Murgh Makhani Butter Chicken

This is a delicious recipe for those who like their food spicy and those who prefer milder curries as you can adjust the spice levels. It's reasonably low in fat, inexpensive to produce and will take up less than an hour of your time in the kitchen. If you're willing to make it a day in advance, it'll taste even better the next day. The best bit is you only need to use 2 saucepans!

The first job is to marinate the chicken. If you have the time, get this done the day before. If this isn't convenient, get this done first.

*400G boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces

*250g plain yoghurt

*2 Tbsp minced garlic (or 5 cloves finely chopped)

*1 Tbsp minced ginger

*2 Tsp garam masala

*1 Tsp ground turmeric (be careful - it stains everything!)

*1 Tsp ground cumin

*Red chilli powder to taste

*1 Tsp of sea salt

Mix everything apart from the chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl until well incorporated. Then add your chicken thighs and ensure every inch of the chicken is covered in that beautiful marinade. Cover with cling film and leave on the bottom shelf of your fridge. (Always try and keep raw meat & fish on the bottom shelves to avoid cross-contamination)

Now for the makhani sauce:

*2 Tbsp coconut oil

*1 Tbsp ghee or clarified butter

Melt these in a large sauce pan.

*1 large onion (finely sliced)

Add this to the pan on medium heat and gently start to sweat this down. You don't want the onions to take on any colour so keep them moving until they're soft & sweet. This should take 12 to 15 minutes.

*1 Tbsp minced garlic

*1 Tbsp minced ginger

Add this to the pan with the onions now and cook gently for another 3 or 4 minutes.

*2 Tsp ground cumin

*2 Tsp garam masala

*1 Tsp ground coriander

Add these ground spices to the pan and gently cook through to release their aromats. This should take no more than 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the spices at this point.

*400G carton of passata or crushed tomatoes

Add this to the pan and scrape anything that may have started sticking to the bottom of the pan. This will dissolve whilst the sauce is cooking.

*Red chilli powder to taste

*1Tsp of sea salt

Add this to the pan. Allow the sauce to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to gently cook for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, take another saucepan, put on high heat and add 2 Tsp of rapeseed oil or coconut oil. Fry off the marinated chicken pieces in batches. Be careful to not overcrowd the pan. Get a nice, even colour on both sides of the chicken then put them on a flat tray to one side.

Chefs tip: If you're having rice with this dish, use the pan that you fried your chicken off in to make the rice. Don't wash the pan. The sediment at the bottom of the ban will add flavour to your rice. For Basmati rice go with a ratio of 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water. Season your rice well and for added flavour add a cinnamon stick and/or a few green cardamon pods that have been lightly crushed.

*400ML cream

Once your sauce has been simmering for 20 minutes add 400ML of double cream if you're not on a diet or 400ML coconut milk if you're still on a diet! (well done if you still are )

*100G sugar

*1 Tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi - very important)

Add the sugar & fenugreek and stir well. Taste the sauce. Add more chilli or salt if you prefer. If you'd like the sauce smooth you can blend it at this stage with a stick blender or in a food processor - be careful as it's going to be hot!

Add your chicken to the pan with the sauce and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

*A handful of fresh coriander roughly chopped recipe from Kish, Chef patron of

Turn off the heat and add a handful of fresh coriander just before serving. My little girls love a squeeze of fresh lemon on their chicken.

Enjoy with steamed basmati rice, naan bread, poppadoms & a lime pickle.

If you struggle to get hold of any of the spices in this recipe, swing by the restaurant (8 Whitehorse Street, SG7 6QN) and we'll be happy to pot up whatever you need for you to take home.

Enjoy!