Craving butter rooster that truly tastes just like the one you like consuming out? This model is creamy, daring in flavour, and comes collectively with no fuss.


Butter rooster has a fame for being difficult, however I’m right here to inform you it doesn’t must be! This recipe retains all of the wealthy, smoky, restaurant-style flavour we love, with no need to spend hours within the kitchen or use buckets of cream and butter. The rooster stays juicy, the gravy seems velvety, and also you’ll in all probability wish to wipe each final drop off the plate with some naan.
What makes it additional enjoyable is how easy the method of creating this murgh makhani truly is. A fast marinade, a great sear, after which all the things simmers in that luscious tomato-cashew sauce till it’s deep, daring, and comforting.
Jump to part: Butter Chicken
Ingredients To Make Butter Chicken
To begin with, right here’s what you’ll must marinate rooster for the butter rooster masala:


- Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) – Juicy and tender, good for holding flavour.
- Hung curd or Greek yogurt – Acts as a tenderiser and helps the spices stick.
- Spices – Kashmiri chilli powder (for color, not an excessive amount of warmth), coriander powder, turmeric, and garam masala for heat.
- Ginger-garlic paste – A basic base that provides depth.
- Salt – To season and stability all the things.


- Oil + butter – The stability of richness and lightness within the base.
- Whole spices – Cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves for perfume.
- Dried Kashmiri pink chillies – Add color and flavour with out making it fiery.
- Garlic – For a savoury punch.
- Onion – Used sparingly to stability the sauce with out overpowering.
- Tomatoes – The important physique of the makhani gravy.
- Cashews – For pure creaminess with no need an excessive amount of fats.
- Red chilli powder – Just a little warmth and color.
- Ketchup – A contact of sweet-tangy stability (belief me, it really works).
- Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – The magic ingredient that offers butter rooster its distinctive flavour.
- Salt – To style.
- Fresh cream – Stirred in on the finish for that luscious end.
Recipe Tip
If you don’t have cashews, be at liberty to substitute with blanched almonds (almonds soaked in water and pores and skin taken off). Cashews and almonds naturally add creaminess to the gravy.
Origins of Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken is an ‘unintentional’ dish. It was developed by Kundal Lal Gujral of the well-known Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi who needed to utilize leftover tandoori rooster. So he would throw in tomatoes, spices and leftover shredded tandoori rooster in a pot and slowly this got here to be referred to as ‘butter rooster’ or rooster makhani or murgh makhani.
Now it’s one of the common and cherished Indian dishes the world over. A restaurant favorite, however in case you ask an Indian, it’s in all probability a ‘big day’ dish at residence.
Step by Step Butter Chicken Recipe
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of this straightforward rooster curry. It’s a extremely easy dish that truly doesn’t take an excessive amount of time or effort to recreate at residence.
Marinating Chicken


Start by mixing all of the components below marinade and including the rooster to it.
Mix effectively, cowl and put aside for 15-Half-hour whilst you make the gravy.
Making Gravy


Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet or pan. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, entire pink chilies and garlic. Saute for a minute or so until aromatic.
Add onions and saute on excessive warmth for 2-3 minutes until pink and translucent.
Add tomatoes and cashew nuts. Mix as soon as, scale back the flame to a simmer and canopy and prepare dinner for 10-Quarter-hour until the tomatoes begin breaking down and changing into barely pulpy. Switch off the flame. Let the combination cool utterly.


Once the combination is cool, switch to a blender or liquidiser, and mix until clean.
Transfer the puree again to the pan. Add chilli powder, ketchup, salt and 1/4 cup water. Bring this to a boil. Reduce the flame to low, and canopy and prepare dinner for 20-25 minutes. The color of gravy will change because it cooks and change into a deep orange


Gently stir the gravy to include all of the masalas.
Skewer the marinated rooster and hold them able to prepare dinner.
Cooking rooster


In one other pan, warmth a tablespoon of oil. Add the rooster items and sear them on all sides for 2-3 minutes on excessive warmth, until theres a char on them. Remove them from the pan and put aside.
Or
Preheat your air fryer after which air fry at 190C for five minutes. We wish to prepare dinner the rooster partially as a result of it’ll proceed to prepare dinner within the gravy.
Making Butter Chicken


Add the rooster items and simmer for 10 minutes.


