This is the best chicken makhani (butter chicken) I have ever eaten. Bar none. Can you tell I love cilantro?
A post from Carolyn. The various types of chicken curry I’ve eaten, that I’ve made myself and/or really enjoyed out, include khorma, butter and makhani, plus an old recipe I used to make from Dinah Shore (it’s here on my blog too), as it was an early iteration of curry that I made in my early cooking years, called Chicken Curry Without Worry. Perhaps they’re one in the same, just by different names; I’m not enough of an expert of Indian cuisine to know. But this recipe, which may become my all-time favorite and will be made in my kitchen with regularity from here on, is just so stunning in flavor.
The original recipe for this came from one online, and my daughter-in-law Karen’s sister Janice sent it to me (thanks again, Janice). She made a few changes to it, and when I made it; I did too. Again, not because I’m an expert at Indian recipes (for surely, I am not). A couple of ingredients I didn’t have in my pantry – curry leaves and fresh serrano chiles (just didn’t want to make a trip to the store for those). Janice’s husband is Indian. Actually he’s British, but has Indian heritage, so their family make and eat a lot of Indian food. Janice has become a really good Indian cook (though she’s not Indian at all). She introduced me to methi, which are fenugreek leaves. Not the seeds/pods, but the leaves. Methi chicken will often appear on Indian restaurant menus. And it’s a unique flavor; something I like.
This iteration of chicken curry relies on a huge variety of herbs and spices, used in different ways. First, there’s a yogurt-based marinade that includes ginger and garlic (such huge standards of Indian cooking), garam masala, turmeric, cumin, chile powder (and I used Kashmiri). A side note here, Kashmiri chile powder may not be something you’ll find at the grocery store. I bought mine on amazon (see link). Kashmiri chile is mild – and imparts a really red color, more red than some chile powders. It doesn’t have much heat. But it does have some, so don’t be misled that you can add a lot and not heat up the dish.
Chicken thighs were what I used – though you can use breasts if you’d prefer – just don’t cook it as long. I removed some fat from them, then cut them up into bite-sized pieces. The more surface available for flavor is what I was looking for. Into a ziploc bag went all of the marinade (yogurt, etc.) then I added the chicken. The practical part of using a plastic bag for this is you can smoosh the bag to get all those flavors all over the chicken pieces. Just move, squeeze, smoosh away. Into the frig for several hours (I did about 6 hours – but you can do overnight too) before beginning the cooking of the curry.
The sauce: the chicken pieces are added to a medium hot skillet to brown (with oil and butter first) and turned to get some good dark brown crust. Then onions are added plus more garlic and fresh ginger, then a plethora of additional spices. And some canned crushed tomatoes, more Kashmiri chile powder too and CREAM. Oh yes, the cream. An integral part of chicken curry in my book. The mixture is simmered briefly, then the chicken is added back in and simmered some more. Don’t let it get dry – add water if needed. That simmering time gives those flavors an opportunity to bloom throughout the sauce.
Meanwhile, I made a batch of rice in my Instant Pot (so easy — 2 cups rice, 2 1/2 cups water, 1 tsp salt; pressure for 3 minutes, rest for 10 and it’s done to perfection). That’s the recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. Into that bowl it went with a couple of spoonsful of the curry on top and some chopped cilantro. That was dinner. Since my granddaughter Taylor has moved back home, I’ve been making a few things that I knew she didn’t like – specifically curry!
What’s GOOD: everything minute thing about this dish was fantastic. Can’t use enough superlatives here. Full of flavors – you can’t pick them out, just a beautiful homogenous sauce with abundant flavor.
What’s NOT: only if you don’t like curry or spices (several of my friends do not). Oh well, more for me!!
printer-friendly PDF and MasterCook file (click link to open recipe)
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Chicken Makhani
Recipe By: Adapted from an online recipe
Servings: 8
MARINADE:
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs — or breasts, if preferred
2/3 cup plain yogurt — full or 2%
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh ginger — very finely minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
1 teaspoon salt
SAUCE:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter — or ghee
2 large onions — coarsely chopped
3 whole garlic cloves — minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger — very finely minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
28 ounces crushed tomatoes, canned
1 1/2 teaspoons Kashmiri chile powder
2 teaspoons salt — or more if needed
3 whole curry leaves — optional
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon kasoori methi — (dried fenugreek leaves)
4 tablespoons cilantro — chopped, for garnish
1. In a large plastic Ziploc bag, mix all the ingredients in the marinade – squeeze the mixture in the bag until you cannot see any streaks of spices or yogurt, then add the chicken, cut up into bite-sized pieces. Squish the bag several times to distribute the marinade throughout the chicken; allow chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or up to overnight.
2. Heat half of the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces (including the sticky yogurt marinade on the chicken) in several batches, making sure to not crowd the pan. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes maximum, just until the chicken is browned some. Remove chicken and continue browning remaining chicken. The chicken is not fully cooked here, but will finish cooking in the sauce. Some of the yogurt marinade will stick to the pan, scrape it loose and leave it in the pan.
3. Heat remaining oil and butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to sweat, about 5 minutes, scraping any more browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
4. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for one minute until fragrant, then add ground coriander, cumin and garam masala. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
5. Add crushed tomatoes, Kashmiri chili powder and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red color.
6. Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to do this in two batches, and add about 3 tablespoons of water (or more) to each batch to allow the thickened mixture to puree.
7. Pour sauce back into the pan. Stir in the cream and crushed kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves). Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook over low heat (simmer) for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Don’t allow the mixture to get dry; if needed add water to keep it more fluid.
8. Instant Pot Rice: 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed, 2 1/2 cups water, 1 tsp salt; pressure for 3 minutes; rest for 10 and it’s done.
8. Serve curry with rice, naan and garnish the curry with chopped cilantro.
Per Serving: 538 Calories; 41g Fat (66.4% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 220mg Cholesterol; 1317mg Sodium; 8g Total Sugars; 1mcg Vitamin D; 124mg Calcium; 2mg Iron; 471mg Potassium; 107mg Phosphorus.
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