Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani) - Pai's Kitchen!

There is a very good reason why butter chicken is one of the most loved Indian dishes: it's pretty darn delicious. Succulent marinated chicken steeped in a rich and creamy tomato sauce, fragrant with warm spices. There's actually not much actual butter in it, but there is a ton of cream which is what makes it so indulgent.
I had wanted to make this dish for a long time but never did because for some reason, I felt like it was gonna be a complicated dish. It turned out not to be true at all. Sure, the ingredient list is pretty long, but if you've got a well stocked spice cabinet, you'll have most things already. The best thing is that butter chicken is a very forgiving dish with lots of room to adjust according to your taste, and there is no special technique required.
Here's how I suggest going about this to make it even more effortless: split it into 2 days. You can either marinade the chicken and make the sauce the day before serving (the sauce keeps very well in the fridge or freezer), or marinade and cook the chicken off on day 1, and make the sauce and assemble the next day. I find that with a little planning, it makes this so much easier than trying to do it in one go.
WATCH ALSO: Indian Eggplant Curry (Baingan Bharta): • Indian Eggplant Curry ...
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com
#ThaiFood #ThaiRecipes #AsianRecipes

[@PailinsKitchen]

HELLO LOVELY VIEWERS! Important Note: If you have questions about this recipe, you can post it here for the community to answer. But if you want to ask me, please get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or my website (all links are in the description above). If you leave questions in the comments I may not see them due to the large volume of comments I receive across the hundreds of videos on this channel. Also, before sending on any questions be sure to read the written recipe on the website as I often add extra tips and notes not covered in the video. Thank you for watching!

[@nardoskaros4434]

Pailin's Kitchen, hello the rack to cook the chicken is great idea! Where do I buy and what’s it call ?:) Please respond.

[@transporternr1849]

You are one cool master chef

[@gendaminoru3195]

I'm in love. and the foods pretty nice too :)

[@jamesavdelis6610]

Going to try it, soon as I get the spice that I don't have (cardamom).

[@gabzscooking8131]

kashmiri chili powder gives more colour than heat to dishes

[@susangarland6869]

Hey Pai, you just got a mention by Mandy (Souped Up Recipes) on her Chicken and Broccoli video. She was very complimentary of you and your channel. She's a relatively new, Chinese home cook who's absolutely adorable. You two, along with Chef John at Food Wishes, are my favorite KZbin foodies.

[@annatruong1994]

Pai, I love your cheerful character when you cook, I swear I can just turn on your channel every time I cook, so vibrant and happy :D

[@poojadevdhar]

Best Non-Punjabi rendition for Butter chicken! I love how you didn’t miss the Kasturi methi!

[@pleseem]

naan-punjabi

[@midlifemom5829]

Curious, what is Punjabi rendition? I would like to make that version

[@CardboardBoxed]

@@midlifemom5829 Butter chicken (the masala/base) originated in Punjab (they say north India, but it’s not accurate) and was traditional prepared with paneer (a type of cheese) instead of chicken. Chicken was then added and it became butter chicken. The punjabi variant usually has slightly more spice, but they incorporate butter at the end (that’s why it’s called butter chicken) which mellows the spices making it more mild overall.

[@bollyking]

Put those onions too with the chicken in the oven so they can caramelize and get sweet naturally and than puree them with the tomatoes, ginger and garlic. That will eliminate the need for adding brown sugar. We Indians never add sugar, we let the onions bring sweetness to the party.

[@spookydooky1117]

I love you...pai

[@richardjacobson5236]

what about jagari (not in this dish) but others

[@TootaMagoota]

Did someone say Party?

[@mubarakkaz617]

Richard Jacobson jaggery is mainly added in Karnataka part of South India nd they are the ones who jaggery for every thing (Just Don’t like it) their sambar is sweet when compared to others like I’m from Tamil Nadu nd our Sambar is spicy and more savoury ..

[@5rangtv993]

i agree Satish. Sugar is defiantly not the part of this dish but she might have learned from a restaurant where the do add sugar to control of spiceness becouse some of their customers can't handle strongness of INDIAN spices. She did a good job though.

[@susantipujaswati]

I made this recipe, and the taste exactly when I ate in India, my kids love it!! Thank you for the great recipe.

[@adolfohernandez3395]

Pai, I just love everything about you; your smile, your knowledge, the way you teach, and how encouraged I feel after watching you cook anything and everything.

