Butter Chicken

Over the course of history, North India has witnessed remarkable changes in its politico-cultural spectrum which has left the most indelible mark on its cuisine. The undisputed flag bearer of this rich and vibrant past is the Butter Chicken, traditionally referred to as Murgh Makhani. The soft creaminess of the silky, tangy curry is a perfect blend of tomato puree, aromatic spices, cashew paste and a dollop of cream or butter, the very ingredient that lends the dish its name. Tandoori Chicken is then added to the luscious mixture to form this culinary masterpiece, served best with fresh Naan, Roti or flavoured rice.

Though an accidental creation, the history of Butter Chicken is entrenched in the larger narrative of India’s Independence in 1947. The humble origin of this champion dish can be traced back to a local shop in Peshawar during the Partition era, where Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi worked and served Tandoori food. Shortly after the partition, the two of them, along with Thakur Das, moved to India and continued the legacy of Moti Mahal, serving delectable Peshawari food in the heart of the country’s capital. As their fame reached new zeniths, they were compelled to cook an ever-increasing quantity of Tandoori Chicken, a portion of which inadvertently started drying out, hanging from the skewers for long. Back in the day, there were no means of proper refrigeration. To prevent unnecessary wastage, the team tried to look for alternatives to reuse the dried Tandoori Chicken. As the story goes, a Bengali customer happened to visit their eatery and was in search of a simple chicken curry. Unable to cater to this request, the chef was directed to create a gravy as entremets, with butter, tomatoes and spices. It is hard to say whether the customer relished the new recipe, but in the process, the great Indian Butter Chicken was born.

The recipe of Murgh Makhani was first published in 1974 and in 1975, the English phrase of Butter Chicken was popularised as a speciality at Gaylord Indian Restaurant in Manhattan. Since then, the dish has bagged Michelin stars and become bestsellers at local eateries. While purists prefer to preserve the originality of the dish, modern-day innovations have come up with odd yet fun variants of the Butter Chicken. These include pizza toppings, fillings in rolls, poutine, wraps and many more. In countries like Australia and New Zealand, it is gaining increasing popularity as pie filling.