Few curries are loved as widely as butter chicken – and few people realise how young it is. Tender, smoky chicken in a silky sauce of tomato, butter and cream: this classic was born barely 75 years ago in a restaurant kitchen in Delhi. In India it is called murgh makhani – “chicken in butter”.
At a glance
- Name: butter chicken, in Hindi murgh makhani (makhan = butter)
- Origin: Delhi, North India, late 1940s
- Flavour: mild, creamy, gently smoky, with a touch of sweetness and tang
- Key ingredients: chicken, yoghurt, tomatoes, butter, cream, garam masala, kasuri methi
- Eat it with: naan, basmati rice, raita
Born from leftovers: Delhi after 1947
The story starts with the Partition of British India in 1947. Like hundreds of thousands of others, Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi left their home city of Peshawar – today in Pakistan – for Delhi. In the Daryaganj neighbourhood they opened a new Moti Mahal, a restaurant that quickly became famous across the city for its tandoor, the traditional clay oven, and its tandoori chicken.
One problem remained: grilled chicken that did not sell straight away dried out. The fix was simple and brilliant. The cooks simmered the leftover pieces in a sauce of tomato, butter and cream until the meat turned juicy again. A kitchen’s way of wasting nothing became one of India’s most famous dishes. The lentil dish dal makhani is credited to Moti Mahal too.
A restaurant kitchen’s way of wasting nothing became one of the best-known dishes in the world.
Two families, one argument
Who actually invented it is still disputed: the descendants of Gujral and Jaggi each credit their own grandfather. In 2024 the dispute even reached the Delhi High Court. For anyone eating it, that changes little – but it shows how much this dish means in India.
Two recipes, one dish: how butter chicken is made
Butter chicken is really two recipes in one: grilled chicken and a sauce in its own right. The magic happens when they meet.
1. The chicken: marinated and cooked in the tandoor
The meat is marinated first – traditionally in yoghurt with lemon juice, ginger, garlic, salt, garam masala and Kashmiri chilli. The yoghurt tenderises the chicken, and Kashmiri chilli gives that deep red colour without much heat. Then the chicken goes into the tandoor. The clay oven runs at several hundred degrees: it cooks the meat fast, keeps it juicy inside and gives it the lightly charred, smoky edges that later flavour the whole sauce.
2. The makhani sauce: tomato, butter, cream
For the sauce, tomatoes are cooked down slowly with ginger, garlic and whole spices such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon until soft and velvety, then often strained for a perfectly smooth finish. Butter and cream make it rich and round, and many kitchens thicken it with finely ground cashews or almonds. A pinch of sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
3. The finish: kasuri methi
Finally the grilled chicken goes into the sauce to simmer gently. One last knob of butter – and kasuri methi, dried fenugreek leaves. Crushed between the palms, they give butter chicken its slightly bitter, almost nutty aroma, the signature of a good one. Keep the heat low: boiling hard would make the cream split.
What does butter chicken taste like?
Butter chicken is one of the mildest curries in Indian cooking. It is creamy and buttery, with gentle sweetness and a little tang from the tomatoes. The smoky notes from the tandoor add depth, while garam masala and fenugreek add warmth. That balance makes it the perfect first Indian dish – and a favourite with children.
Butter chicken or chicken tikka masala?
They are often confused, but they are different dishes:
- Butter chicken comes from Delhi. It is milder, butterier and creamier, and defined by the aroma of fenugreek leaves.
- Chicken tikka masala is usually described as a British-Indian creation. Its sauce tends to use more onion and spice, so it tastes bolder, more savoury and often hotter.
What to eat with butter chicken
The sauce is the best part, so you need something to scoop it up:
- Naan: soft flatbread from the tandoor, plain or with garlic.
- Basmati rice: light and fragrant, perfect under the creamy sauce.
- Raita: cool yoghurt to refresh between bites.
- Mango lassi: the sweet yoghurt drink is a natural partner for a mild curry.
The makhani family: vegetarian and with duck
The idea behind butter chicken – a velvety sauce of tomato, butter and cream – does not only work with chicken.
- Dal makhani is the vegetarian sister from the same Delhi kitchen. Traditionally, black lentils and kidney beans are cooked for a long time and finished with butter and cream. The result is creamy, earthy and, for many people, the best lentil dish in India.
- With duck, the makhani sauce becomes a richer, more festive dish: the flavourful meat stands up beautifully to the creamy sauce.
- Paneer butter masala is the best-known vegetarian version in India – made with Indian fresh cheese instead of meat.
Butter chicken around the world
From Delhi, butter chicken went on to conquer the world. In Canada, Australia and the UK it is one of the best-known Indian dishes of all. In Canada it even turns up on pizza and in poutine; in Australia and New Zealand it fills savoury pies. Everywhere the story is the same: the mild, creamy sauce is many people’s first step into Indian food.
Butter chicken at Masalas
In our kitchen in Berlin-Köpenick the chicken is marinated and cooked in the tandoor before it goes into the creamy tomato-butter sauce with almonds and cashews. Our meat is halal, and we cook without alcohol.
And you choose the heat. Many of our guests in Germany like it mild – but if you want it the way it is eaten in India, with real Indian spice, just tell us in the order note.
Butter Chicken
With spiced Tandoori chicken pieces, butter tomato sauce, almonds and cashew nuts
Allergens: milk, tree nuts, mustard
Your heat: mild, or real Indian spicy – just add it in the note when you order.
Order nowGoes well with it
More from the makhani family
Butter chicken FAQ
Is butter chicken spicy?
Not traditionally – it is one of the mildest curries. If you like it hotter, order it with real Indian spice.
What does murgh makhani mean?
Murgh means chicken, and makhani comes from makhan, butter – so: chicken in butter.
Does butter chicken contain nuts?
Often, yes – many recipes thicken the sauce with cashews or almonds. Our butter chicken contains almonds and cashews as well as dairy. If you have an allergy, please call us before ordering: 030 66068017.