[@kalilove8153]

Yum!! Always loved butter chicken but always thought it was too complicated to try and make. After watching your tutorial I think I can try it! Thanks Pai!

[@lint2023]

OMG. I'm really drooling over this one. That looks and sounds so good.

[@terryyonashiro3735]

Pailin, Like your enthusiasm and energy when you cook. Thank you for your explanation on the Indian spices and the cooking technique for this dish. Chicken thighs are my favorite because it is very moist.

[@rlsmahatmagandhi3279]

I love your mood and your emotional expresions, all of them. Congrats and thank you for your recipes.

[@abc_cba]

Thank you for celebrating the Asian culture by preparing another Indian dish. Your recipe had a secret most cooks won't tell - "Kasuri Methi" / Dried fenugreek powder. I use only 1 tsp in any curry I prepare and it distinctly changes the flavour of any curry without ever being known . It changes the flavour of any curry and it's pretty cheap. The reason why I subscribed you was because of the simplest way you teach just anything with adequate information wherever necessary. Thanks a lot. I will tell you another secret to give it a punch. Burn a coal ,put it in a small metal bowl , pour a tsp of clarified butter on the burning coal and it will smoke out , just place this smoke on the prepared butter chicken curry for a minute and cover the lid (make sure that the curry and the metal bowl are separated and that the coal doesn't mix in the curry . This will give a smoky flavour to the curry and yeah , add in cinnamon powder in the marinade ,that's another secret most people don't know about

[@ghrayo]

Everyone has it own recipe, but when I do chicken tikka masala or butter chicken I marinate the chicken with fennel seeds, it's delicious and nobody (in Chile) can tell what's that secret flavor

[@MrTwangstaable]

A couple of things about the chicken part, the yoghurt should be hung in a cloth to separate the water so that it's concentrated. The other thing you missed out is a bit of mustard oil in the marinade, this is very essential for a good tandoori chicken. The last thing is you can add half a teaspoon of carom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves crushed. Oh, and a bit of lemon juice, that's important too. That would be a complete tandoori masala :) For the "curry" bit you should fry your ginger garlic first, once the rawness has completely gone, then add half a cup of yoghurt with additional spices (coriander seed powder, cumin seed powder, turmeric powder, red chilly powder of choice, etc but no garam masala yet). The oil must separate completely after the yoghurt is cooked. Then you add your tomato puree. This sequence is standard fare in almost all Indian cooking. Different dishes change the order around but they all are separated in a sequence. After all this simmers for a bit, add the grilled chicken, salt, a tiny bit of nutmeg grated and a tiny bit of mace, and some sugar. Simmer for a bit and then a little garam masala, simmer again and then add the fenugreek dry leaf crushed. For restaurant quality, add a drop of "kewra" essence and simmer for a few mins. Be very careful with Kewra essence, not more than a drop, if it's not a concentrate and it's kwera water version, half a teaspoon is good, it's a very subtle thing. You got most of it right. There is no one way to do it; everybody does it slightly differently. This recipe doesn't need onions, that would make it more of a regular curry, the thing about butter chicken is the tomato korma thing. But if you do add onions you must caramelize the onions by frying between the ginger/garlic and yoghurt stage. I just described one of my versions, I hope you don't mind :) Love your channel, I've learned a lot for you, I love when the host explains things well. A trick to make this recipe insanely good is to smoke it. Burn a two inch piece of coal to the point is glowing red inside, then place it on the fully cooked curry directly and pour two tablespoons of ghee or butter over the coal directly, it'll start to smoke, cover it immediately with an airtight lid, put a weight on it and let it sit for 20 mins. Remove the coal before serving, mix the oil in well with the gravy :) Another thing you can do to increase the richness of the gravy beside cream is to put in some smooth cashew paste between the yoghurt and tomato puree. Best to soak the whole cashews, a fist full will do, in hot water before chopping and then grind it to a paste. Apologies about the long post; but there's there are endless options :)

[@KeetusDiary]

I should say you did justice to the dish.. 👌🏻

[@kjgomes]

Probably one of the best Butter Chicken recipes online, definitely the best one not made by an Indian chef, and better than even some Indian videos. I won't give you any suggestions! You are entitled to be the boss of your own recipe. You nailed all the authentic ingredients though, especially the dried fenugreek.

[@iwouldbechelsea]

I've never had this dish before but it kind of makes me want to try it now that I know what's in it lol. I love how accessible you make these dishes to those of us who are unfamiliar with new culture's foods.

