Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani)
A Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani) to die for! You'll love the tangy tomato butter sauce with juicy chicken thighs. It's a really great recipe to throw in the freezer and reheat for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner!
Servings: 4
Calories: 401kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 teaspoons cumin, divided
- 2 1/2 teaspoons coriander, divided
- 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder
- 1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (or 3/4 cup plain yogurt)
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped cilantro, garnish
Instructions
- Place chicken thigh pieces in a mixing bowl, add 1 ½ teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, a sprinkle of salt, and some cracked black pepper and toss together until chicken is well coated.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt 1 ½ tablespoons butter.
- Add chicken and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add remaining butter to skillet. Add shallot, garlic and ginger and sauté 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add remaining spices and continue to sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir tomato puree into skillet and lightly season with salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pour tomato mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour sauce back into skillet and simmer over medium-low heat.
- Stir chicken back into skillet, season with salt and pepper and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Stir cream or yogurt into chicken mixture and simmer for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is thick (enough to thoroughly coat chicken) and creamy. Adjust seasonings.
- Top with chopped cilantro and serve over basmati rice, with a side of grilled pita bread.
Video
Notes
Make Ahead and Freezing Our Butter Chicken Recipe
Make Ahead
This dish can be made up to 3 days in advance. To make ahead of time, make recipe until it's time to add the cream or yogurt. Cool mixture and transfer to an airtight container. Store butter chicken in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To reheat, pour chicken mixture into a skillet and lightly simmer over low heat while stirring. Once mixture has heated through, stir in cream or yogurt until evenly combined. Simmer for another minute, adjust seasonings, garnish and serve.
Freezing
To freeze butter chicken, make recipe until it's time to add the cream or yogurt. Cool mixture and transfer to an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat, thaw mixture in the refrigerator overnight. Pour thawed chicken mixture into a skillet and lightly simmer over low heat while stirring. Once mixture has heated through, stir in cream or yogurt until evenly combined. Simmer for another minute, adjust seasonings, garnish and serve.
What to Serve with Butter Chicken
Our favorite things to serve with our butter chicken recipe is a fragrant bed of steamed basmati rice and a side of grilled naan bread. Paratha, a flaky, buttery flatbread is also something we love eating with this dish. Trader Joe's has a great one in their frozen food section that only takes 2 to 3 minutes to heat up on a skillet!
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 396mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1723IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg