Murgh Makhani (butter Chicken) Restaurant Style!

Total Time: 6 hrs Preparation Time: 5 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 500 g boneless chicken thighs or 500 g chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup yogurt (high fat is best)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 -2 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
• 5 -8 garlic cloves, crushed or 50 g garlic
• 3 -4 tablespoons grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 2 -3 bay leaves
• green chili pepper, finely diced (to taste)
• 750 g ripe tomatoes, chopped or 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
• 1/2 cup cashew nuts
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons fenugreek leaves
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons oil
• wooden skewer (if planning to oven-bake chicken)
• 100 ml water (if using whole tomatoes instead of canned crushed tomatoes)

Recipe

• 1 stage 1: prepare the chicken and marinade (approx 4.5 hours).
• 2 grill method:.
• 3 1. crush/grate garlic and ginger into a paste.
• 4 2. place chicken in a large metal or other non-porous bowl and add ginger-garlic paste.
• 5 3. thoroughly mix the chicken, 1/2 tsp salt, and the ginger-garlic paste together (ensure the chicken is evenly coated).
• 6 4. in another bowl, mix the yogurt and 1/2 tbsp kashmiri chill powder with a whisk until evenly mixed 5. add the yogurt mixture, along with 1tbsp oil, to the bowl with the chicken and ginger-garlic paste.
• 7 6. mix thoroughly, and then cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
• 8 oven bake method:.
• 9 1. crush/grate garlic and ginger into a paste.
• 10 2. cut chicken into cubes.
• 11 3. place chicken in a large metal or other non-porous bowl and add ginger-garlic paste.
• 12 4. thoroughly mix the chicken, 1/2 tsp salt, and the ginger-garlic paste together (ensure the chicken is evenly coated).
• 13 5. in another bowl, mix the yogurt and 1/2 tbsp kashmiri chill powder with a whisk until evenly mixed 6. add the yogurt mixture, along with 1tbsp oil, to the bowl with the chicken and ginger-garlic paste.
• 14 7. mix thoroughly, and then cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
• 15 8. soak wooden skewers in water while chicken is marinading.
• 16 stage 2: grill or oven-bake chicken.
• 17 grill method:.
• 18 1. remove chicken from refrigerator and place chicken on wax paper in a grill or bbq safe sheet. grill or bbq on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
• 19 2. remove chicken from grill and let cool.
• 20 3. cut chicken into cubes, and then return chicken to refrigerator (until the sauce is ready).
• 21 4. remove chicken from oven and let cool. place in refrigerator until sauce is ready.
• 22 oven-bake method:.
• 23 1. preheat oven to 400f (200c).
• 24 2. remove chicken from refrigerator and place chicken on the wooden skewers.
• 25 3. place skewers in a oven-proof baking dish and bake for ~20 minutes, or until chicken is almost cooked through (note: you will finish cooking chicken briefly in the sauce later).
• 26 stage 3: prepare makhani sauce.
• 27 if using 750g whole tomatoes:.
• 28 1. peel and finely chop ginger.
• 29 2. heat 3 tbsp oil in a medium saucepan on medium to medium-high heat.
• 30 3. when the oil is hot, add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom pods, and bay leaves, and stir for 2 minutes.
• 31 4. add chopped ginger and cook for 1 minute.
• 32 5. reduce the heat to low, add the diced green chiles and 750g tomatoes, along with 100ml water.
• 33 6. simmer on low heat for 25 minutes.
• 34 7. remove the whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom and cloves), and then pour the sauce into a blender to puree until smooth.
• 35 8. sieve the pureed mixture to remove any lumps, and return to saucepan.
• 36 9. place ~2/3 of the cashews in a blender, and grind into powder. add a small amount of water, and mix into a paste.
• 37 10. add 1 tbsp of tomato paste, along with cashew paste to the makhani sauce (you will likely need to add a small amount of water to the blender in order to get all of the cashew paste out of the blender).
• 38 11. add 1/2 tsp of chill powder, and 1 tbsp honey. stir for ~3 minutes.
• 39 12. stir in 1/4 cup of butter, and stir until it melts.
• 40 13. add 1/2 tsp of salt (optional), and 1 tsp fenugreek leaves, then simmer for a further 20 minutes.
• 41 14. in a large frypan, melt a small amount of butter, and add remaining 1/3 of the cashews, along with the cooked chicken. cook for ~3 minutes on medium-high.
• 42 15. reduce heat to low. pour the sauce over the chicken and cashews, and then add 1/4 cup of whipping cream. stir for ~ 3 minutes.
• 43 if using 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes:.
• 44 1. peel and finely chop ginger.
• 45 2. heat 3 tbsp oil on medium to medium-high heat.
• 46 3. when the oil is hot, add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom pods, and bay leaves, and stir for 2 minutes.
• 47 4. add chopped ginger and cook for 1 minute.
• 48 5. reduce the heat to low, add the diced green chiles and 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes.
• 49 6. simmer on low heat for 25 minutes.
• 50 7. remove the whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom and cloves)’.
• 51 8. place ~2/3 of the cashews in a blender, and grind into powder. add a small amount of water, and mix into a paste.
• 52 9. add 1 tbsp of tomato paste, along with cashew paste to the makhani sauce (you will likely need to add a small amount of water to the blender in order to get all of the cashew paste out of the blender).
• 53 10. add 1/2 tsp of chill powder, and 1 tbsp honey. stir for ~3 minutes.
• 54 11. stir in 1/4 cup of butter, and stir until it melts.
• 55 12. add 1/2 tsp of salt (optional), and 1 tsp fenugreek leaves, then simmer for a further 20 minutes.
• 56 13. in a large frypan, melt a small amount of butter, and add remaining 1/3 of the cashews, along with the cooked chicken. cook for ~3 minutes on medium-high.
• 57 14. reduce heat to low. pour the sauce over the chicken and cashews, and then add 1/4 cup of whipping cream. stir for ~ 3 minutes.
• 58 serve with rice and/or naan.