[@putriangel1]

My favorite Indian dish! I too think it must be complicated!!! Thanks for sharing!! Can’t wait to try it in my kitchen!!

[@nigarafandiyeva1190]

The best butter chicken recepy I came across. Thank you! You also have the most cheerful and positive personality. Very enjoyable! 😊

[@soisoi26]

I love Indian food!!!

[@TheHappyangel8]

Chef... very impressive ! Thank you for your teachings ... many steps...well explained & executed to provide me confidence that I can actually do & have success! You’re an 😇🙏Cooking class tour please ! 😍😍😍

[@cpmow831]

you should've seen my face when I saw this in queue. This is my favorite Indian Dish!

[@sadohrs8431]

Hi, Pailin! I have made this for our dinner last night. Our family loves Butter Chicken and we always order this from our fave restaurant. The list of ingredients is very long but it's not really hard to cook. Five stars! Very very delicious! I have added fresh cilantro before serving! So perfect with basmati rice! Very authentic tasting! Thank you for posting!

[@arshadshamim2141]

I am ur great fan pailin.....plz cook more Indian dishes.....lots of love from India ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@donwaldeck6753]

You are extremely inspiring, i have been watching your shows this month and adapting some of your ingredients and technique at home, cheers

[@hannanice6636]

Your recipes are always on point! I like'em all!

[@smokeygils]

Absolutely the best Butter Chicken I have had! Thank you for this and all of your recipes.

[@grant575mixmaster]

I love your imperfect (only a little) presentations Pailin, little mistakes make your videos so much more relatable than clean over edited factory output.

[@mampuful]

Yum 😋 One thing I would like to mention, dried tarragon can also be added if fenugreek leaves aren’t available. It’s definitely not the perfect replacement but it’s the closest one. I have tried it. 🙂

[@PailinsKitchen]

Good idea! Thanks for sharing!

[@heiftonheifton9412]

Hi,watch your show very occasionally ....that doesn't mean u r not a good chef.....you really are pretty and sweet face ,.......having u as wife am sure your husband doesn't need any dessert.......god almighty bless u, ur husband.....and respective families....take care .... specially of ur man.....don't make him diabetic.😉since u r 2oooooo sweet......bye

[@Mohamedmifxal]

You can add a pinch of dried oregano and thyme for similar umami fragrance.

[@TheIceMan23]

nice recipe...covers all the bases of a good butter chicken

[@peterstang]

This spicy and creamy Indian dish is lovely. Though a little complicated with the various spices, I think I'm gonna try it someday.

[@waynerodrigues516]

Hey Palin, you did an awesome job with this dish as always.

[@joethebar1]

I’ve made this around four times. I do caramelize the onions though. It’s the best butter chicken I’ve ever had and friends agree. It takes a bit of time but it’s outstanding

[@tv-21]

The best dish! Yummy

[@winnietang5409]

I made this tonight and it is unbelievable delicious. I have tried different recipes but they were not the taste I was after so I gave up until I found hot thai kitchen's recipe. Thank you so much for making my day. It will definitely be my weekly meal menu.

[@shajithomas8050]

Well done!! As a chef from India I liked the way of your cooking,wonderful..when we make the better chicken we add usually the cashew nut paste also,,but you simplified it ,great job

[@KBTCaseyFlynn]

Broiling chicken and saving the juices is brilliant. Will use in my other chicken recipes.

[@brentsorrentino4862]

Wow this is seriously delicious! I’ve been cooking various Indian curries for many years, but butter chicken always eluded me. I tried recipe after recipe, disappointed every time... until now! This is like the rich, saucy, flavorful butter chicken I’ve had in good Indian restaurants. Try this and you’ll see!

[@ricolecitivo4093]

yummy recipe!! thanks pai and congrats for 500K subs!

[@Weekendatthecottage]

You did a wonderful job with this - it looks so delicious! Big hugs from Canada!

[@kennyrogers803]

Mmmm.. That taste so good with rice!! That taste so delicious and creamy butter chicken!! So good to try that!! Great recipe!! See U anytime!!

[@nicolebautista-lasam5057]

Thank you pai for such a great recipe! You teach so well 😊

[@siva992]

As an Indian who lacks ideas on what to cook for dinner, I often find ideas off your channel and this time... Hands down, you cooked a dish from my culture that I don't know how to cook it myself so, thank you for sharing the recipe.

