Tandoori-marinated chicken simmered in a velvety tomato-butter-cream sauce and finished with kasuri methi — this is Punjabi butter chicken the way a Delhi kitchen builds it, where the char on the chicken carries right through the silky makhani gravy. Rich, gently sweet and deeply aromatic, it lands far above any takeaway curry.
It’s one of the 20 recipes inside our Indian Cookbook, and we’re sharing this butter chicken in full so you can taste the standard before you buy the book. The active work is short — the marinade does the patient part, and the sauce comes together in well under an hour.
Why this recipe works
The secret is charring the marinated chicken hard before it ever meets the sauce — that smoky, blistered crust is what separates authentic butter chicken from a plain cream curry. The gravy is built separately: whole spices bloomed in butter and ghee, tomatoes simmered until the oil separates, then blended and strained for that signature silk. Kasuri methi folded in at the end adds the unmistakable dried-fenugreek perfume.
Ingredients
Tandoori chicken
- 500 g boneless chicken thigh, cubed
- 150 g thick full-fat yogurt
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tsp tandoori masala + 1 tsp red chili powder
Makhani gravy
- 6 ripe Roma tomatoes, blanched and pureed
- 60 g unsalted butter + 2 tbsp ghee
- 120 ml heavy cream + 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi, 4 green cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick
Optional garnish
- Swirl of fresh cream and a pinch of crushed kasuri methi
Serves 2 · Prep 25 min · Cook 35 min · 685 kcal per serving
Instructions
- Marinate. Mix chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, tandoori masala, chili powder and salt. Rest covered at least 2 hours or overnight for deeper flavor.
- Sear chicken. Char the marinated chicken on a hot grill pan or under the broiler until lightly blackened at the edges, about 6–7 minutes. Set aside with resting juices.
- Build gravy. Melt butter with ghee, bloom whole spices, then add tomato puree and simmer 15 minutes until oil separates. Blend smooth and strain for silkiness.
- Finish makhani. Return gravy to pan, fold in seared chicken, cream, honey and crushed kasuri methi. Simmer 5 minutes until glossy; adjust salt and serve with naan.
Chef’s tip
Char the marinated chicken hard before it goes in the gravy; that smoky crust is what separates authentic butter chicken from a plain cream curry.
Get the full Indian Cookbook
Loved this one? It’s a single recipe from a 20-strong collection of Indian classics built the same way — clear ingredients, exact quantities, no guesswork. Grab the full Indian Cookbook below.
