HexClassic Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
What You Need
Ingredients
Preparation
This butter chicken is the kind of comforting, richly spiced dish you’ll want to make again and again. The marinated chicken sears beautifully before simmering in a buttery onion, tomato and cashew sauce, giving the final dish layers of flavor that taste even better the next day. In fact, the leftovers might be the real reward and are perfect for a quick lunch or an effortless second dinner. It is also weeknight-friendly, especially if you marinate the chicken in advance. Serve it with warm naan to scoop up the sauce or a side of steamed basmati rice, plus Indian pickles and raita.
*This recipe originally ran stateside on HexClad.com.
-
Marinate and sear chicken. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, kasuri methi, coriander, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric and 2 teaspoons salt. Whisk to combine, then add chicken thighs and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.
-
Heat a HexClad 4.5QT/4.3 L Hybrid Deep Sauté Pan over high. Add 1 tablespoon oil, and, once smoking, add a third of marinated chicken. Cook without disturbing chicken until slightly charred all over, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean, large bowl; set aside. Repeat in 2 more batches with remaining oil and chicken. If caramelized bits on bottom of pan begin to burn, add ¼ cup/60 ml water before adding next batch of chicken and scrape to loosen. Pour into bowl with seared chicken. Reserve pan.
-
Make sauce. Return pan to medium heat. Add ghee. Once melted, add cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and lightly golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add coriander, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric and a pinch salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
-
Add chili and cashews and cook, stirring occasionally, until cashews are lightly toasted and chili softens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until paste darkens slightly in color, about 1 minute.
-
Add tomatoes and stir to combine. Reduce to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until oils separate from mixture along sides of pan, about 25 minutes.
-
Finish sauce and chicken. Remove pan from heat, let sauce cool slightly, then transfer to a blender carafe. Reserve pan.
-
Blend until smooth, adding a splash of water to loosen sauce if needed.
-
Pour sauce into reserved pan and heat over medium-low. Add chicken and any juices and stir to coat. Simmer until chicken is fully cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in cream and butter. Season with salt.
-
Make raita. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, cilantro, mint, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisk to combine. Sprinkle with a pinch chili powder; set aside.
-
In a small bowl, combine a dollop of yogurt with 1 teaspoon water. Whisk to combine, adding water as needed until thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over butter chicken, then sprinkle with cilantro. Serve hot with Indian pickles, basmati rice and/or naan alongside.