Stir within the kasuri methi and recent cream.
Smoking Butter Chicken


Naturally orange gravy
I’ve to forewarn you about this. If you’ve at all times had reddish butter rooster gravy, it’s due to meals color. The butter rooster gravy is of course orange-ish due to the tomatoes and the spices.
This recipe makes numerous sauce or gravy, so you may at all times reserve some for later. Use the identical makhani gravy so as to add tofu, paneer, cauliflower and so on. That butter rooster sauce is sooo good!
Richa’s Top Tips
- Don’t skip the marinade – It makes positive each piece of rooster is flavourful throughout.
- Thighs over breasts – Chicken thighs keep juicy even after simmering within the sauce, in contrast to breasts which may dry out.
- Use cashews within the gravy – They add creaminess with no need heaps of butter or cream.
- Go sluggish with the tomatoes – Cooking them down effectively provides the gravy its pure sweetness and deep color.
- Kasuri methi is a should – That little pinch of dried fenugreek is what makes it style actually “restaurant-style.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Neither excessive, it’s all about stability. The tomatoes give pure sweetness, the spices add heat, and kasuri methi ties it collectively. A very good butter rooster ought to be creamy, savoury, and gently spiced, not overly candy or fiery sizzling.
Yes! The sauce is so good you may swap the rooster for paneer, tofu, mushrooms, and even roasted cauliflower. Just prepare dinner the substitute individually and add it to the gravy the identical method you’d add the rooster.
You can use milk, half-and-half, and even coconut cream for a dairy-free twist. Cashews (already within the recipe) additionally assist hold the sauce creamy, so that you received’t miss out on that velvety texture.
Storage Tips
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for two–3 days. Reheat gently on the range with a splash of water or cream to deliver the sauce again to life.
- Freezer: The gravy (with out cream) freezes superbly for as much as 3 months. Just thaw in a single day, reheat, and stir in recent cream earlier than serving.
- Make forward: You can marinate the rooster a day prematurely and hold it within the fridge. The gravy may also be cooked and refrigerated for two–3 days. Combine them once you’re able to eat.
Serving Ideas
Butter rooster is all about that wealthy, velvety sauce, which implies it deserves the right sides. Here are some recipes from the weblog that go superbly with it:
Customisation Ideas
- Make it vegetarian – Swap the rooster for paneer, tofu, mushrooms, or cauliflower. The sauce is so good it really works with something.
- Dial up the spice – Add extra chilli powder or a few recent inexperienced chillies in case you prefer it sizzling.
- Lighten it up – Use much less butter and cream, or go together with milk and cashews for a lighter model.
- Go dairy-free – Try coconut cream as a substitute of recent cream for a scrumptious twist.
- Smoky shortcut – If you don’t wish to do the charcoal smoke step, use smoked paprika for a fast flavour increase.


Butter rooster is a type of dishes that feels fancy however is definitely so doable at residence. With a fast marinade, a creamy tomato-cashew gravy, and that little kasuri methi magic, you’ve acquired a curry that’s wealthy, comforting, and tastes similar to your favorite restaurant model.
It’s versatile sufficient to be a weeknight dinner and spectacular sufficient for a cocktail party. Scoop it up with naan, pour it over rice, or sneak spoonfuls straight from the pan (no judgment).
Tried it out? Tag me on Instagram @my_foodstory, I’d like to see your butter rooster bowls and spreads!
Watch Butter Chicken Recipe Video
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Start by mixing all of the components below marinade and including the rooster to it. Mix effectively, cowl and put aside for 15-Half-hour whilst you make the gravy.
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For the gravy, warmth 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet or pan. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, entire pink chilies and garlic. Saute for a minute or so until aromatic. Add onions and saute on excessive warmth for 2-3 minutes until pink and translucent. Add tomatoes and cashew nuts. Mix as soon as, scale back the flame to a simmer and canopy and prepare dinner for 10-Quarter-hour until the tomatoes begin breaking down and changing into pulpy.
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Switch off the flame. Cool utterly and switch to a blender or liquidiser, and mix until clean.
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In one other pan, warmth a tablespoon of oil. Add the rooster items and sear them on all sides for 2-3 minutes on excessive warmth, until theres a char on them. Remove them from the pan and put aside.
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OR
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Pre warmth your air fryer after which air fry at 190C for five minutes. We wish to prepare dinner the rooster partially as a result of it’ll proceed to prepare dinner within the gravy
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Transfer the puree again to the pan, add chilli powder, ketchup, salt and 1/4 cup water. Bring this to a boil. Reduce the flame to low, and canopy and prepare dinner for 15-20 minutes. You’ll discover the color of the gravy change to a deep orange.
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Add the rooster items and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir within the kasuri methi and recent cream.
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To smoke the rooster, place a small metal bowl (please don’t use plastic) in the midst of the butter rooster whereas it’s nonetheless within the pan. Heat a bit of charcoal or lump coal on an open flame until pink sizzling after which place it within the bowl. Pour a teaspoon of oil or ghee over it, and as quickly because it begins smoking, cowl the pan with a lid. Smoke for 3-4 minutes. Remove the bowl and serve with naan or rice.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless rooster items work greatest. The items ought to be reduce into 1.5 inch dimension. You can even use skinless, bone-in rooster thats reduce into medium sized items
- Tomatoes: Substitute recent tomatoes with a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes. Or use 1 1/2 cups Tomato Puree or Tomato Passata
- Garam Masala: I exploit do-it-yourself garam masala, however you may substitute it with any retailer purchased garam masala. Please word that garam masala is totally different from curry powder
- Butter: I like including butter to this dish, however you may substitute it with ghee
- Sweetness from Ketchup: I believe a extremely delicate sweetness in butter rooster is definitely good and it balances the sourness from tomatoes. But be at liberty to cut back or enhance the quantity of ketchup based mostly on what you want.
- History of Butter Chicken: It is claimed that butter rooster was invented by Kundan Lal Gujral of the well-known Moti Mahal chain of eating places, who added leftover cooked tandoori rooster to a tomato gravy, in an try to make use of it and the remaining is historical past. The dish turned actually well-known. It known as Murgh Makhani on their menu. So if there’s a debate, you realize that butter rooster is unquestionably an Indian dish, in contrast to its counterpart Chicken Tikka Masala which was invented within the UK and is spicier and barely totally different.
Calories: 586kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 174mg, Sodium: 615mg, Potassium: 1337mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 3662IU, Vitamin C: 98mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 3mg
