How to make Butter Chicken (Recipe)?

Indian cuisine has charms of its own not only in India but also globally. The spicy gravy, its colour, flavours, and the homely aromatic spices spike up our feel-good emotions. Have you ever met a foreigner who is a greater foodie than you and surely he/she will be in complete awe of Indian cuisine? The first thing that he/she wants to taste and indulge in is Butter chicken and chicken tikka (their accent makes the dish more glamorous).

Butter chicken is an Indian dish. Similarly, it is prone to diversity and thus every other state shall prepare it in its own unique way. Although the origin of Murgh Makhani can be traced back to Delhi.

Just in case you were wondering what is the fuzz about this dish? However, ask the question why shouldn’t I make this dish?

Let’s have faith and you shall easily sail through while preparing butter chicken. Who knows the best Valentine’s gift for your loved one can be an exquisite butter chicken dish which will be wholly and solely prepared by you.

P.S: The path towards anyone’s heart goes through their tummy

Traditional Indian Fat-Rich Butter Chicken Recipe

Ingredients you need for making fat-rich butter chicken are mentioned below:

• Zorabian’s ½ kg – mix boneless chicken (breast & leg). Note: Wash it thoroughly in salt water and drain it well
• Marinade:
  • 2 tsp of ginger paste
  • Garlic paste
  • 1 tsp of green chilli paste
  • 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp of dhania
  • Jeera powder
  • 1/2 tsp of roasted Kasturi methi
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • ¼ tsp of black salt
  • ¼ tsp of garam masala
  • 1 tsp of lemon juice
  • ½ cup of hung curd
  • 2 tbsp of mustard oil
• Gravy
  • 2-3 medium-size onions blanched and make into a paste
  • 3-4 medium-size tomatoes blanched and made into a puree
  • Khada Garam Masala
    • 1 long piece of Dalchini
    • 4-5 pieces of cloves
    • 2-3 pieces of green cardamom
    • 4-5 pieces of black peppercorns
    • 1-2 pieces of bay leaves
    • 2 tbsp of ginger garlic paste
    • 2-3 pcs of green chillies finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp of Kashmiri red chilli powder
    • 1 tbsp of spicy red chilli powder
    • 1 tbsp of dry coconut powder
    • 2 tbsp of dhania powder
    • 1 tsp of jeera powder
    • 1 tbsp of roasted Kasturi methi powder
    • 1 tbsp of salt
    • ½ tsp of Haldi powder
    • ¼ tsp of garam masala
    • ¼ tsp of cardamom powder
    • 2-3 tbsp of oil
    • 2 tbsp of Butter
    • 2 tbsp of fresh cream
    • 2 tbsp of cashew nut paste
    • 1 tbsp of Mawa
    • ½ cup of milk
    • 1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander for garnishing

Step by Step process:

• Grill marinated boneless chicken on a slow charcoal fire. After that sauté it in a pan on low flame, or bake it in an oven @ 180 °C. (Turning the pieces occasionally & do not cook them fully or else they will become dry). After that, keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add whole dalchini (Cinnamon), clove, cardamom, black pepper, and bay leaves & stir fry for a few minutes on medium flame. Add onion paste & stir cook well till it turns light golden brown.
• Add ginger, garlic paste, green chillies, salt, Kashmiri red chilli powder, dhania & jeera powder, Kasturi methi, garam masala, spicy red chilly powder, dry coconut powder, Haldi powder & stir cook well for approx. 15 – 20 mins. On medium flame add water occasionally, till it gets mixed well with onion paste. In addition, insert tomato puree & simmer cook for approx, 5-6 minutes on low flame.
• Add shredded chicken pieces & continue to cook for approx. 1-2 mins. Add cashew nut paste, & continue to cook for approx. 3-4 mins. Add butter, some fresh cream, milk, mawa & cook for 1-2 min. to get a super awesome murgh makhani
• Place the Murgh Makhani in a bowl, garnish with coriander, and top it with a ring of fresh cream & butter. Serve it hot with tasty parathas for that heavenly experience.

Chef Recommendation:
Burn a pack of coal on a gas flame red hot, place it in a steel container, place the container at the centre of the vessel of gravy, pour some ghee on the hot coal & cover the gravy with a lid for approx. ½ min to get that smoky aroma in the gravy

• Serve it with some naans, rotis, or parathas.

Finally BON APPETITE! In other words, just indulge guilt-free.

Butter Chicken is highly customizable, you can do all the pretty garnishing, add spice to taste nice, and even apply your granny or mummy’s secret garam masala recipe.

Caution:
Chicken filled with melting butter is for those who want to splurge and put on some calories.

For those fitness freaks who can’t afford to put on unwanted calories. Similarly, for those whose, each day is a training day. People care about the quality of the chicken, so just cut the clutter and trust the better which is Zorabian antibiotic-free chicken. There is a low-fat murgh makhani alternative.

Low-Fat Butter Chicken Recipe:

It isn’t as rich as the original, you shall surely miss the floating butter melt. But you shall get a taste of the core butter chicken without the guilt of putting too many calories.

Ingredients you need for making low-fat butter chicken are mentioned below:

• Zorabian half Kilo raw chicken packet
• Sliced 4 large onions
• 2-3 pcs of Cinnamon sticks
• 4 pcs of cloves (laung)
• 2 pcs of Tej Patta or bay leaves
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 pcs of Cardamom
• 5-6 large red tomatoes
• Salt to suit your taste
• 1/2 tsp of red chilli
• Cashew nut paste or more if you want it really spicy
• 1/2 tsp of coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp of Haldi a.k.a turmeric
• 3-4 pcs of green chillies (slit from the middle and de-seeded)
• Use Fresh coriander for garnishing
• 1/4 cup yoghurt a.k.a. curd
• 2 tsp of oil

Step by Step process to make low-fat chicken

• Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan (not too much, because the chicken will be dripping with oil).
• Toss in the onion, cinnamon, tej paste, cardamom, and garlic paste, sliced into long slices. In addition, it should be sautéed in oil until the onion is slightly golden.
• Turn off the gas and let the onions cool. When they’re cold enough to handle, churn/blend everything together with the diced tomatoes. Along with the curd/yoghurt until you have a smooth paste.
• Note: Do not wash the pan in which the onions were fried previously.
• Now, in the same pan, cook the chicken in the onion oil that was left behind.
• Add the onion, tomato/curd paste, and salt and pepper to taste after the chicken is almost done.
• Add salt, red chilli, coriander powder, Haldi, and green chillies to taste.
• Finally, heat the chicken until the oil separates from the chicken and floats to the top.
• By now, the tomatoes should have led to the formation of lovely red colour.
• Before serving, garnish it with coriander. Eat it with chapati or Rotis.

Butter chicken encapsulates the essence of India and its rich cultural heritage travelling through different states and different generations. Savour the moment and capture it in your memory forever. In other words, the hassle of preparing butter chicken and then eating it with your loved ones is truly a hassle cherishing.