Butter chicken
Photo: stu_spivack · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Butter chicken is credited to Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi, Punjabi Hindu cooks who came to Delhi from Peshawar after the 1947 Partition. With Thakur Das Magu they opened Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, which popularised the dish in the 1950s by simmering tandoori chicken in a buttery tomato sauce. The Gujral family has since argued the recipe began in Peshawar before Partition, a claim now part of a court dispute with the Jaggi family.

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Common allergens: Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 40 minTotal 5 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 800g boneless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
  • 150g thick plain yoghurt
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt to taste
  • 60g butter
  • 500g ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 green chillies, slit
  • 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
  • 100ml single cream

Method

  1. Mix the yoghurt, ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, garam masala, lemon juice and salt, coat the chicken and marinate for at least 4 hours.
  2. Grill the chicken under a very hot grill or in a 240C oven for 12 to 15 minutes until charred at the edges, then set aside.
  3. Melt half the butter in a pan, add the tomatoes and green chillies with a splash of water and cook for 15 minutes until soft.
  4. Blend the tomatoes smooth, then pass through a sieve back into the pan.
  5. Add the remaining chilli powder and butter and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the sugar and the dried fenugreek crushed between your palms.
  6. Add the grilled chicken and simmer 5 minutes, then stir in the cream, warm through and check the salt.

Tip from the editors. Kashmiri chilli gives the colour without heat; swap in paprika if you cannot find it.

Where to eat butter chicken

Butter chicken in Delhi

Moti Mahal ★ 4.3

$$ North IndianOld Delhi

Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, Old Delhi, is where Punjabi refugees from Peshawar made butter chicken famous after Partition; the room still serves it daily.

OrderButter chicken with a butter garlic naan, plus a plate of tandoori chicken.

TipAsk for a courtyard table, where live music plays on some evenings, and order breads to share across the table.

Directions

Gulati ★ 4.3

$$ PunjabiSunder Nagar

Gulati is one of the Punjabi dining rooms of Pandara Road Market in Delhi, open until midnight for butter chicken, murgh malai tikka and handi gosht.

OrderButter chicken and murgh malai tikka, with dal makhani and garlic naan.

TipThe kitchen runs until midnight, so it suits a late dinner after India Gate; expect a wait at peak weekend hours.

Directions

Pindi Restaurant ★ 4.0

$$ PunjabiSunder Nagar

Pindi has served Punjabi food on Pandara Road in Delhi since 1948, founded by a family with roots in Rawalpindi and known for its kebabs and Pindi chana.

OrderA mutton seekh kebab and the Pindi chana, with butter chicken and tandoori roti for the table.

TipThe name comes from Rawalpindi, where the founders came from before Partition; order the namesake Pindi chana alongside the kebabs.

Directions

Have More ★ 4.1

$$$ MughlaiSunder Nagar

Have More has cooked Mughlai and North Indian food on Pandara Road in Delhi since 1959, and locals still order its award-winning butter chicken.

OrderThe award-winning butter chicken with a side of mutton burra.

TipBook ahead on weekend evenings; the small dining room fills fast after 20:00.

Directions

Rajinder Da Dhaba ★ 4.3

$ North IndianHauz Khas

Rajinder Da Dhaba began as a fish fry stall in 1968 and now fronts Safdarjung Enclave Market in Delhi, serving butter chicken and dal makhani from 15:00.

OrderButter chicken with dal makhani and tandoori roti.

TipIt opens at 15:00, not for lunch; there is outdoor seating along the market front, and portions are generous.

Directions

Aslam Chicken ★ 4.5

$ MughlaiOld DelhiUntil Daily 00:30

Aslam Chicken grills butter chicken and seekh kebabs on charcoal in Bazaar Matia Mahal by Jama Masjid, Delhi, staying open past 00:00 most nights of the week.

OrderButter chicken with a chicken seekh kebab and rumali roti.

TipThe butter chicken here is charcoal-grilled chicken tikka swimming in butter and cream, served in a tasla, not a tomato gravy.

Directions

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