Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs {Murgh Makhani Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

Is butter chicken the same as murgh makhani? ›

Butter chicken, traditionally known as murgh makhani (pronounced [mʊrɣ ˈməkʰaːni]), is an Indian dish originating in Delhi. It is a type of curry made from chicken with a spiced tomato and butter (makhan) sauce. Its sauce is known for its rich texture. It is similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses a tomato paste.

Butter chicken sauce is made of sauteed onions, tomato puree, and lots of spices. It's finished at the end with a smattering of heavy cream and some fenugreek leaves.

Butter chicken is a healthier option than tikka masala. Tikka masala has a shocking 400–500 calories per serving on average, but a serving of butter chicken may have 438 calories. If you're concerned with the amount of fat it has, you can always switch to low-fat substitutes for butter and heavy cream.

The dish originated in northern India, in Amritsar, to be exact. Legend has it that chefs there made chicken tikka with heavy amounts of butter to stay true to their Punjabi roots. But they didn't stop there: They added more butter as a garnish and called it butter chicken (or murgh makhani).

Butter chicken will often look very similar to chicken tikka masala; the difference is that tikka masala has more of a complex, layered flavor from the spices, while butter chicken tastes like, well, butter, with a milder, sweeter gravy.

Butter Chicken is also known as Murgh Makhani in Hindi, which translates to “buttery chicken” in English. It is also sometimes referred to as Chicken Makhani.

What Is Butter Chicken? Tikka masala became popular in America as butter chicken after Indian restaurants began serving it with a side of white rice instead of basmati. The dish doesn't always include chicken, but it's called chicken-tikka or chicken-curry when it does.

Ingredients You'll Need

You can sub it with chicken thighs. Yogurt – Plain yogurt or sour cream will work. Spices – I used a blend of Ground Coriander, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Turmeric and Garam Masala (For information on garam masala, keep scrolling!)

Masala or Massala or Masalo (Hindi: मसाला, Urdu: مسالہ Gujarati: મસાલો, Marathi: मसाला, Nepali: मसला) is a word used in South Asia mainly in India. When Indian people talk about cooking and they say masala, they mean a mixture of ground spices used in Indian cooking.

How healthy is Indian butter chicken? ›

Butter chicken consists of approximately 30 grams of protein per serving. As a result, one serving of butter chicken makes up more than half of your daily protein consumption. Is butter chicken healthy? Butter chicken is high in fat and protein and, so, a keto-friendly recipe.

/ˌtɪkə məˈsɑːlə/ [uncountable, countable] ​(in British cooking) a mild Indian-style dish made with pieces of meat, usually chicken, cooked in a sauce with cream and spices.

India: While India has no official national dish, khichdi is often considered one.

Butter Chicken is a much-loved Indian dish, both within the country and around the world.

Did you know that authentic Butter Chicken is prepared in a tandoor, a traditional Indian clay oven? The chicken is first cooked in the tandoor, giving it a smoky and charred flavor, before being added to the luscious tomato-based curry.

This butter chicken recipe, or chicken makhani, is one of my favorite Indian dishes.

Butter chicken vs tikka masala – at a glance

Butter chicken uses tandoori chicken, which is then finished in a spicy, buttery tomato-based sauce. The chicken in tikka masala is usually chargrilled, for a distinct flavor. Chicken tikka masala is most likely based on butter chicken, originally known as murgh makhani.

- In Indian cookbooks, murg is the word used for chicken. The word murg was used in Persia for bird or fowl. Murgi is the Hindi word for the hen. In the Indian subcontinent, one does not find the mention of many egg or chicken recipes, while, Ayurveda supports consumption of meat, birds and fishes.

The Delhi-born Indian dish butter chicken also called murgh makhani, is a sort of curry cooked with chicken in spicy tomato and butter sauce. For its thick texture, its sauce is renowned. It is comparable to the tomato paste-based chicken tikka masala dish.