Murgh makhani – butter chicken
Alfred Prasad's murgh makhani recipe, known in the UK as butter chicken, is one of the ultimate curry dishes. The chicken is marinated in ginger and garlic paste, yoghurt and spices before grilling and combining with the rich, heady makhani sauce. This recipe appears in our first ever cookbook, Great British Chefs, available to buy on Amazon.
Ingredients
Butter chicken
- 8 boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp of ginger and garlic paste
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp of Greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
Makhani sauce
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 3 green chillies
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp of ginger , peeled and chopped
- 10 tomatoes , cut into quarters
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp of clear runny honey
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 25g of unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp of cashew nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp Kasoori methi, (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 60ml of single cream
- salt
To plate
- 4 knobs of butter
Equipment
- Blender
Method
1
To begin, mix the chicken with the ginger and garlic paste and salt and set aside. Whisk together the yoghurt, chilli powder, garam masala
and oil, massage into the chicken and marinate for a minimum of 4 hours in the fridge
- 1 pinch of salt
- 8 boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp of ginger and garlic paste
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp of Greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
2
For the makhani sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan. Pierce the green chillies a few times with a sharp knife and add to the pan with the whole spices, bay leaves and ginger. Sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes and simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 green chillies
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- 1 tbsp of ginger , peeled and chopped
- 10 tomatoes , cut into quarters
- 4 cardamom pods
3
Pass the contents of the pan through a conical strainer or sieve and set the resulting sauce aside. Put what’s left in the sieve onto a tray, remove and discard as many of the whole spices and green chillies as possible, then purée in a blender, with a little water if required. Pass through a sieve and add to the tomato sauce. Place the sauce back on the heat, bring to the boil and add the chilli powder, honey, tomato paste and butter. Season with salt and simmer for
a further 20 minutes
- 25g of unsalted butter
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp of clear runny honey
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- salt
4
Meanwhile, grill the marinated chicken in a tandoor, on a barbecue or under a hot grill until cooked through. Add the cooked chicken to a saucepan set over a medium heat, stir in the cashews and pour in the makhani sauce. Sprinkle with the Kasoori methi, add the cream and simmer for a few minutes
- 60ml of single cream
- 1 tbsp of cashew nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp Kasoori methi, (dried fenugreek leaves)
5
Divide between serving bowls and add a knob of butter to each bowl before serving
- 4 knobs of butter
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Murgh makhani – butter chicken
