Facts About Butter chicken
Butter chicken, also known as "murg makhani" is a beloved dish from the Indian subcontinent featuring chicken in a mildly spiced tomato sauce. Its intriguing history dates back to 1947, when the founders of the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, India, devised the dish by blending leftover chicken with a rich, buttery tomato gravy. The term "butter chicken" first appeared in English print in 1975 at the Gaylord Indian restaurant in Manhattan.
To make butter chicken, you start by marinating the chicken in a mixture of lemon juice, yogurt, Kashmiri red chili, salt, garam masala, and ginger garlic paste for several hours. Traditionally, the chicken is cooked in a tandoor (a clay oven), but it can also be grilled, roasted, or pan-fried. The chicken is then served in a mild curry sauce made from tomatoes and onions, simmered until smooth and creamy. The sauce is spiced with cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, garam masala, and fenugreek. Occasionally, cream and cashew paste are added to enhance its richness, and it is often garnished with fresh coriander.
Butter chicken's appeal extends far beyond India; it is enjoyed all over the world. In Australia and New Zealand, for instance, it is even used as a filling for pies! Over the years, various adaptations of the sauce and spices have emerged, but butter chicken remains a staple of Indian cuisine.