Butter Chicken is also known as chicken makhani or in Hindi as murgh makhani. It is an Indian curry made with a base of a spiced tomato gravy with plenty of butter (makhan) and yogurt-marinated chicken that’s traditionally cooked in a tandoor. It’s famous for its bold red-orange color, silky smooth creamy texture, and rich flavors. You may think Butter Chicken is centuries old, but it really came about in the mid-1900s! In the 1950s, Kundan Lal Gujral, the founder of restaurant Moti Mahal in New Delhi, developed this world-famous dish on accident by combining leftover tandoori chicken with a tomato-based gravy with butter, or makhani (Source: Moti Mahal Cookbook). You can still visit the restaurant today to try their famous creation. And while people love my version, which has over 40 5-star reviews, it’s a bit of an effort to make. Between marinating the chicken the night before and all the dishes it creates, it’s more of a once-a-month dish. But this Easy Baked Butter Chicken makes it possible to meal prep or make ahead butter chicken for a weeknight dinner while still being bold, creamy, and delicious.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
The Marinade
Chicken thighs - Specifically, chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are more forgiving than chicken breast which can easily become dry and overcooked in hot curries. You can use chicken breasts and sear them in a hot pan for some browning, and then transfer them to the sauce halfway through the bake time to finish cooking until tender. You can use up to 6 chicken thighs but it won’t be quite as saucy. Use boneless skinless thighs, or bone-in thighs with the skin removed. Dahi - Plain whole milk yogurt, like Indian dahi, is the best but you can use low-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt. Be sure to use the thickest parts of the yogurt, avoiding whey. Yogurt keeps the chicken super tender at high heat. Ginger garlic paste - Or as I call it, gigi paste! This is simply a 50/50 mix of ginger and garlic that’s blended into a paste. You can easily make ginger garlic paste at home in a mortar and pestle or blender, or purchase it readymade. Spices - For the quick DIY tandoori masala, you’ll need garam masala, ground turmeric, ground cumin, and kashmiri chili powder. Kashmiri chili powder adds the bright red color and is very mild in heat, but can be substituted with another mild chili powder or paprika. If, for some reason, the spices aren’t accessible, then I’d highly recommend the MDH Butter Chicken Masala, which can be found online or at the Indian grocery. Use a quarter of the box for the marinade.
The Sauce
Butter - We’re using ghee, which is a type of clarified butter with the milk solids removed. It’s intensely buttery and has a high enough smoke point for the oven. Ground spices - We use garam masala, coriander, kashmiri chili powder, green cardamom, and my secret is the teeniest bit of ground cloves. I recommend adding a tiny pinch of asafoetida (hing) for that extra garlic onion flavor, but this is optional. Sugar - Butter chicken has a whooole lot of savory things going on. A bit of sugar helps balance it out. Canned tomatoes - The base of the makhani sauce is, of course, tomatoes. Use a plain tomato sauce, also known as tomato passata. Heavy cream - For that signature creamy curry, use heavy whipping cream. Substitute it with coconut milk, cashew cream, or half and half. Kasuri methi - This is dried fenugreek leaves and is traditional to authentic butter chicken. It’s ultimately optional but people swear it’s the game-changing secret ingredient. Crush it between your hands before adding it directly in the curry. Substitute it with additional cilantro.
How to make a One-Pan Baked Butter Chicken
Crush the kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) between your hands over the chicken to release all the flavor.
Making a flavorful butter chicken couldn’t be any easier and less dishes. In this recipe, the chicken is tossed in a marinade and then baked off in a sauce that was simply stirred together. Making an authentic stovetop butter chicken requires way more time and effort to develop the flavors. There’s no marination time. Simply toss the chicken in a quick yogurt-based marinade and the flavors will continue to develop in the oven. Baked Butter Chicken has less fat, less calories, and less ingredients than the stovetop version.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish the baking dish with fresh cilantro. Serve one thigh and a bit sauce from the Baked Butter Chicken along with fluffy Basmati Rice and naan. I love it with a side of this Cucumber Mint Raita that’s cooling and refreshing against the spices in the chicken.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
More Indian Main Dishes to try
Recipe
Too tangy - If the tomato sauce is acidic or tangy, cut it with a tablespoon of additional heavy cream or more salt. It should be fine when you serve it with rice or naan. Splattering - If the sauce is splattering a bit too much in the oven, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Storage - Store the Baked Butter Chicken for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The flavors will only deepen over time. If you somehow have leftovers, don’t miss this Butter Chicken Garlic Naan Pizza! We use the leftover butter chicken as a sauce and topping for a delicious pizza made with a naan crust. We also love Butter Chicken Naan-chos. You only need about a cup of leftovers! I’d love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don’t forget to leave a comment and ⭐️ star rating below! Thinking about making this recipe? Enter your email and I’ll send it straight to your inbox to save for later. Plus, get new recipe inspiration from me every week! By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Masala and Chai.
