You’ve probably noticed that butter chicken has become one of the world’s most beloved Indian dishes, yet creating an authentic version at home can seem intimidating. While the original recipe from Delhi’s Moti Mahal restaurant took hours to perfect, modern appliances like the Ninja Speedi have revolutionised how you can approach this classic comfort food. The combination of tender chicken in a velvety tomato gravy alongside fragrant jeera rice isn’t just a restaurant luxury anymore – it’s now within your reach as a weeknight dinner option. Let’s explore how this 1950s culinary innovation has adapted to today’s busy lifestyle.
Origins in 1950s Delhi
You might be surprised to learn that butter chicken was born at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi during the 1950s, where it started as a creative solution to prevent leftover tandoori chicken from drying out.
The recipe’s signature tomato gravy, which you’ll find in every authentic version today, was a breakthrough that transformed what could have been wasted chicken into a dish that would take over Indian cuisine.
While it began in a humble kitchen, this now-classic dish quickly became a staple of Delhi’s vibrant street food scene and spread far beyond the city’s boundaries.
Original Moti Mahal Recipe
Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi’s Daryaganj area created the original butter chicken recipe in the 1950s when owner Kundan Lal Gujral decided to prevent his tandoori chicken from drying out. He developed a rich, creamy tomato-based gravy with butter, cream, and aromatic spices to revive leftover tandoori chicken pieces.
The classic recipe calls for marinating chicken in yoghurt, ginger, garlic, and traditional tandoori spices for several hours. You’ll need to roast the marinated chicken in a tandoor until it’s charred on the outside but still juicy inside.
For the signature gravy, you’ll simmer tomatoes with butter, cream, and a blend of spices including garam masala, kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), and Kashmiri red chilli powder. When you combine the roasted chicken with this velvety sauce, you’ll get that distinctive orange-red colour and rich, mildly sweet flavour that’s made butter chicken famous worldwide.
While many modern versions exist, Moti Mahal’s original recipe remains a closely guarded secret – though that hasn’t stopped countless chefs from trying to recreate its magic.
Classic Delhi Street Food
While butter chicken emerged from Delhi’s high-end restaurant scene, the dish quickly influenced the city’s vibrant street food culture during the 1950s.
You’ll find that street vendors adapted the recipe to suit their limited resources, often using smaller tandoors and simplified versions of the original marinades. They’d serve their butter chicken with freshly made roomali roti or simple jeera rice, making it accessible to the average worker’s budget.
If you’re walking through Old Delhi today, you’ll spot countless small stalls where vendors have perfected their own takes on this classic.
The street food version tends to be spicier and less creamy than the restaurant original, and you’ll notice they often use more tomatoes to stretch the gravy further. Some vendors have even created their own signature touches – a sprinkle of kasuri methi here, an extra dash of garam masala there.
What’s remarkable is how these street food adaptations have come full circle, influencing modern restaurant versions of butter chicken, proving that great food innovation can flow in both directions.
Tomato Gravy Breakthrough
The groundbreaking shift to tomato-based gravy in the 1950s revolutionised butter chicken forever.
You’ll find that before this innovation, butter chicken relied heavily on cream and butter alone, which often resulted in an overwhelmingly rich dish. When Delhi’s culinary pioneers started experimenting with tomato-based gravies, they discovered the perfect balance of tanginess and richness that’s understood today.
If you’re wondering how this breakthrough happened, it was largely due to the availability of fresh tomatoes in post-partition Delhi.
Local chefs found that cooking down tomatoes with spices created a more complex flavour profile that could stand up to the richness of cream and butter. They’d simmer the tomatoes until they broke down completely, creating that signature orange-red colour that’s now instantly recognisable.
The addition of tomatoes also helped solve a practical problem – the gravy became more stable and less likely to separate.
You can thank this innovation for the smooth, velvety sauce that’s become the hallmark of modern butter chicken. It’s what gives the dish its perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and creamy notes.
Butter Chicken with Jeera Rice in Ninja Speedi
Description
Butter Chicken is a beloved North Indian dish known for its rich, creamy tomato-based sauce and tender chicken pieces, perfectly complemented by fragrant jeera (cumin) rice.
This Ninja Speedi adaptation maintains the authentic flavours while considerably reducing cooking time, allowing you to prepare both the curry and rice simultaneously using the unit's dual-cooking capability.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Butter Chicken:
Ingredients for Jeera Rice:
Instructions
Instructions: Bottom Pot (Rice):
- Add ghee and heat using Sear/Sauté function
- Add cumin seeds and bay leaves, sauté until fragrant
- Add rice, water, and salt
- Place crisping tray in position
Crisping Tray (Chicken):
- Marinate chicken with yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, and spices for 15 minutes
- Place marinated chicken in crisping tray
- Add tomato purée, butter, and cream mixture around chicken
Close lid and cook on Speedi Meals function at 190°C for 20 minutes
Equipment
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Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 1019.13kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 68.38g106%
- Saturated Fat 35.12g176%
- Trans Fat 0.73g
- Cholesterol 256.06mg86%
- Sodium 1368.56mg58%
- Potassium 781.65mg23%
- Total Carbohydrate 70.72g24%
- Dietary Fiber 3.03g13%
- Sugars 6.68g
- Protein 30.73g62%
- Vitamin A 527.92 IU
- Vitamin C 15 mg
- Calcium 167.51 mg
- Iron 5.88 mg
- Vitamin D 0.98 IU
- Vitamin E 2.47 IU
- Vitamin K 15.48 mcg
- Thiamin 0.59 mg
- Riboflavin 0.42 mg
- Niacin 9.78 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.7 mg
- Folate 32.67 mcg
- Vitamin B12 1.08 mcg
- Phosphorus 401.35 mg
- Magnesium 73.14 mg
- Zinc 3.2 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Extra Tips: For best results, marinate chicken for up to 4 hours in advance.
Stir the butter chicken sauce halfway through cooking if possible.
Let the rice rest for 5 minutes after cooking before fluffing with a fork.
If sauce is too thick, add warm water or cream to achieve desired consistency.
Garnish with fresh coriander and a drizzle of cream before serving.
