Poulet au Beurre
Le murgh makhani — poulet tendre dans une sauce tomate crémeuse au beurre et aux épices. Le curry indien le plus populaire au monde.
Portions
Ingrédients
Nutrition
Par portion
Étapes
Coat the chicken
Put the chicken in a bowl with the yogurt, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, the turmeric and a pinch of salt. Mix until every piece is coated and leave for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge for more flavor.
- 600g chicken thighs
- 150g plain yogurt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 pinch salt
✅ C'est prêt quand : chicken is evenly coated in the marinade
Brown the chicken
Melt half the butter in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken in one layer and cook 3–4 minutes per side until golden with a few dark spots; it does not need to be fully cooked yet. Remove and set aside.
- 25g butter
- 600g marinated chicken from step 1
✅ C'est prêt quand : golden with dark spots on each side, not fully cooked inside
Cook the onion, garlic and ginger
Add the remaining butter to the same pan over medium heat. Cook the onion about 5 minutes until soft and see-through, then stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute and add the remaining garam masala.
- 25g butter
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
✅ C'est prêt quand : onion is soft and translucent
Make the sauce
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer gently 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick with oil visible at the edges. For a smooth sauce, blend it now with a stick blender.
- 400g crushed tomatoes
✅ C'est prêt quand : sauce is thick with a thin layer of oil visible at the edges
Cook the chicken in the sauce
Return the chicken to the pan and stir into the sauce. Lower the heat, cover, and cook 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
- 600g browned chicken from step 2
- all sauce from step 4
✅ C'est prêt quand : chicken is cooked through with no pink inside, reaching 74°C/165°F
Add the cream
Remove the lid, stir in the cream, and simmer gently 3–4 more minutes. Taste and add salt, plus a pinch of sugar if it tastes too sour, then sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve with warm naan or basmati rice.
- 120ml heavy cream
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
- all chicken and sauce from step 5
✅ C'est prêt quand : sauce is glossy and slightly thickened, finished with fresh cilantro on top
Coat the chicken
Put the chicken in a bowl with the yogurt, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, the turmeric and a pinch of salt. Mix until every piece is coated and leave for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge for more flavor.
- 600g chicken thighs
- 150g plain yogurt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 pinch salt
✅ C'est prêt quand : chicken is evenly coated in the marinade
Brown the chicken
Melt half the butter in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken in one layer and cook 3–4 minutes per side until golden with a few dark spots; it does not need to be fully cooked yet. Remove and set aside.
- 25g butter
- 600g marinated chicken from step 1
✅ C'est prêt quand : golden with dark spots on each side, not fully cooked inside
Cook the onion, garlic and ginger
Add the remaining butter to the same pan over medium heat. Cook the onion about 5 minutes until soft and see-through, then stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute and add the remaining garam masala.
- 25g butter
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
✅ C'est prêt quand : onion is soft and translucent
Make the sauce
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer gently 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick with oil visible at the edges. For a smooth sauce, blend it now with a stick blender.
- 400g crushed tomatoes
✅ C'est prêt quand : sauce is thick with a thin layer of oil visible at the edges
Cook the chicken in the sauce
Return the chicken to the pan and stir into the sauce. Lower the heat, cover, and cook 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
- 600g browned chicken from step 2
- all sauce from step 4
✅ C'est prêt quand : chicken is cooked through with no pink inside, reaching 74°C/165°F
Add the cream
Remove the lid, stir in the cream, and simmer gently 3–4 more minutes. Taste and add salt, plus a pinch of sugar if it tastes too sour, then sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve with warm naan or basmati rice.
- 120ml heavy cream
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
- all chicken and sauce from step 5
✅ C'est prêt quand : sauce is glossy and slightly thickened, finished with fresh cilantro on top
The Story Behind the Dish
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) was invented in the 1950s at the famous Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, India. Kundan Lal Gujral, a Punjabi restaurateur who had moved to Delhi from Peshawar after the partition of India, came up with a brilliant idea: leftover Tandoori chicken was too dry, so he chopped it up and simmered it in a rich, velvety sauce of tomatoes, butter, cream, and aromatic spices like garam masala.
The sauce was born from the restaurant's own kitchen — the tomato-based gravy was a natural evolution of the everyday cooking of the region, enriched with generous amounts of butter and cream to tone down the tomato's acidity.
What began as a clever way to use leftovers quickly became Moti Mahal's signature dish, and today it is one of the most beloved Indian curries in the world, with the original restaurant's recipe still closely guarded.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Butter Chicken is the gateway curry for millions of people worldwide. Its gentle, creamy, mildly spiced sauce made Indian cuisine approachable for Western palates, and it remains the most ordered curry in Indian restaurants from London to New York.
💡 Fun Fact
Moti Mahal is also credited with popularising tandoori chicken and dal makhani — so three of India's most famous restaurant dishes trace back to the same kitchen.
Delhi, India
28.61°N, 77.21°E
Recettes similaires
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!