A mid-twentieth-century Delhi invention that began as a practical way to use leftover tandoori chicken and became one of India's most exported dishes.
Born from leftovers
Butter chicken is a modern dish with a well-attested origin in Delhi in the years around the middle of the twentieth century, credited to restaurateurs who had relocated from the north-west following the partition of the subcontinent.
The problem it solved was mundane. Tandoori chicken cooked in a clay oven dries out as it sits, and unsold birds at the end of service were a loss. Simmering the pieces in a sauce of tomatoes, butter and cream rescued them, and the result proved far more popular than the original.
The same kitchens are associated with dal makhani, the slow-cooked black lentil dish built on similar principles of butter, cream and long simmering, and the two remain natural companions on a menu.
How the sauce works
The chicken is first marinated in yoghurt with ginger, garlic and spices, then cooked at high heat, ideally in a tandoor, to pick up char. That smokiness is the backbone of the finished dish, and versions that skip it taste flat no matter how rich the sauce.
The sauce is tomato-led, softened with butter and cream and often a little cashew paste for body. The spicing is warm rather than fiery — garam masala, kasuri methi crushed between the palms for its distinctive aroma, and only modest chilli. A pinch of sugar is common to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Balance is the challenge. Too little acidity and it becomes cloying; too much cream and the spices disappear. The dish should still taste of tandoor and tomato, with the dairy as a carrier rather than the main event.
Travels and confusions
Butter chicken became a fixture of Indian restaurants worldwide, where its mildness made it an easy entry point for unfamiliar diners. It is frequently confused with chicken tikka masala, a related creamy tomato dish whose invention is generally credited to South Asian restaurateurs in Britain.
Its global success has been double-edged. It has introduced enormous numbers of people to Indian food while also flattening perceptions of a cuisine that spans dozens of distinct regional traditions, many of which use no cream at all.
