the yogurt. Deep red color, gentle heat
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp Ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Kosher salt — First marinade
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice — First marinade
- 1 tbsp Neutral oil
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Prep the chicken 8 min hands-on
Pat the thighs dry, trim loose fat, and cut into 2-inch chunks — large enough to catch char without drying through.
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First marinade — lemon and salt 2 min hands-on · 15 min wait
Toss the chunks with the lemon juice, salt, and 1/2 tsp of the Kashmiri chili until every face glistens. Rest 15–20 minutes at room temperature while you build the yogurt coat.
Look for The surface turns wet and faintly stained; a little liquid weeps into the bowl — that's the salt working.
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Build the yogurt-spice coat 5 min hands-on
Whisk yogurt, ginger, garlic, the remaining 1 tsp Kashmiri chili, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and oil into a smooth rust-red slurry.
Look for Uniform brick-red, no dry spice streaks, loose enough to coat a spoon and slide off.
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Coat and rest 3 min hands-on · 6 h wait
Fold the chicken and its juices through the yogurt until every piece is fully cloaked. Cover and refrigerate 4–24 hours; 6–8 is the sweet spot.
Look for After resting, the meat looks stained through, not painted on the surface.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Marinade slides off in a puddle | Greek or strained yogurt too stiff, or chicken still wet | Thin with a splash of water or loosen with regular yogurt; always pat the chicken dry first |
| Meat turned soft and pasty | Marinated well past 24 hours | The acid over-worked the proteins; cook it anyway but keep to the window next time |
The Char
Why this works This is the step that separates makhani from a plain chicken-in-sauce. Direct fierce heat blisters the marinade's edges and Maillard-browns the meat, building the smoky, bittersweet depth a tandoor gives — no clay oven required. Pull the chicken while the centers are still slightly underdone: it finishes in the simmering gravy, so charring it through here would leave it dry and stringy in the bowl. FOOD SAFETY: the chicken is NOT fully cooked at the end of this step — it reaches a safe 165°F only after it simmers in the gravy.
- all of it, from the previous component Marinated chicken
- 1 tbsp, for greasing and basting Neutral oil or ghee
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Get the heat screaming 3 min hands-on · 5 min wait
Set an oven rack 4–5 inches under the broiler and preheat on high (or fire a grill, or heat a heavy skillet until smoking). Grease a wire rack set over a sheet pan.
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Lay it out 5 min hands-on
Shake excess marinade off each piece and space the chunks out on the rack so they roast, not steam. Discard leftover raw marinade.
Take care Crowded pieces trap steam and refuse to char — leave air between them. -
Char, don't cook through 6 min hands-on · 8 min wait
Broil 5–7 minutes a side, brushing once with oil, until edges blacken in spots and the surface dries and blisters. Pull while centers are still slightly pink.
Look for Dark charred flecks on raised edges, a dried lacquered surface — smells toasty, not raw.
Take care Cooked through here = dry in the bowl. If unsure, cut one open: faintly underdone at the center is the target; it finishes in the gravy.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pale and wet, no char | Rack too far from the element, or pieces crowded | Move closer, spread them out, and give it more time — the marinade must dry before it can blister |
| Blackened outside, raw and cold inside | Chunks too large or heat too close | Fine — it finishes in the gravy; just make pieces a touch smaller next time |
The Makhani Gravy
Why this works Makhani means 'buttery.' The gravy is built in layers: whole butter and oil to bloom the ground spices, onion-ginger-garlic sweated to sweetness, then tomatoes cooked down until their raw acidity mellows and the fat splits back out. Blending and sieving turns that rustic base into the signature glass-smooth, glossy sauce. The finish is an emulsion — cold butter and cream whisked in below a simmer so the fat stays suspended in silk rather than pooling into a greasy slick. Kasuri methi is the note that makes people say 'what IS that' — dried fenugreek leaf, crushed to wake its maple-and-celery aroma, is the fingerprint of real makhani. Then you balance: sugar to round the tomato's edge, salt to sharpen, a squeeze of lemon to lift. FOOD SAFETY: the charred chicken finishes cooking here — simmer until the thickest piece reads 165°F.
- 4 tbsp (56g), divided Unsalted butter 56 g — Half to cook, half to finish
- 1 tbsp Neutral oil
- 1 large (200g), finely chopped Yellow onion 200 g
- 1 tbsp, grated Fresh ginger
- 4 cloves, minced Garlic
- 1 can (800g / 28 oz), or 900g very ripe fresh, chopped Whole peeled canned tomatoes 800 g — A good brand matters — the tomato IS the gravy
- 1.5 tsp Kashmiri chili powder — Color and warmth, not fire
- 1 tsp, plus a pinch to finish Garam masala
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp Ground turmeric
- 2 tsp, to taste Sugar
- 1.5 tsp, to taste Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml), as needed Water
- 2/3 cup (160ml) Heavy cream 160 g
- 1 tbsp Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1–2 tsp, to finish Lemon juice
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Bloom and sweat 8 min hands-on
Melt 2 tbsp butter with the oil over medium. Add onion, ginger, and garlic; cook 6–7 minutes to soft and golden. Stir in the Kashmiri chili, garam masala, cumin, coriander, and turmeric and let them sizzle 30–45 seconds.