[@aniljoshi948]

Your love of cooking is really infectious! Love your show and your recipes. We love Thai cuisine. My younger daughter and I have been trying out your recipes, especially chicken ones for a while. Last week we made pork dumplings following your recipe and it came out so well- no more buying dumplings! Being a Indian dad who loves cooking, I was pleasantly surprised to see you cooking Butter Chicken! I have been making this dish for my two daughters from scratch, for years and yes, like most Indians households I make my own Garam masala too! I guess no two Indian families have the same Garam masala, it’s as unique as the finger prints 😂. I really liked your recipe a lot … Oh! Well, it’s hard to admit, but much better than mine! I really liked the idea of adding extra water to the pan to recover the drippings for the gravy. And adding Kasuri methi! I have a jar full of it in my painterly … why didn’t I think of it, it would be delicious! Yes! A+ for pronouncing ‘Garam masala’, ‘Kashmiri Mitch’ and ‘Kasuri Methi’ … like a typical North Indian! Oh, well after all it’s a North Indian dish 😂 Thank you, itching to try your ideas into my favorite dish to cook! Thank You ❤ Happy Holidays, all!

[@chacaloso361]

I was waiting for a splash of fish sauce just because lol looks amazing as always!!

[@mdo987]

You made the process look so easy, finally I can gather some courage to cook this dish. I love love love this butter chicken dish

[@chandra11116]

Wow, u really added an extra dimension to the classic dish !!! Liked the broiling part.... Thx

[@savitrirajaram2476]

Looking very tastey like the way you prepare it. Will try it. Thanks for sharing.

[@khansok5893]

One of my favorite too . Looks amazing thanks for the recipe

[@annamay1089]

And she's back!!!!! Im so happy :) will try this one

[@quynhanhdo3882]

Thank you for sharing this recipe! I have made it for today's dinner and it came out delicious! I am having it with rice now 😋😋

[@krzysztofwasiluk4646]

Looks fantastic. I just finished watching and going to shop to get ingredients.

[@chuckciao1]

Pai, you are the sweetest Asian cook with the greatest personality going on KZbin. Thanks for the wonderful recipe and am excited to try it!

[@isabella-dy6nm]

Everybody loves the butter chicken and loved how you prepared the dish. Just wanted to let you know that we r not using whipping cream, we r using fresh cream, and it's thicker, ... Love your videos. Love from India.

[@nancyglover1824]

Super delish! It came out to be mild to moderately spicey with all the cayenne. Yum!

[@ddiitmr4158]

So much splash going on this episode, yet so satisfying 😁🙌

[@taneenartmaceri7281]

Made it last night. Super delicious!! Thank you, Pai : )

[@vuhuynh5150]

Pai, thank you very much for the great recipe. My children love butter chicken with naan as they have become our weekly or biweekly dinner. Much is appreciated!

[@denicagovender7785]

Love ur knowledge on Indian spices

[@themeleiyashow]

You are killing me! Everything you cook looks sooooo delicious!!! I'm dying!🤤🤤🤤🤤

[@maikoliverschramm5703]

Pai, for me you are the best, I love the way you describe everything. Never ever stop :) I love all of your recipes .... Greeting from Jakarta

[@Timurlane100]

But where's the fish sauce? ;-) Seriously, this looks amazing. I'll have to fix this for my girlfriend who loves butter chicken. Love not only your recipes and your expert tips but also your delightful sense of humor. Buckets-o-fun!

[@yasminas83]

I am Indian and you did complete justice!!! Loved it

[@DStrayCat69]

Wow! Looks fantastic :-) I love Indian food :-) Yummy! Some of the Lamb dishes are to die for...

[@cynthiahawkins2142]

Pai, this was a very good video. I really appreciated your tips, such as adding water to the pan when roasting. I usually roast Italian sausage links and the juice from the links burn and smell up the whole place, so next time I plan to add some water to help.

[@herbs4492]

Greetings from Toronto. I have made this dish several times now . It's a very popular dish for my family and our friends. Your a very good chef with great instructions . Thank you .

[@TheKrietjur]

Wow this looks so amazing.. gonna try that next week!

[@mukundpadmanabhan9572]

That's really nice, so much like how we Indians make it! You can also try adding honey instead of sugar and if you add some nutmeg, it'll give a unique flavor

[@bartlett454]

Lovely, delicious dish. You are an excellent teacher and, I'll admit, I really like the bloopers at the end of the video. LOL!

