The Story Behind Butter Chicken
Ask a hundred guests what to order on their first visit and "butter chicken" will lead the list. But the dish carries a story most people never hear — one that begins in a busy Delhi kitchen in the 1940s and ends in tandoors across the world.
A happy accident at Moti Mahal
In the late 1940s, the chefs at Moti Mahal in Delhi were trying to stop yesterday's tandoori chicken from drying out. Their fix: stir the leftover marinade together with butter, fresh tomato, cream and a pinch of fenugreek leaves, then warm the chicken through.
The new gravy was rich, mildly spiced and impossibly comforting. Diners asked for it by name. Within a decade, "murgh makhani" had crossed continents.
What makes ours different
We marinate the chicken overnight in yogurt, ginger and garam masala, then char it in the tandoor before it ever meets the gravy. That extra step is the difference between a curry that tastes of butter and one that tastes of smoke and butter.
The tomato base is reduced low and slow for two hours. No shortcuts, no powders — just whole spices ground in-house each morning, and a finishing knob of butter that should never be skipped.
How to order it like a regular
Order it with a garlic naan, a side of jeera rice, and a cold lassi. Skip the rice if you want the smoke to come through; ask for an extra naan if you don't. And if you're bringing a bottle, a soft, fruity red works beautifully against the cream.
