Murg Makhani: Indian Butter Chicken

Butter chicken was born in the kitchens of the Moti Mahal hotel in Delhi in the 1950s. Today, it is among India's best-known foods the world over.

Many restaurants around the globe have versions of it that are not authentic at all. So before you learn what authentic butter chicken should look and taste like, you should know what it shouldn't be like—sweet, loaded with food coloring, full of raisins or tomato ketchup.

Butter chicken is of North Indian origin, Punjabi to be precise. It gets its lovely, distinctive flavors from the tangy tomatoes, yogurt, and smoky kasuri methi (dried fenugreek) added to its gravy. This can be made as hot or mild as you like so it suits most palates. Also commonly known as murg makhani, butter chicken tastes great with kaali daal (black lentils), naan (flatbread), and a green salad.

This recipe for butter chicken is the real deal. If it feels like the list of ingredients is exhaustive, please don't allow that to deter you—they are all just commonly used ingredients in Indian cooking. We suggest making the spice powder from scratch (as in the recipe) since this will give you the best results.

For the First Marinade

2 1/4 pounds boneless chicken, skin removed
1 lime, or lemon, juiced
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon red chili powder, adjust to suit your taste

For the Second Marinade

1 cup fresh unsweetened yogurt, must not be sour
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

For Cooking

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, or canola or sunflower cooking oil
2 onions, chopped finely
2 teaspoons garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, ground into a smooth paste in a food processor
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
3 tablespoons butter
Coriander (cilantro) leaves, for garnish