Butter chicken is an amazing Indian dish that can go by a few different names depending on the region and language in India where you find it. When I was in Chennai years ago for work, one of my colleagues handed me the menu in our hotel restaurant and asked me to pick something out for him. I recognized “Murgh Makhani” from one of the packet mixes my spouse has used at home and ordered it. Of course the restaurant version was richer and more amazing than any packet mix could ever hope to replicate. (Though no shade to the home cooks using the mixes, because the made-from-scratch version takes quite a bit longer.)

If you have about an hour and a half to focus on making some great butter chicken, try this version. My spouse loves this recipe, which they got from An Invitation to Indian Cooking: 50th Anniversary Edition by Madhur Jaffrey, 2023. Jaffrey based her recipe on one that was served at the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi that used whole pieces of bone-in tandoori chicken. I’ve used boneless breasts and thighs to help simplify some of the steps, though feel free to make adjustments to suit your taste.

I’ve also suggested adding cream below. It’s not in the version in the photo above, though most restaurants seem to add it. Cream will soften the heat level as well. This dish has about a medium heat level without cream, so that’s something else to factor into your choice.

2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stick of cinnamon, 2½– 3 inches, broken up
Seeds from 6 whole cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 hot dried red pepper (or more, as and if desired), crumbled
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 ounces (2 cups) canned tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons lightly salted butter
Optional: cream

In a food processor, combine the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, red pepper and 3 tablespoons water. Blend until you have a smooth paste. (If you have a spice grinder, that can be a more efficient way to grind the dried spices, then use an immersion blender on the onions, garlic, and ginger.)

Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped chicken pieces and brown them quickly (about a minute on each side). Remove with a slotted spoon. You can brown the chicken in multiple batches to avoid overcrowding your pan.

Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the spice paste. Stir-fry the paste for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to keep it from sticking.

Add the tomato sauce, ¾ cup water, and the salt. Bring to a boil. Cover. Turn heat to very low and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring every 6 or 7 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces to the pot as well as any juices that may have collected. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir gently every 5 or 6 minutes to avoid sticking and burning.

Cut the butter into 4 pats. Take the chicken off the heat. Drop in the pats of butter and stir them in gently. If you want a creamier butter chicken, add a little cream and stir it in a little at a time until you like the consistency.

Serve with rice or naan. For vegetable, you can try this Bhindi Masala recipe with okra.