Murgh Makhani
One of India's best-loved chicken dishes. It comes from Delhi and is known for its smooth, creamy tomato sauce with butter, cream and warm Indian spices. A recipe with plenty of flavour, just like at a good Indian restaurant.
Method
Five steps · at least 30 minutes of marinatingMarinate the chicken
Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger and spices. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir them into the marinade. Leave for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
Fry the chicken
Fry the chicken in a little oil over high heat until it has a good colour. It does not need to be cooked through yet. Set it aside.
Make the sauce
Melt the butter in a pot and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and ginger, then stir in the tomato purée and spices. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Make it creamy
Blend the sauce smooth with a hand blender. Add the cream, sugar and kasoori methi, and season with salt.
Finish the chicken
Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer until it is cooked through, about 8–10 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. Serve with basmati rice, garlic naan, fresh coriander and a spoonful of yoghurt or a little extra cream.
Our tips
Kasoori methi gives that typical restaurant flavour. Rub the leaves between your hands before adding them.
Do not skimp too much on the butter and cream. This is, after all, a butter chicken.
Use a grill pan or high heat for the chicken, so that it gets a slightly charred surface.
Let the tomato sauce simmer a little longer if you have time. The flavours become rounder and deeper.
A lighter version
Fewer calories, same dishReduce the butter from 50 g to 15 g.
Use cooking cream, 15%, instead of whipping cream. Simmer gently after adding it, so that it does not split.
Use chicken breast instead of thigh, and take it out as soon as it is cooked through.
Use natural yoghurt, 2%, in the marinade, and fry the chicken in 1 tsp of oil.
With all the swaps, about 360 kcal per portion instead of about 610 kcal (estimate). The sauce gets a little less rich.
- Energy
- about 610 kcal
- Protein
- about 37 g
- Fat
- about 45 g
- Carbohydrates
- about 13 g
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