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Delhi / North India · Indian

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Delhi's restaurant icon: tandoori-marinated chicken simmered in a silky tomato gravy finished with butter and cream. Mildly spiced, faintly sweet, and built for scooping with naan.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published July 15, 2026

A bowl of butter chicken — charred chicken pieces in a glossy orange-red tomato-cream gravy, swirled with cream and scattered with kasuri methi, beside torn naan.

Butter chicken was invented in the 1950s at Moti Mahal in Delhi, where cooks tossed leftover tandoori chicken into a gravy of tomatoes, butter and cream to keep it from drying out. It became the defining dish of Punjabi restaurant cuisine and, later, one of India's most famous exports.

Yield
Serves 4
Prep
20 min (plus 1 hr marination)
Cook
40 min
Total
About 1 hr active
Difficulty
Intermediate

Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, is the dish that taught the world what a North Indian restaurant tastes like. Born at Delhi’s Moti Mahal in the 1950s as a way to rescue leftover tandoori chicken, it pairs smoky charred meat with a smooth, butter-and-cream-enriched tomato gravy that’s mild, faintly sweet, and irresistible with naan.

The char comes first

The single most-skipped step in home versions is the char. Butter chicken began as cooked tandoori chicken folded into gravy, so the meat should carry browned, slightly smoky edges before it ever meets the sauce. Grill it, blast it under a hot broiler, or sear it hard in a pan — just don’t poach it pale.

A gravy you can see through a sieve

Restaurant butter chicken is famous for its velvet texture, and the trick is simple: simmer tomatoes, onion and soaked cashews until soft, blend completely smooth, then pass it through a sieve. The cashews give body and the gentle sweetness; sieving removes every fibre. Cooked down in butter until it glistens, then finished with cream, sugar and crushed kasuri methi, it becomes the gravy everyone recognises.

Balance, not heat

This is a deliberately mild dish — the magic is in balance, with sugar tempering the tomato’s acidity and kasuri methi lending its signature aroma. For the vegetarian table, the same gravy makes a beautiful paneer makhani; serve either with fresh naan, and read more in the guide to North Indian cooking.

Ingredients

Serves
4

For the chicken marinade

  • 700 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces Thighs stay juicy; the classic uses tandoori chicken, so dark meat is traditional.
  • 1/2 cup thick yogurt
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp red chili powder (Kashmiri), 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala, salt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the gravy

  • 5 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped Or one 400 g can of whole tomatoes for consistency year-round.
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 10 cashews The secret to the silky body and faint sweetness; soak in hot water 10 min.
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), 1 tsp sugar, salt

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Marinate the chicken in yogurt, ginger-garlic, spices and lemon for at least 1 hour. Then char it — under a hot grill, in a very hot oven, or seared hard in a pan — until just cooked with browned edges.

    Why: The marinade tenderises and seasons; the char is non-negotiable, because that smoky, browned surface is what makes butter chicken taste of the tandoor rather than of plain stewed chicken.

  2. Simmer the tomatoes, onion, cashews and ginger-garlic with a little water until very soft, about 15 minutes. Cool, then blend to a completely smooth purée and pass through a sieve.

    Why: Blending and sieving is what gives restaurant butter chicken its signature velvet texture. Cashews thicken the gravy and add the gentle richness the dish is known for.

  3. Melt the butter, add the chili powder, then pour in the smooth purée and cook on medium for 10–15 minutes until it thickens and the butter rises to the surface.

    Why: Cooking the purée down concentrates the tomato and lets the raw edge cook off; the butter separating is the visual cue that the gravy is ready.

  4. Stir in cream, sugar, garam masala and crushed kasuri methi, then add the charred chicken and simmer 5 minutes. Adjust salt and finish with a knob of butter.

    Why: Sugar balances the tomato's acidity, kasuri methi gives the unmistakable aroma, and a final knob of butter is the dish's namesake gloss.

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Variations

  • Paneer makhani

    Swap the chicken for pan-seared paneer cubes for a vegetarian version in the same gravy.

  • Lighter

    Use half the cream and finish with a little whole milk; the cashews keep the body without as much richness.

  • Spicier

    Add a slit green chili to the gravy and a touch more chili powder — though the classic is deliberately mild.

Serving & Storage

Serve with naan or butter naan for scooping, or with jeera rice. A squeeze of lemon and a swirl of cream on top is the restaurant finish.

Pairs with: Naan, Jeera rice, Garlic naan, Cucumber raita.

Storage: Keeps 3 days refrigerated and freezes well (the gravy especially). Reheat gently so the cream doesn't split; loosen with a splash of water or milk.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 serving)

Calories
520
Protein
34 g
Carbs
16 g
Fat
37 g
Fiber
3 g
Sugar
9 g
Sodium
720 mg

Notable micronutrients: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between butter chicken and chicken tikka masala?

Butter chicken (murgh makhani) is the Delhi original — a smooth, mild, tomato-cream gravy built to revive leftover tandoori chicken. Chicken tikka masala is the British-Indian dish that grew out of it, usually a bit spicier and more onion-forward. They're cousins, and the lines blur from kitchen to kitchen.

Can I make it without cashews?

Yes, but the gravy will be thinner. Cashews add body and the characteristic faint sweetness. Substitutes include a little extra cream, blanched almonds, or a spoon of melon-seed paste (magaz).

How do I get the restaurant colour without artificial dye?

Use Kashmiri red chili powder, which is mild but deeply red, and let the butter and tomato cook down properly. Restaurant versions sometimes add colour, but ripe tomatoes plus Kashmiri chili get you a beautiful natural orange-red.

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