🇮🇳 Butter Chicken

Butter chicken was invented in 1950s Delhi as a way to use leftover tandoori chicken. The chicken is simmered in a silky tomato, butter, and cream sauce. Kasuri methi — dried fenugreek leaves — gives it the earthy flavour that defines the dish.

Ingredients

• 800 g Chicken Thighs
• 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
• 1 tbsp Garlic
• 1 tbsp Ginger
• 1 tbsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Chili
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Butter
• 1 Onion
• 400 g Tomato Passata
• 200 ml Cream
• 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi
• 1 tbsp Honey

Method

1. Marinate chicken in yogurt, garlic, ginger, spices, lemon, and salt 30 min.
2. Sear chicken until charred. Set aside.
3. Cook onion in butter. Add garlic, ginger, and spices.
4. Add passata and simmer 10 min. Blend smooth.
5. Stir in cream, butter, honey, and chicken. Simmer 8–10 min.
6. Crush Kasuri Methi and stir in.
7. Garnish with cream and coriander.

History

Butter chicken was invented in the 1950s at Moti Mahal, a restaurant in Daryaganj, Old Delhi, by Kundan Lal Gujral. The story goes that Gujral, faced with leftover tandoori chicken that had dried out, created a sauce of tomatoes, butter, and cream to rehydrate the meat, and the result was so popular that it became a permanent menu item. The dish spread across India and then internationally, and it is now one of the most recognised Indian dishes worldwide. The original Moti Mahal still operates, and butter chicken is arguably the most-ordered Indian dish in restaurants outside India.

The science

The flavour of butter chicken comes from the interaction of several ingredients. The tomatoes provide acidity and sweetness, the butter provides richness, and the cream provides body. But the signature flavour comes from the Kasuri methi — dried fenugreek leaves — which contain compounds that are released when the leaves are crushed between the palms, giving the dish its distinctive earthy, slightly bitter note. The marinating of the chicken in yogurt is also important: the lactic acid in the yogurt tenderises the meat, and the spices in the marinade penetrate more deeply than they would if added at the end. The charring of the chicken before it goes into the sauce adds another layer of flavour — the Maillard reaction creates hundreds of new compounds that plain cooked chicken lacks.

Substitutions

Chicken thighs are preferred for their juiciness, but breast meat works too if you are careful not to overcook it. For a vegetarian version, use paneer, cauliflower, or a mix of vegetables, roasted before going into the sauce. The cream can be replaced with coconut cream for a dairy-free version — the flavour will be slightly different but still excellent. Kasuri methi is essential to the authentic flavour and is available at Indian groceries and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets. If you cannot find it, the dish will still be good, but it will not taste quite right.

Chef's tip

Kasuri Methi is essential — it gives the authentic restaurant flavour.

Drink pairing

Mango lassi or Riesling. The sweetness of a mango lassi balances the richness and spice of the curry, while an off-dry Riesling has enough acidity to cut through the butter and cream without competing with the aromatic spices.