Butter chicken was born in Delhi in the 1950s, when cooks tossed leftover tandoori chicken into a buttery tomato gravy. The secret to the restaurant flavor is two stages: marinate and sear the chicken first, then build a deeply spiced sauce and bring them together with cream and a pinch of dried fenugreek.
Ingredients
- 700 g (1½ lb) boneless chicken thighs, cubed
- ½ cup plain yogurt · 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tsp garam masala · 1 tsp turmeric · 1 tsp chili powder
- 3 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil · 1 onion, finely chopped
- 400 g tomato purée · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp paprika
- ½ cup heavy cream · 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek)
Method
- Mix the chicken with yogurt, half the ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric and chili powder. Marinate at least 30 minutes (overnight is best).
- Heat the oil in a pan and sear the marinated chicken in batches until browned on the outside. Remove and set aside — it doesn't need to be cooked through yet.
- In the same pan, melt the butter and cook the onion until soft and golden. Add the remaining ginger-garlic paste, cumin and paprika, then the tomato purée. Simmer 10–12 minutes until thick and the oil separates.
- For a silky restaurant texture, blend the sauce smooth, then return it to the pan. Add the chicken and any juices and simmer until cooked through.
- Stir in the cream and the fenugreek (crush it between your palms). Simmer 5 minutes more, adjust salt, and serve with rice or naan.
🔥 Don't skip the kasuri methi
That pinch of dried fenugreek leaves, crushed in at the end, is the signature aroma of butter chicken. It's what makes a homemade version taste like the restaurant.