Poulet au Beurre
Le murgh makhani — poulet tendre dans une sauce tomate crémeuse au beurre et aux épices. Le curry indien le plus populaire au monde.
Servings
Ingrédients
Nutrition
Étapes
Marinate the Chicken
In a bowl, combine the chicken chunks with the yogurt, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, turmeric, and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well so every piece is coated. Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge for maximum flavor.
Sear the Chicken
Melt half the butter in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until lightly charred and golden. The chicken doesn't need to be cooked through — it will finish in the sauce. Remove and set aside.
Cook the Aromatics
In the same pan, add the remaining butter. Sauté the diced onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring constantly for 1 minute until fragrant. Sprinkle in the remaining garam masala and a pinch of chili powder if you like a little heat.
Build the Sauce
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Let the sauce simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the oil begins to separate from the tomatoes. For a silky-smooth texture, you can blend the sauce with an immersion blender at this point.
Combine and Simmer
Return the seared chicken to the sauce and stir gently to coat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and has absorbed the flavors of the sauce. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Finish with Cream
Remove the lid and pour in the heavy cream. Stir gently and let the sauce simmer uncovered for another 3-4 minutes. The cream mellows the tomato tang and gives the curry its signature luxurious, orange-hued sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and a pinch of sugar if needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with warm naan or basmati rice.
Marinate the Chicken
In a bowl, combine the chicken chunks with the yogurt, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, turmeric, and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well so every piece is coated. Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge for maximum flavor.
Sear the Chicken
Melt half the butter in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until lightly charred and golden. The chicken doesn't need to be cooked through — it will finish in the sauce. Remove and set aside.
Cook the Aromatics
In the same pan, add the remaining butter. Sauté the diced onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring constantly for 1 minute until fragrant. Sprinkle in the remaining garam masala and a pinch of chili powder if you like a little heat.
Build the Sauce
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Let the sauce simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the oil begins to separate from the tomatoes. For a silky-smooth texture, you can blend the sauce with an immersion blender at this point.
Combine and Simmer
Return the seared chicken to the sauce and stir gently to coat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and has absorbed the flavors of the sauce. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Finish with Cream
Remove the lid and pour in the heavy cream. Stir gently and let the sauce simmer uncovered for another 3-4 minutes. The cream mellows the tomato tang and gives the curry its signature luxurious, orange-hued sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and a pinch of sugar if needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with warm naan or basmati rice.
The Story Behind the Dish
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) was invented in the 1950s at the famous Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, India. Kundan Lal Gujral, a Punjabi refugee who had fled Lahore during the partition of India, came up with a brilliant idea: leftover Tandoori chicken was too dry, so he chopped it up and simmered it in a rich, velvety sauce of tomatoes, butter, cream, and aromatic spices like garam masala.
The sauce was born from the restaurant's own kitchen — the tomato-based gravy was a natural evolution of the everyday cooking of the region, enriched with generous amounts of butter and cream to tone down the tomato's acidity.
What began as a clever way to use leftovers quickly became Moti Mahal's signature dish, and today it is one of the most beloved Indian curries in the world, with the original restaurant's recipe still closely guarded.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Butter Chicken is the gateway curry for millions of people worldwide. Its gentle, creamy, mildly spiced sauce made Indian cuisine approachable for Western palates, and it remains the most ordered curry in Indian restaurants from London to New York.
💡 Fun Fact
The original butter chicken recipe from Moti Mahal was given a distinctive red-orange hue because the tomato gravy was cooked with a touch of 'kasuri methi' (dried fenugreek leaves) — an ingredient that today is considered essential to the dish, but was originally just a way to add aroma.
Delhi, India
28.61°N, 77.21°E
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