Look for The kitchen turns fragrant and the spices darken a shade as they hit the hot fat — that bloom is the flavor waking up.
Take care Ground spices scorch in seconds and turn acrid. Keep them moving and add the tomatoes the moment they smell toasty. -
Cook down the tomato base 5 min hands-on · 25 min wait
Add the tomatoes, crushing them by hand, plus the sugar and salt. Simmer 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and jammy.
Look for Raw-tomato smell gives way to sweet and savory; the mixture darkens to brick and butter beads out at the edges — that fat splitting back out means the base is ready.
Take care As it thickens the base spits like lava and scorches on the bottom. Keep the heat moderate, partially cover, and drag your spoon across the base of the pot when you stir — a scorched patch blended in turns the whole gravy bitter. -
Blend to silk 8 min hands-on · 5 min wait
Let it cool a few minutes, then blend until completely smooth. Pass it through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pot, pressing the solids — the strain is what makes it makhani, not a rustic tomato sauce. Add water to a pourable, coating consistency.
Look for Pours off the spoon in one smooth, glossy, brick-orange ribbon — no flecks of seed or skin.
Take care Hot liquid in a sealed blender erupts and scalds. Cool it first, fill no more than half, crack the lid vent, and cover with a towel — or use an immersion blender in a deep pot. -
Finish the chicken in the gravy 4 min hands-on · 12 min wait
Bring to a gentle simmer, slide in the charred chicken and any resting juices, and cook 10–12 minutes until the thickest piece reads 165°F and the sauce clings.
Look for Chicken opaque all the way through, gravy thickened enough to coat each piece.
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Mount, methi, balance 6 min hands-on
Drop the heat to its lowest. Whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp cold butter, then the cream. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms as you add it. Taste and balance with the finishing pinch of garam masala, more sugar, salt, and lemon until it's round and lifted.
Look for Glossy, unified burnt-orange with a faint sheen — not an oil slick. The methi's maple-savory aroma should read clearly.
Take care Boiling after the cream goes in can split the emulsion into a greasy, curdled sauce. Hold at a bare simmer. Rescue a break: pull off the heat and whisk in 1–2 tbsp warm water hard until it re-tightens.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sauce broke — greasy film, curdled look | Boiled after the cream and butter went in | Off heat, whisk in a splash of warm water until it re-emulsifies; keep it below a boil next time |
| Tastes sharp or sour | Tomato under-cooked or under-balanced | Simmer the base longer, then add sugar a half-teaspoon at a time and a knob more butter |
| Flat, missing 'that' aroma | No kasuri methi, or added uncrushed | Crush the dried leaves between your palms to release the oils before adding — it's the signature note |
| Grainy, not silky | Skipped the sieve or under-blended | Blend longer and pass through a fine-mesh sieve; a little butter whisked in at the end also smooths it |
To the Table
Warm shallow bowls. Spoon the chicken and gravy in generously — this is a dish that wants depth, not a smear.
Swirl a spoonful of cream or a knob of butter over the top and let it melt into a marbled orange-and-white ribbon.
Scatter a final crush of kasuri methi and a few coriander leaves.
Serve in the center of the table with basmati rice and warm naan, and let everyone build their own plate.
For the Cook Who Wants More
The Honest Ledger
| Serves | 4 |
|---|---|
| Shopping | 40 min |
| Hands-on (new to this) | 1 h 41 min |
| Hands-on (comfortable) | 1 h 19 min |
| Hands-on (experienced) | 1 h 3 min |
| Waiting (same for everyone) | 7 h 10 min |
| True total | 8 h 53 min |
| You will dirty | 9 dishes |
Rich by design — the butter and cream are the point, delivered in a controlled dose over charred lean thigh. High protein, moderate carb before rice or naan. The dairy-free build (coconut) trades dairy fat for coconut fat and lands in roughly the same place — see the swaps for the honest deltas.
Words We Used
- Makhani
- Hindi for 'buttery' — the tomato-butter-cream gravy that defines this dish and paneer makhani alike.
- Kasuri methi
- Dried fenugreek leaves. Crushed to release their oils, they add a maple-and-celery, faintly bitter aroma that is the fingerprint of authentic makhani.
- Bloom (spices)
- Frying ground spices briefly in hot fat to dissolve their fat-soluble aromatics — deepens and rounds their flavor versus dumping them into liquid raw.
- Kashmiri chili
- A mild dried red chili prized for deep red color with little heat — it makes the sauce glow without setting it on fire.
- Garam masala
- A warm North Indian spice blend (cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin, and more), added for aroma — a little at the start, a pinch at the finish.