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Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
SUBMITTED BY:
MITCHMAN21
PHOTO BY:
chibi chef
"Chicken Makhani is one of my favorite Indian dishes. It is a full flavored dish that complements the chicken well. It can be made as mild or spicy as you wish by adjusting the cayenne. Serve with basmati rice and naan bread."
RECIPE RATING:
Read Reviews
(328)
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PREP TIME
5 Min
COOK TIME
20 Min
READY IN
25 Min
SERVINGS
(
Help
)
Servings
US
METRIC
INGREDIENTS (
Nutrition
)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
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DIRECTIONS
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute shallot and onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in half-and-half and yogurt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and cayenne. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced, and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cooked chicken into sauce.
Mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into the sauce. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.
FOOTNOTE
Garam masala
may be purchased in Indian markets and in the gourmet section of some supermarkets.
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REVIEWS
Reviewed on Jan. 26, 2004 by YAKUTA
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YAKUTA
Jan. 26, 2004
I wanted to comment on this recipe and some tips to make it authentic and give it that restaurant touch. The recipe itself is fairly good . The only thing I would add to make it a bit more authentic are as follows: 1/4 cup of finely ground cashews (unsalted). These should be used as a thickner and not corn starch. Indian recipes or sauces never use corn starch. For richer gravies we use ground almond or cashews and heavy cream or yogurt. 1/4 cup of heavy cream (substitute it in place of half and half) Finally if you are a true Indian curry lover and love Chicken Makhani you should buy some fenugreek(called methi - pronounced "Mei" "thi") seeds. You only use 1/4 tsp of these (they are very bitter) and grind them. Then add them to the curry when you add your other dry spices. The cashew and fenugreek is what gives Chicken makhani it's authentic flavor.
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83 users found this review helpful
I wanted to comment on this recipe and some tips to make it authentic and give it that...
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Reviewed on Mar. 1, 2006 by AMIBOULD
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AMIBOULD
Mar. 1, 2006
I am an Indian native looking for an Americanized version of this dish for a friend who is a little intimidated by Indian food. I gave this recipe a try, and it is almost there. First, I used fresh minced ginger and garlic, but had to triple the amount. That made a huge difference. I noticed that many reviewers said the recipe is missing something. I think that something is coriander. Most Makhani dishes have a cumin/coriander combination which is missing from this recipe. I added a little ground coriander and the dish was great. Perfect for a new Indian cook.
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30 users found this review helpful
I am an Indian native looking for an Americanized version of this dish for a friend who is a...
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Reviewed on Nov. 2, 2003 by MuffinFiend
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MuffinFiend
Nov. 2, 2003
I haven't made this recipe yet, but am looking forward to it. But I wanted to put a word in about ginger/garlic paste. You don't have to buy this at the store -- an easy way to do this is to put equal amounts of ginger and garlic in the food processor and grind them up. They will naturally form a paste. Most Indian recipes have some variation of this -- common ones are a ginger/garlic/onion paste, or a ginger/garlic/onion/lime paste (try marinating chicken in this and roasting it!)
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26 users found this review helpful
I haven't made this recipe yet, but am looking forward to it. But I wanted to put a word in...
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Reviewed on Dec. 14, 2005 by
MARIYA02
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MARIYA02
Dec. 14, 2005
This was absolutely delicious! My Pakistani in-laws are quite picky when it comes to traditional food, but this one is a new favorite! I made the following adjustments: Added 1 tbsp butter to the peanut oil, used 4 tbsp butter rather than 2, substituted 1/2 tsp ground ginger powder & 3 cloves crushed garlic for ginger/garlic paste, omitted salt & pepper, added breast meat pieces, substituted whole milk for half & half, used 1 full tsp cayenne pepper for chicken, doubled cornstarch (but not water) to thicken sauce, and garnished with fresh, chopped corriander. The 5-minute prep time is unreasonable. It took me about 30 minutes to prep and 1 hour to cook (including 20 mins of simmering to let sauce thicken and white rice, which is best served with this dish). Also, this only served 3 adults in my family, so I highly recommend doubling it!
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14 users found this review helpful
This was absolutely delicious! My Pakistani in-laws are quite picky when it comes to...
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Reviewed on Mar. 1, 2004 by VICTORIA4784
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VICTORIA4784
Mar. 1, 2004
This is an excellent recipe, however, the first time we tried it, we decided the chicken needed to be marinated first. The sauce was good, but the chicken (we used chicken breast) was a bit chewy. I use the marinade in the other Butter Chicken recipe by Vijar Bhaardwaj (15 minutes in the lemon juice, chili powder and salt and 3-4 hrs in the drained yogurt and spices marinade). The result is phenomenal! In place of the full-fat half and half, I use Land of Lakes Non-fat Half and Half. It does not affect the taste. I've also used stewed tomatoes in place of the tomato puree. A good side dish is Gobi Aloo (Indian-stype Cauliflower with Potatoes) by Shahzadi, also found on this website. Note: Use chopped tomato and coconut milk to make this recipe less dry. I served both at a dinner party for 14 and they were a hit, with many requests for the recipes.
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14 users found this review helpful
This is an excellent recipe, however, the first time we tried it, we decided the chicken...
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Reviewed on Jan. 26, 2004 by VICKIKEN2
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VICKIKEN2
Jan. 26, 2004
Wow! Finally a delicious Indian dish that doesn't take overnight marinating and tons of obscure ingredients. I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I used half crushed garlic and a pinch of ground ginger and this was dynamite! Have all the prep work done (chopping measuring, etc) before you heat the oil and you will be able to finish this dish in no time. My hubbie even loved it and he is not big on Indian food. This is definitely a keeper!
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9 users found this review helpful
Wow! Finally a delicious Indian dish that doesn't take overnight marinating and tons of...
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Reviewed on Dec. 24, 2003 by JWATTSETT
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JWATTSETT
Dec. 24, 2003
Tastes just like the dish I love at our favorite Indian restaurant. I make it low carb by using 1/2 cup tomato paste in place of the tomato puree so it thickens without the cornstarch. I also eliminate the water. I add thinly sliced almonds or chopped pistachios also.
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9 users found this review helpful
Tastes just like the dish I love at our favorite Indian restaurant. I make it low carb by...
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Reviewed on Jun. 30, 2006 by
Alexis
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Alexis
Jun. 30, 2006
Took a lot longer than the stated 5 minutes, but definitely worth it. Instead of the ginger-garlic paste I used 4 mammoth-sized garlic cloves and almost a Tbsp of ground ginger. I used cream instead of half and half, and didn't have to put in any cornstarch as a result. Delicious!
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8 users found this review helpful
Took a lot longer than the stated 5 minutes, but definitely worth it. Instead of the...
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Reviewed on Jan. 26, 2004 by EPONINA
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EPONINA
Jan. 26, 2004
This turned out good - not quite restaurant quality, but I was pretty satisfied with the result. I think more masala/seasoning should be added to the chicken, and the whole dish should simmer for longer than what the recipe calls.
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8 users found this review helpful
This turned out good - not quite restaurant quality, but I was pretty satisfied with the...