Madhur Jaffrey’s Butter Chicken Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 3, 2024 • 3 min read
In this North Indian dish, the chicken is cooked twice: First, it’s roasted “tandoori-style,” only without the tandoor (a large vat-shaped clay oven that reaches extremely high temperatures). To simulate a tandoor, Madhur preheats the oven to its highest temperature—500 or 550 degrees Fahrenheit for most models—and cooks the meat in smaller pieces (legs, breasts, etc.). Once the chicken has been cooked in the oven, it is simmered in a rich sauce made of butter, cream, and tomato. If you don’t have the time to do both parts of this recipe, don’t let that deter you; store-bought tandoori-style chicken works just as well here. Serve it with rice or naan for a hearty dinner.
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What Is Butter Chicken?
Indian butter chicken (murgh makhani) consists of pieces of tandoori chicken simmered in a tangy, creamy tomato sauce. Madhur’s version is flavored by her homemade garam masala and roasted cumin powder. This staple of Indian restaurants all over the world is best served with a warm piece of naan bread, chapati, or roti, or steamed basmati rice.
Legend has it that butter chicken comes from pre-partition India in Peshawar, where it was invented by a man named Kundan Lal Gujral—who is also credited with inventing tandoori chicken. Gujral found that his signature tandoori chicken—made by marinating skinless chicken in plain yogurt and spices before roasting it in a traditional clay tandoor oven—dried out as it hung unsold above the heat of the ovens all day. So, he came up with a plan: To avoid wasting the precious spiced chicken, they’d serve the meat in a silky tomato gravy with butter and cream, which would infuse it with moisture and make its spicy flavors softer and more subtle.
3 Tips for Making Butter Chicken
Like chicken tikka masala, the best butter chicken is a harmonious combination of fresh tomato flavor and a multidimensional warmth built from fresh ginger, garam masala, and green chilies. The sauce gains body from both heavy cream and butter—working with these two ingredients in mind will ensure a velvety smooth result.
- 1. Make it vegetarian or dairy-free. The butter chicken sauce, or makhani, makes a flavorful base for just about any protein you’d like. While tandoori chicken is traditional, the dish can be made vegetarian by using cubes of fried tofu, as well. To make it dairy-free, use coconut milk in place of the heavy cream.
- 2. Prepare the dish up to one day ahead. For an even easier assembly, combine the tomato sauce, cream, and spices ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use. Before serving, let the dish come to room temperature before incorporating the butter into the sauce over gentle heat, and then adding the chicken.
- 3. To prevent separation, fold in the butter at the last minute. Cooking the butter-and-cream sauce for too long will break the emulsion. Wait until you’re ready to serve to heat the cream mixture in the melted butter.
Madhur Jaffrey’s Butter Chicken Recipe
makes
prep time
15 mintotal time
45 mincook time
30 minIngredients
- 1
Combine the tomato paste and water in a large glass measuring cup. Whisk to combine, then add the ginger, heavy cream, garam masala, salt, sugar, green chili, cayenne, cilantro, lemon juice, and cumin. Stir well to incorporate.
- 2
In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the tomato-cream mixture. Bring to a simmer, and sauté for a minute or so, stirring to combine with a rubber spatula.
- 3
Add the chicken to the pan. Turn it often so that it becomes coated in the sauce. To serve, transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and spoon extra sauce over the top.
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