[@terriclay6726]

Thank you Pailin , I love watching your channel So pleasant to watch you. Tonight I tried to cook your Thai fried banana, it was delicious. Thank you again. God bless you. ♥️🙏🏼

[@harshith.aj9920]

Hi Pai. I substituted cream with yogurt and used whole ingredients for garam masala instead of powdered one. Also made saffron rice. The contrast of bright yellow rice and the orange butter chicken is really amazing.

[@polishmamacooks1019]

That is a great recipe! Thank you.

[@vivianmendoza6802]

Hi Ms. Pai! So thankful that I learned from you! I did it! My butter chicken! Thank you!

[@bualaearley8439]

Thank you so much!!! I can’t wait to make this!!! :) I’m Thai, too, so I definitely love a lot of spice ;)

[@susandowdie2932]

I just made this lovely dish tonight it was a hit thank you so much for this recipe Pai!❤❤❤❤❤

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Yes!!!!! We have to try cooking this!

[@DrAbKaN]

Very great recipe, the best on KZbin ❤️🙏.... I would skip the sugar... not one of those who add sugar on a tomato based dish, thats will keep the natural acidity from the tomatoes and no need for the lemon 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Apollo_Blaze]

I love this...and what a pleasant and fun video to watch...I have to make this....Thank you!

[@lsequeira3139]

Tried it. Really, really delicious! Thank you.

[@winniekong4506]

I trust your recipes more than the others'. You are a great chef.

[@thomasjudge9858]

i think this is your best vid yet, i want this curry !

[@nihavd]

Looks yum! Catching the drippings from the grilled chicken was an ace move! Suggestion: You can blend the onions separately and brown them a little to bring out their natural sweetness before adding the ginger-garlic paste and the tomato puree. That way you need to add less sugar (which is added just to balance the acidity from the tomatoes - butter chicken in the west tends to be a little too sweet because of the added sugar). Adding slit green chilies at the end and covering the pot for a good couple of minutes also allows the gravy to be infused with the flavour of the green chillies but without the associated heat. Some people cook it in ghee and add (large) dollops of butter at the end as well. But this is definitely a heart-healthy version of the dish, compared to what you would get at a punjabi dhaba! lol!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Thanks for all your suggestions!

[@nihavd]

wow! you replied :)

[@Nikhilshinde333]

I love butter chicken! I don't miss your episode pai. Explanation - hmm hmm Delicious!

[@joannastewart2968]

Yummy yummy

[@amarnarayan37]

Awesome ❤

[@jeffyin6376]

That chicken marinate looks delicious!

[@Peter-cm8vi]

wow. Looks yummy

[@pabs4903]

Pailin, Your videos are very engaging and you are extremely likable on screen!! Keep it up!!

[@ponamahnaidu1752]

Simple n yummy butter chicken tq I'm going to try it

[@JAY1892]

3:26 the way you said ‘ok’ was so cute. I’m a recent subscriber and really enjoy that you give recipes for different cultures. Although buying all these spices and sauces is hitting my wallet hard. 😭😂😋

[@reemathomas711]

If you add few cashew nuts along with puree, the sauce becomes even more delicious ☺️☺️☺️ ,also I love seeing n trying all your recipes❤️

[@carmendawnallan8871]

Thank you So much,Pailin. I've Been Looking for a,Recipe for this. 😊.👍 ♡. Have a Great Wknd,From Southern Alberta.

[@carmendawnallan8871]

Ty 😊 xx.❤

[@dlyrious13]

Instant love ... been looking for a recipe ... now that you have one, i have one i can trust to be yummy!! Whoop Whoop!!

[@hrep14]

Thank you very much, always wanted to try to cook this.

[@VanityismyReligion]

I love this dish. Goes on my list!

[@rafilover7788]

Hi,pai..watched you for the first time and you are just amazing.😙.love your sweet and convincing ways of making this indian dish...will definitely subscribe and follow up...Thank you..I tried making it and ,it was super delicious!!! ...♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

[@KravingsFoodAdventures]

Way to go Pai!

[@simplyfry]

Kravings I agree 🙂

[@kathley2008]

I love how u cook ,inspired me to cook more in the house

[@Bishnu_Deb]

*Nice to see Pai cooks Indian dish.*

[@marymelody2713]

Hi!!! Thanks you made this recipe easy!!! Gonna try it soon!!!

[@spade_queen2258]

I’m making this dish now, the chicken is marinating, can’t wait to see how it turns out. This recipe is very nice to follow.

[@mohitchaudhary9423]

So did you make it how was it