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Butter chicken

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Butter chicken
Butter chicken served with naan
Alternative namesChicken makhani, murgh makhani
CourseCurry
Place of originIndia
Region or stateDelhi
Associated cuisineIndian
Created byKundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi
Main ingredientsButter, tomatoes, chicken, garam masala, kasuri methi
  • Wikibooks logo Cookbook: Butter chicken
  •  Wikimedia Commons logo Media: Butter chicken

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is a curry made from chicken cooked in a spiced tomato and butter-based (makhani) gravy. The gravy is known for its creamy, rich texture. It is similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses a tomato paste.[1] The dish was invented by Indian chefs Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi and is associated with their Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryaganj, Delhi which popularized it in the 1950s. It has since become a staple cuisine of the city.[2][3]

History

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The curry was developed by Kundan Lal Jaggi and Kundan Lal Gujral.[4][5] The curry was made "by chance" by mixing leftover tandoori chicken in a tomato sauce, rich in butter (makhan/makhani).[5]

The chefs were both Punjabi Hindu refugees (after the partition of India) in Delhi from Peshawar. They popularized the dish at their Moti Mahal restaurant in the Daryaganj neighbourhood of Old Delhi in the 1950s, where it is often said to have been invented.[6][7][8][9] In 2024, Monish Gujral, a grandson of Gujral and managing director at Moti Mahal, said the dish was created in Peshawar itself at another restaurant of theirs prior to partition in the 1920s or 1930s; he made the statement when suing the Jaggi family who now operate the rival "Daryaganj" restaurant and credit Kundan Lal Jaggi with inventing the dish at Moti Mohal in Delhi.[10][11] Though Monish had earlier, in his 2013 book On the Butter Chicken Trail: A Delhi Darbar Cookbook, credited the accidental discovery of the dish to Moti Mahal in the 1950s.[8]

Some writers also back the claim that butter chicken originated in Peshawar, noting that many of the ingredients appear geared toward non-Indian tastes, and that butter was only produced at scale in British garrison cities like Peshawar.[10]

The dish and Moti Mahal have since been closely associated with Delhi cuisine, the restaurant also credited with inventing other "makhani" (butter) based curries like dal makhani and paneer makhani.[2][6][3]

In 1975, the English phrase "butter chicken" curry first appeared in print, as a specialty of the house at Gaylord Indian restaurant in Manhattan.[12] In Canada and the Caribbean, it can be found as a filling in pizza, poutine, wraps, roti, or rolls, while in Australia[13] and New Zealand[14][15], it is also eaten as a pie filling. The curry is common in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and many other countries where a South Asian diaspora is present.[16][17][18] Due to its popularity outside of India, it is sometimes mistakenly assumed to be of Western origin (like chicken tikka masala, which it is sometimes confused with).[19]

Preparation

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Chicken is marinated for several hours in a mixture of lemon juice, dahi (yogurt), Kashmiri red chilli, salt, garam masala, ginger paste, and garlic paste.

The marinated chicken is cooked in a tandoor (traditional clay oven), but may be grilled, oven-roasted, or pan-fried. It is served in a mild curry sauce that includes butter. The sauce is a tomato, garlic, and ginger-based sauce that is simmered until smooth and much of the water has evaporated. There are many variations on the composition and spicing of the sauce, which is sieved so that it is velvety smooth. Spices may include cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, garam masala, and dried fenugreek leaves (Punjabi/Hindi: kasuri methi). Cashew paste may be used as a thickener and it is finally garnished with coriander.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Irwin, Heather (September 2019). "A Butter Chicken Vs. Tikka Masala Showdown at Cumin in Santa Rosa". Sonoma Magazine. SMI Media. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b Madhukalya, Anwesha (30 May 2017). "How Did Butter Chicken Become Synonymous With Delhi?". HuffPost India. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Partition brought Moti Mahal, a landmark in India's culinary history, to central Delhi". Sunday Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  4. ^ Mehrotra, Manish (21 August 2021). "Kundan Lal Gujral: Father of butter chicken". India Today. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b Phatarphekar, Pramila N. (14 August 2004). "What If Kundan Lal Hadn't Hit Upon Butter Chicken?". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b Singh, Shivani (14 August 2017). "'Vadiya Khao': Refugees taught Delhi how to eat out in style". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  7. ^ Bhargava, Kartikey (11 April 2019). "Butter chicken: A brief history". Menu Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b Gujral, Monish (7 March 2013). On the Butter Chicken Trail: A Delhi Darbar Cookbook (1.0 ed.). Delhi: Penguin India. ISBN 9780143419860.
  9. ^ Hosking, Richard (8 August 2006). Authenticity in the kitchen : proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on food and cookery 2005 (1 ed.). Blackawton: Prospect Books. p. 393. ISBN 9781903018477.
  10. ^ a b Hadid, Diaa (2024-03-01). "Who cooked up butter chicken? A court seeks the answer. Plus: Madhur Jaffrey's recipe". NPR. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  11. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (2024-01-25). "India's courts to rule on who invented butter chicken". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  12. ^ Shelhart, John D.; Cobleigh, Ira U.; Bacon, Norman (1975). "Manhattan Menus".
  13. ^ Broadfield, Rob (18 November 2017). "Rob Broadfield: Taste testing Mrs Mac's new Perth Stadium range of pies". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  14. ^ "New vegan pie awards and the changing taste of a Kiwi classic". New Zealand Herald. 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  15. ^ Joel McManus (2025-12-01). "The pie-oneer: In search of the unsung hero who invented the butter chicken pie". The Spinoff.
  16. ^ Celjo, Farah; Hegarty, Siobhan (22 August 2018). "India's most popular curry: Butter chicken". SBS. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  17. ^ Wilson, Laurie (11 August 2018). "What Is the Difference Between Authentic and American Indian Food?". Chowhound. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  18. ^ Anand, Anjum (21 April 2010). "Sweet and murky: the British curry". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  19. ^ Reinfrank, Alkira (26 May 2020). "What is butter chicken? Isn't it curry?". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  20. ^ Verma, Rahul (5 June 2016). "Remaking a classic". Telegraph India. Retrieved 2 December 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

Bibliography

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