How To Make Butter Chicken At Home
About this recipe
Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, is a beloved dish known for its rich and creamy sauce, packed with spices and flavor. This recipe makes it surprisingly easy to whip up at home with just a few key ingredients.
In this video, Nick's Kitchen shows us how to prepare butter chicken from scratch, starting with a flavorful yogurt marinade that infuses the chicken with depth and character.
Ingredient notes
- Use oil with a high smoke point for cooking the chicken.
Tips from Nick's Kitchen’s video
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear to remove dust and impurities.
- Use the 'Pinky Method' to measure the right amount of water for cooking rice.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 1-2 hours, or overnight for better flavor.
- Cook the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which can cause steaming instead of searing.
Good to know
- How long should I marinate the chicken?
- Marinate the chicken for 1-2 hours, or overnight for better flavor.
- What type of oil should I use for cooking?
- Use oil with a high smoke point to achieve a good sear on the chicken.
- How do I know when the oil is ready for cooking?
- The oil is ready when it starts to shimmer and has dimples in it.
- What should I do if I don't have Kashmiri chili powder?
- The recipe does not mention a substitute for Kashmiri chili powder.
No life story here — the video and the recipe are the whole point. All credit to Nick's Kitchen: watch the original on YouTube.
The recipe
Ingredients
Steps
- 1
Rinse the basmati rice in a glass pot until the water runs clear, then drain it and place it in a rice maker.
- 2
Cover the rice with water using the 'Pinky Method' to measure the right amount of water.
- 3
Prepare the yogurt marinade by combining yogurt, dried fenugreek leaves, Kashmiri chili powder, dried coriander, dried cumin, Garam Masala, ginger-garlic paste, salt, oil, and lemon juice in a bowl.
- 4
Whisk the marinade until it turns a light orange color.
- 5
Cut the chicken into pieces and add it to the marinade, ensuring all pieces are well coated.
- 6
Cover the marinated chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or overnight for better flavor.
- 7
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over high heat and add enough oil to cover the bottom.
- 8
Once the oil is shimmering, add the marinated chicken pieces in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan.
- 9
Press down on the chicken with a heavy object to achieve a nice sear, then cook for about a minute before flipping the pieces over.
- 10
Sear the other side of the chicken until golden brown, but do not cook all the way through.
Heads up — we had to guess a little:
- The quantity of oil is inferred based on typical cooking practices for high-heat frying.
Credit where it’s due: this recipe was transcribed from Nick's Kitchen’s original video on YouTube. Follow them there — it’s their dish.
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