Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhni)
The name of this dish stems from the amount of clarified butter (or ghee) used in creating the base. I've cut back from 5 to 1 tablespoons, making this a creamy tomato-based mild curry, made richer with the addition of blanched almonds. Blend the
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup (80 g) blanched almonds
- 4 cardamom pods lightly crushed
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala*
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cloves ground
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ¾ inch (2 cm) piece of ginger grated
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ⅔ cup (170 ml) thick plain yogurt
- 14 oz (400 g) chopped tomatoes
- 2 lb (4 oz/1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1-5 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter**
- 1 large onion finely minced
- 6 tablespoons cilantro leaves*** finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons heavy double cream or coconut cream
Instructions
- Finely chop the almonds or process into a fine powder in a food processor. Grind the cardamom pods, salt, garam masala, chili powder, cloves, and cinnamon together in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Put the almonds, spices, ginger, garlic, yogurt, and tomatoes together into a blender and pulse together until a smooth paste forms.
- Rinse, pat dry, and cut the chicken thighs into large pieces. Place in a medium bowl, pour the marinade over the chicken pieces, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place a deep, heavy dutch oven or oven-safe frying pan over medium heat and melt the ghee. Add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and lightly browned. Add the chicken pieces and all the marinade, continue frying another 2 minutes. Mix in the chopped fresh cilantro and heavy cream and transfer the pan to the oven.
- Bake the chicken for 1 hour. If the top begins to brown too much, cover the pan with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes. The extra oil will rise to the top and can be skimmed off with a spoon before serving.
- Serve with rice and naan to mop up the richly-flavored sauce.
Notes
*Garam masala can be purchased pre-made or blended at home. The translation is "warming spice mix" and Food of India gives a garam masala recipe involving:
8 cardamom pods, 2 cassia leaves, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 2 inch (5 cm) cinnamon stick, and 1 teaspoon cloves. Grind with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle until a fine powder is reached, store in an airtight container. Makes 3 tablespoons.
**The original recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of ghee. Feel free to cut this amount down to a lower quantity if desired. Depending on the pan you use, you can likely use only 1 tablespoon of ghee to cook the onions until softened and browned.
***If you number among the people who cannot enjoy the taste of cilantro, feel free to leave this out.
8 cardamom pods, 2 cassia leaves, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 2 inch (5 cm) cinnamon stick, and 1 teaspoon cloves. Grind with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle until a fine powder is reached, store in an airtight container. Makes 3 tablespoons.
**The original recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of ghee. Feel free to cut this amount down to a lower quantity if desired. Depending on the pan you use, you can likely use only 1 tablespoon of ghee to cook the onions until softened and browned.
***If you number among the people who cannot enjoy the taste of cilantro, feel free to leave this out.