Murgh Makhani

Adapted from the lovely cookbook “Curry Cuisine”, this recipe is the authentic re-creation of one of my favorite Indian dishes, “butter chicken”. When ordered at Indian restaurants in the United States, chicken makhani always leaves me feeling uncomfortably full, and frustrated by the overcooked chicken. The trick to this recipe is grilling the chicken only ~halfway and then briefly letting it finish cooking as it simmers in the sauce. This will remain a favorite recipe of mine for years (hence it merits a blog post so I can find the recipe again). To be perfectly honest, the chicken marinated and grilled, but without the sauce, is equally delicious if you don’t have the additional spices/time. Make sure that you use high quality garam masala. We always seem to have some from India on hand, but since that isn’t always feasible, look at ethnic and Indian grocery stores.

2 t ginger paste
3-4 cloves fresh minced garlic
2 t salt
3 t chili powder
juice of 1 lemon
1 3/4 lb boned chicken thighs, skinned and cut in half
3 1/2 oz plain, Greek-style yogurt
1 t ground garam masala

For the sauce:
2 3/4 lb. tomatoes, cut in half
1-in piece fresh ginger root, crushed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 green cardamom pods
2 cloves
1 cinnamon leaf or bay leaf
1 1/2 T Kashmiri chili powder
1/2 stick butter, cut into small pieces
1-in piece fresh ginger root, finely chopped
2 green chilies, quartered lengthwise (fresh from my school’s community garden, these were quite delicious)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 t salt
1 t ground dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 t ground garam masala

For the marinade:
Mix together ginger paste, garlic, salt, chili powder, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the room temperature chicken, and using your hands, thoroughly rub the chicken with the marinade. Set aside for at least 20 minutes (we set ours aside for a few hours). 10 minutes before grilling, mix the yogurt with the garam masala and apply to the marinated chicken.

Put a rack on the grill and heat the grill and rack. Cook the chicken on the rack, turning occasionally to cook evenly on both sides. Take the chicken off the grill when it’s about halfway finished with cooking.

For the sauce:
Place the tomatoes in a pan with ~1/2 cup water and add the crushed ginger, garlic, cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon leaf. Cook until the tomatoes are completely broken down and soft.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly before blending it to make a very smooth purée.

Return the mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the chili powder, but only if you do not find a bite of the cooked chicken with marinade too spicy. Cook until the purée starts to thicken, and then incorporate the butter only ~2 slices at a time, stirring constantly.

Once the sauce becomes glossy, add the chicken and simmer for 5-6 minutes. As the sauce begins to thicken, add the chopped ginger, slit green chilies, and cream. Continue simmering until the sauce is thick enough to coat the chicken.

Remove from heat before the fat separates. Add salt, ground fenugreek, and garam masala and mix well.

Voila! This will be better than any restaurant’s chicken makhani, and will fill your kitchen with the most appetizing smell. Serve with rice or hot naan (also found at the Indian grocery store, or easily homemade).