Butter Chicken with Naan

 

 

 

Butter chicken or Murg Makhani is one of the most popular Punjabi dishes all over the world. This rich creamy chicken dish needs no introduction, I am sure its one of the most ordered dishes at the restaurants all over the world. The recipe is said to have originated in Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, India. There are different tales about how butter chicken originated. One of the tales says that Moti Mahal was famous for their tandoori chicken and after selling tandoori chicken the whole day the chefs would have a tough time getting rid of the extra tandoori chicken leftovers. One day they thought why not incorporate these chicken tandoori pieces in a gravy and sell it as a whole new dish. They made a buttery and creamy tomato gravy and threw the leftover chicken tandoori pieces in it and thus butter chicken was born. I don't know whether this tale is true, but who cares. Kudos to those chefs who invented the world's most loved dish. And why did I make butter chicken? Because my dear friend Raashi, requested this recipe and asked me to publish it on my blog. How could I say no to her and plus I had to learn to make this dish at home, so raashi.. here is my version of butter chicken for you. I don't know whether it is as good as you get in the restaurants. I tried my best and it did turn out pretty delicious. Try it out and I hope you like it.

 

Ingredients

For the butter chicken:-

A pound of  chicken - roasted and cut in pieces

Tandoori chicken masala either use homemade (recipe given below) or use Shaan's tandoori chicken masala

 20 ripe medium sized tomatoes chopped

1 tblsp - oil

6 tblsp- butter

1 mace - Its the outer covering of a nutmeg spice (red in color) if you don't have mace put 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder.

1 tblsp- chopped garlic 

4 green chilies ( chopped and deseeded)

8 green cardamoms

1 tsp- green cardamom powder

1 tblsp- ginger juliennes (very fine thin long strips)

1/2 tblsp- Kashmiri chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tblsp- honey

2 tblsp - kasoori methi

 

Marinate the chicken overnight with the tandoori masala. If you using Shaan readymade powder follow the recipe on the box. Next morning roast the chicken at 350 deg for about 40 mins or until the skin is nice and brown and chicken is cooked. Before roasting sprinkle a little cornflour using a sieve all over the chicken. This makes the chicken nice and crispy.

 

 If you want to use a homemade masala here are the ingredients.

For the homemade tandoori chicken masala

2 tblsp- vinegar or lemon juice

1 tblsp - oil

2 tsp- turmeric

2 tsp- kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp- salt

1 tsp - garam masala

1 tsp- green cardamom powder

1 tblsp- ginger garlic paste

3/4 cup yogurt (hung in a muslin cloth for an hour to drain all the water and make it really thick)

 

1. Heat 1 tblsp oil and 3 tblsp butter in a pan. Add cardamoms, mace/nutmeg and chopped garlic. Saute for a minute and then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes till they are tender.
2. Take it off the heat and let it cool down. Then puree the tomatoes in a blender.
3. Add 3 tblsp butter in a pan and add the ginger juliennes and green chillies.
4. Sieve the tomato puree and add it to the ginger and green chillies. Cook on a low flame until the tomato puree is completely cooked and oil floats on the top.
5. Add  1/2 tblsp kashmiri chilli powder and salt.
6. Add the chopped chicken pieces and cook for about 5 mins. Finally add 1 tsp green cardamom powder, 1 cup of fresh cream, 1 tblsp honey and kasoori methi.

Serve hot with Naan. (This butter chicken gravy can also be used to make paneer makhanwala and veg makhanwala)

 

Here is the recipe for Naan.

Ingredients:

2 cups- All Purpose Flour (plus more for rolling)
1 tsp- Salt
4 tsp - oil
1/2 cup - warm water
1- tsp Rapid Rise Yeast
1 tsp- Sugar
1- egg well beaten
2 tblsp- yogurt

1. Add Yeast and Sugar to warm Water and mix well. Cover and keep it aside for 5-7 minutes (until foamy).
2.   In a large bowl, mix Flour and Salt. Add Oil and mix.
3.  Once Yeast and Water mixture becomes foamy, add Yogurt and Egg to it and mix well.
4. Add the mixture to the Flour little at a time and knead for about 5 mins. If its sticky use a bit of oil on your palms to knead the dough.
5. Cover and keep in a warm place for 1 hour or until its risen and almost double in size.
6.  Preheat Oven to approx 550 degrees F. Once dough has risen, lightly oil hands and punch down the dough and knead for 2 mins.  
7.  Divide dough into small portions and roll it out either square or oblong, the way you want your naan's shape to be. 
8.  Place 3-4 rolled naans onto a baking sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes until the naans are light golden brown. Remove from oven and smear some butter and serve hot.