Butter chicken or murgh makhani is a dish, from the Indian subcontinent, of chicken in a mildly spiced curry sauce and this dish is one of the most popular Indian dishes in the world.
The dish has its roots in Punjabi cuisine. It was developed by three Indians, Kundan Lal Jaggi, Kundan Lal Gujral and Thakur Dass all Punjabi Hindu restaurateurs who were the founders of Moti Mahal Delux restaurant in Delhi, India.
The dish was created by the three partners at their restaurant in Delhi in the 1950s. The dish was made by mixing the leftover chicken in a tomato gravy, rich in butter and cream.
How to prepare Butter Chicken
Chicken is marinated for several hours in a cream, yogurt and spice mixture. The spices may include garam masala, ginger, garlic, lemon or lime, pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric and chili.
The chicken is usually cooked in a tandoor (traditional clay oven), but may be grilled, roasted, or pan fried. It is served in a mild curry sauce that includes butter.
There are many variations on the composition and spicing of the sauce. Spices may include asafoetida, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper and fenugreek.
Cream may be used in the sauce or as a garnish. Cashew paste may be used as a thickener.
Garnishes can include butter, cream, green chillies, coriander, and fenugreek and Butter Chicken is usually served with rice.
Information Source: Wikipedia
Additional Information About Butter Chicken:
1. To get a tastier Butter Chicken, marinate the chicken overnight or for at least 6 hours.
2. In addition to rice, you can serve Butter Chicken with Naan, a kind of popular flatbread in India.
3. To enjoy the taste, it's better to eat this dish when it's hot.
4. You can use low fat cream and low fat butter if you want to reduce calories.
5. In general, this dish is easy to prepare and doesn't need a lot of time.