Pieces of chicken, tossed in a simple spice marinade, lightly charred and then submerged in an unctuous, light, buttery, creamy tomato sauce. Butter chicken —or murgh makhani —is a dish so beloved, it’s now ubiquitous on Indian restaurant menus the world over. Yet, it started life as a way of repurposing leftovers.
Traditionally, the dish would begin with tandoori chicken: bone-in meat coated in cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli and garam masala, partially cooked in a tandoor (a hot clay oven) before later being flash-cooked in the tandoor a second time. Meat has been cooked in tandoor-style ovens in northwest India since around 2600-1900 BCE, according to archaeological finds, but butter chicken only evolved in the first half of the 20th century.
The dish came about in response to discerning restaurant customers who wouldn’t countenance eating day-old tandoori chicken that was past its succulent best. As a solution, leftover pieces were dunked in the simplest of curries, whipped up quickly to disguise their dryness. The sauce was originally made with crushed fresh tomatoes and minimal spicing, including garam masala —a warming blend that would likely have included coriander, cumin and bay
