Delhi-Style Butter Chicken
A rich tomato-butter gravy simmered with tandoor-grilled chicken, invented in Delhi and now one of India's most recognisable curries.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 460 kcal
Equipment
- •Tandoor or grill/oven
- •Heavy pan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- fat
- 32 g
- carbs
- 12 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 32 g
- calories
- 460 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mix the chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and salt. Leave it to marinate for at least 2 hours.
- 2
Grill or roast the chicken in a tandoor (clay oven) or hot oven. Cook until charred at the edges and cooked through.
- 3
Melt butter in a pan and add tomato puree. Simmer gently until it thickens and turns slightly darker.
- 4
Stir in the cashew paste. Cook for a few minutes so the flavours blend together.
- 5
Add the grilled chicken pieces to the tomato gravy. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- 6
Pour in the cream and mix well. Adjust the salt, adding a little sugar if the tomatoes taste tart.
- 7
Sprinkle crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and garam masala over the top.
- 8
Simmer for a final few minutes, then serve hot.
Chef's tips
Charring the chicken before adding it to the gravy gives this dish its authentic smoky flavour.
Ingredient substitutions
- cream → extra cashew paste for a lighter version
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring in a splash of cream if the gravy has thickened too much.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Skipping the charring step and boiling raw chicken directly in the gravy.
Serving suggestions
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