Chicken Makhani

September 8, 2015

Murgh makhani, also known as butter chicken, comes from Delhi and is one of the most widely eaten Indian dishes outside India. The chicken is marinated in yoghurt spiced with chilli, cumin, and garam masala, fried, and served in a rich tomato sauce finished with butter and cream.

The sauce is the heart of the dish. The tomatoes are cooked down until tender, pushed through a sieve, and reduced for a long time until concentrated and slightly sweet. Butter and cream are stirred in at the end, and it is that combination that gives the dish its velvety character.

The dish is not particularly hot — the chilli contributes mostly aroma and colour — and it suits both adults and children. It works as a weekend dinner or a dinner party main course; the sauce can be made a day ahead. Serve with naan to mop up the sauce, and optionally basmati rice alongside.

Ingredients

Serves 6

750 g chicken breast fillets (or thighs), skinless and boneless, cut into 5 cm pieces
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Marinade

3 large red chillies, deseeded, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
4 tbsp lemon juice
50 ml natural yoghurt

Sauce

1½ kg ripe tomatoes, quartered
50 g butter
150 ml whipping cream
salt, to taste

Garnish

1 tsp whipping cream
fresh coriander sprigs

Directions

Marinade

Put the chillies, garlic, and cumin seeds in a blender and blitz briefly. Add the garam masala, salt, coriander, lemon juice, and yoghurt and blend again to a smooth paste.

Pour the marinade into a bowl (not metal) and turn the chicken pieces in it until completely coated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Sauce

While the chicken marinates, make the sauce. Put the tomatoes in a large pan and cook them gently without water for about 20 minutes until completely soft.

Push the tomatoes through a fine sieve into a clean pan, leaving the skins and seeds behind. Simmer the tomato juice for about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened.

Stir in the butter and a little salt, and continue cooking over medium heat for a further 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Stir in the cream, warm through, taste, and set aside.

Frying and assembly

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Lift the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon — reserve the marinade. Fry the chicken over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Pour in the marinade, increase the heat, and fry, stirring frequently, for a further 12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the marinade has released its fat.

Reduce the heat and pour the tomato sauce over the chicken. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes so the flavours come together.

Arrange the chicken on a serving dish, drizzle over the cream, and garnish with coriander sprigs. Serve with naan.

Notes

Active time about 15 minutes plus 3 hours marinating. The sauce takes about 1½ hours to reduce, so start it as soon as the chicken goes into the refrigerator.

Thighs give a juicier result than breast fillet and hold up better to the long frying — choose them if you can.

The sauce can be made a day ahead and keeps well in the refrigerator. It often improves after resting overnight.