Try this Butter Chicken Murgh Makhani recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 14 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoon ginger (chopped)
- 1 pound chicken thighs (boneless, skinless (or use breast
- 4 ounces butter or coconut oil
- 4 ounces heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup cup cilantro (chopped)
- Carbohydrate 5.57351832824743 g
- Cholesterol 99.790321312 mg
- Fat 33.8514644353099 g
- Fiber 1.34987594686543 g
- Protein 1.82014593899154 g
- Saturated Fat 21.1407774692863 g
- Serving Size 1 1 servings + additional sauce (278g)
- Sodium 318.065518282833 mg
- Sugar 4.22364238138201 g
- Trans Fat 2.22555329319237 g
- Calories 323 calories
Step-by-step
- Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot in the order listed, excuding the butter, cream and 1 teaspoon of the garam masala, mixing the sauce well.
- Place the chicken on top of the sauce. If it's frozen, push it into the sauce a bit so it defrosts better.
- Close the cooker and Select Manual and adjust to high pressure, cooking for ten minutes. When time is up, allow for natural pressure release.
- Remove the chicken carefully from the Instant Pot and set aside. Blend together all the ingredients, preferably using an immersion blender.
- Add the cut up butter, cream, cilantro, and garam masala and stir until well incorporated. It's best to let the sauce cool just a little before adding the butter and the cream. Adding it into the boiling sauce will make your sauce very thin. If that happens, just put it in the fridge for a little and let it thicken up. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Take out half the sauce and freeze for later or store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Add the chicken back in and heat through. Break it up into smaller pieces if you need but don't shred it.
- Serve over rice, or zucchini noodles. Enjoy!
Allowing the pressure-cooked sauce to cool slightly before adding dairy prevents the fats from breaking and keeps the final emulsion stable. Whisking heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk into a boiling liquid causes immediate separation, resulting in a thin and watery consistency that fails to cling to poultry.
Using boneless, skinless chicken thighs provides more connective tissue and fat than breast meat, yielding a juicier result under high pressure. When substituting coconut oil for butter and full-fat coconut milk for heavy cream, maintain a one-to-one ratio to preserve the necessary fat content of 33.8 grams per serving. That generous fat percentage coats the spices and tempers the heat of cayenne pepper and garam masala.
Blending the cooked tomato, ginger, garlic, and spice base with an immersion blender creates a smooth purée before the dairy enters the pot. If the sauce accidentally thins too much from residual heat, chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to restore thickness until it coats the back of a spoon.
Excess sauce freezes well for later meals and keeps safely in the refrigerator for two to three days. Reheat gently over medium-low heat to avoid curdling the dairy emulsion.
