Butter Chicken
AI-generated illustration
Butter Chicken, or Murgh Makhani, is a rich and creamy North Indian curry featuring tender chicken pieces simmered in a velvety tomato-based sauce. The sauce is typically made with tomatoes, butter, cream, and a blend of aromatic spices like garam masala, ginger, and garlic, often with a hint of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). It originated in the 1950s in Delhi, India, and has since become one of the most popular Indian dishes worldwide.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
Butter Chicken is high in fat and protein due to the generous use of butter, cream, and chicken, while being relatively moderate in carbohydrates. A typical serving (about 1 cup) provides around 400-600 calories, along with significant amounts of vitamin A from tomatoes and iron from the spices.
💡 What's interesting
Culturally, Butter Chicken is a symbol of Indian culinary innovation, born from a desire to repurpose leftover tandoori chicken into a new, luxurious dish. Nutritionally, the tomatoes in the sauce are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant that becomes more bioavailable when cooked with fats like butter.