Butter chicken

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is a curry made from chicken cooked in a spiced tomato and butter-based (makhani) gravy. The gravy is known for its creamy, rich texture. It is similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses a tomato paste. The dish was invented by Indian chefs Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi and is associated with their Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryaganj, Delhi which popularized it in the 1950s. It has since become a staple cuisine of the city. The curry was made "by chance" by mixing leftover tandoori chicken in a tomato sauce, rich in butter (makhan/makhani). In 2024, Monish Gujral, a grandson of Gujral and managing director at Moti Mahal, said the dish was created in Peshawar itself at another restaurant of theirs prior to partition in the 1920s or 1930s; he made the statement when suing the Jaggi family who now operate the rival "Daryaganj" restaurant and credit Kundan Lal Jaggi with inventing the dish at Moti Mohal in Delhi. Though Monish had earlier, in his 2013 book On the Butter Chicken Trail: A Delhi Darbar Cookbook, credited the accidental discovery of the dish to Moti Mahal in the 1950s.

In 1975, the English phrase "butter chicken" curry first appeared in print, as a specialty of the house at Gaylord Indian restaurant in Manhattan. In Canada and the Caribbean, it can be found as a filling in pizza, poutine, wraps, roti, or rolls, while in Australia and New Zealand, it is also eaten as a pie filling. The curry is common in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and many other countries where a South Asian diaspora is present. Due to its popularity outside of India, it is sometimes mistakenly assumed to be of Western origin (like chicken tikka masala, which it is sometimes confused with).

Preparation

Chicken is marinated for several hours in a mixture of lemon juice, dahi (yogurt), Kashmiri red chilli, salt, garam masala, ginger paste, and garlic paste.

The marinated chicken is cooked in a tandoor (traditional clay oven), but may be grilled, oven-roasted, or pan-fried. It is served in a mild curry sauce that includes butter. The sauce is a tomato, garlic, and ginger-based sauce that is simmered until smooth and much of the water has evaporated. There are many variations on the composition and spicing of the sauce, which is sieved so that it is velvety smooth. Spices may include cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, garam masala, and dried fenugreek leaves (Punjabi/Hindi: kasuri methi). Cashew paste may be used as a thickener and it is finally garnished with coriander.

Butter chicken

Preparation

See also

References

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