Makhni Chicken -The Real Butter Chicken

Published: May 10, 2021 · Modified: Dec 23, 2024 by Izzah Khan · 178 Comments

This dish is NOT your traditional Butter Chicken. This is a Pakistani-style Butter Chicken more popularly known as Chicken or Murg Makhni that's prepared a bit differently than what you get at the restaurant. It's creamy, delicious and continues to be one of my most loved recipes on this blog.

Delicious Makhni chicken that is buttery rich and creamy

What is Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is easily the most popular Indian dish in the world. It's made with tender chicken cooked in a velvety tomato-based curry that is infused with aromatic spices, butter, and cream. It has a silkier mouth-feel with sweeter undertones and traditionally served with fresh naan.

Inspiration behind this Butter Chicken

This recipe is inspired by the Butter Chicken I've eaten in Pakistan. It's normally served as Murg Makhni (Urdu name for Butter Chicken). Although the dish has Indian origins, this preparation is one that you need to give a try. It's rich and creamy, and prepared with minimal spices, yet feels decadent and luxurious.

Difference between Chicken Makhni and and Butter Chicken

In theory, it's one and the same. "Makhni" is an Urdu word that literally means "buttery. It's derived from the word "Makhan" which means butter. However, taste wise, this recipe hits completely different and in fact doesn't taste anything like the Butter Chicken you get at Indian restaurants. It's creamy, delicately spiced with none of the sweet undertones of the Butter Chicken you get in the market. You'll find me calling this Chicken Makhni frequently more than Butter Chicken as a way to differentiate its flavor profile.

Why you will love my Chicken Makhni

Balance of spices: My Butter Chicken does not have any sweet undertone to it that is very common in the dishes you get at most restaurants.
No chopping needed: The recipe uses no onions (no more crying over onions!) and many followers have reported that they make this in 30 minutes.
Star dish: 100s of my followers on Instagram make this for family dinners. It's truly tried and tested by my Instagram community!

Delicious Pakistani Makhni chicken that is buttery rich and creamy

You may ask yourself, well you can just take out the sugar from Butter chicken and you're done, right? Well, not really. Chicken Makhni is different and you'll just have to trust me on this. Since I posted this recipe on my Instagram , it has received almost half a million views. SO many of my followers have tried and loved this Chicken Makhni and so many continue to send me their recreations every single day (just read the reviews on this post). It really makes my day. You can follow me on @rookiewithacookie to get my recipes as soon as I create them.

Tips to make the best Butter Chicken

Meat: Use Chicken Thighs because that's the most forgiving cut of chicken. It stays moist and juicy during the entire cooking process which is needed to cook the masala. If you must use chicken breast, then let the masala cook till step 4 in the recipe card until the oil has separated, then add chicken and let it cook on medium heat for 10 mins. Follow it up with the final touches.
Canned tomatoes: My recipe calls for whole peeled tomatoes from a can because they're juicier and have the brightest red color. I puree 3-4 tomatoes from the can for 1 lb of chicken.
Cream: I only recommend heavy cream because it not only makes the dish creamy but also adds an instant thickness. Milk and half-and half have too much water content which will only counter all the hard work we put in getting the oil to separate.

How to Make Chicken Makhni

Ingredients:

¼-1/3 cup oil
1 lb chicken thighs
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
Spice blend: ¾ teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ⅛ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup lightly beaten yogurt
3 tomatoes, pureed without skin (use canned whole peeled tomatoes and blend)
½ cup cream
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon butter

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken until it changes color.
Then, add salt and ginger garlic paste.
Once the chicken is coated, add the spices and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Next, add yogurt and mix for another two minutes. Puree the tomatoes and add them to the pan. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil, then cover and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and cook on high heat until the water evaporates and the oil separates.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add heavy cream, black pepper, and slit green chilies.
Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Finish off with butter and fenugreek leaves for fragrance. Serve hot with naan