Delhi, India, 1950. Moti Mahal restaurant, Daryaganj. Kundan Lal Gujral (who invented tandoor chicken) and later his descendent Kundan Lal Jaggi created the sauce to use leftover tandoor chicken. The dish spread globally through the Indian diaspora and became the best-known Indian dish internationally.
Murgh Makhani (butter chicken) was invented in 1950 at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi by Kundan Lal Gujral and his disciple Kundan Lal Jaggi. Leftover tandoor-cooked chicken was combined with a tomato-cream-butter sauce to prevent it from drying out. The result was the most internationally exported Indian dish. The sauce — makhani sauce — is simultaneously mild, rich, slightly tangy (from the tomato), and sweet (from the butter and cream). The chicken must be tandoor-style: charred at the surface, tender within.
- Persian fesenjan (walnut and pomegranate chicken — the Persian palace cooking that influenced Mughal cuisine that influenced Delhi cooking); Tikka masala (the British adaptation of butter chicken — slightly tangier, less buttery); Iranian khoresh (slow-cooked, aromatic sauce over rice — the Persian structural parallel).
A dry, off-dry Riesling Spatlese from the Mosel — the slight sweetness buffers the mild chilli heat and matches the tomato-cream richness. Or a cold Kingfisher lager — the Indian beer that has been consumed alongside butter chicken since the dish was invented.
Further training content for this entry is being completed.
- 600 g chicken breast, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 200 g plain yogurt, full-fat
- 30 g ginger-garlic paste
- 8 ml lemon juice
- 4 g garam masala
- 2 g red chili powder
- 2 g turmeric powder
- 2 g ground cumin
- 3 g sea salt
- 40 ml ghee
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 20 g fresh ginger, minced
- 400 g San Marzano DOP tomatoes, crushed
- 120 ml heavy cream
- 8 g fresh cilantro, chopped
- Marinate chicken in 100 g yogurt, 15 g ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, 2 g garam masala, chili powder, 1 g turmeric, and 1.5 g salt for 15 minutes.
- Heat 20 ml ghee in heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat; sear marinated chicken in batches until browned, 3 minutes per batch. Set aside.
- Add remaining 20 ml ghee to pot; cook sliced onion until deep golden, 8 minutes.
- Stir in minced garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add crushed tomatoes, remaining ginger-garlic paste, remaining turmeric, and remaining salt; simmer 8 minutes until tomatoes break down.
- Stir in remaining yogurt and cream; return chicken and any juices to pot; simmer 10 minutes until chicken is tender and sauce is velvety.
- Finish with remaining 2 g garam masala and fresh cilantro.
- Serve hot with basmati rice or naan.
- The moment where butter chicken lives or dies is the butter emulsification. The makhani sauce must be off the heat (maximum 60C) when the cold butter is added. Cut the butter into small dice and add piece by piece while stirring — the butter should melt into the sauce, not float on top as a pool of oil. If the sauce is too hot, the butter breaks rather than emulsifying, producing a greasy sauce.