Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Cut the chicken thighs into 5 cm pieces. Finely grate the garlic and ginger for the marinade. Roughly chop the onion, 6 garlic cloves, and 25 g ginger for the sauce. Remove the stems from the dried Kashmiri chillies. Lightly crush the black and green cardamom pods.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, grated garlic, grated ginger, Kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala, ground cumin, and salt. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

Heat a grill pan or heavy cast-iron skillet over the highest heat possible and brush with the 2 tbsp neutral oil. Working in two batches to avoid crowding, cook the chicken for 4 minutes per side without moving, until deeply charred at the edges. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked through at this stage. Set aside.

In a large, wide saucepan or Dutch oven, melt 60 g butter with 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and dried Kashmiri chillies and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes until the onion is deeply golden and beginning to char at the edges.

Push the onion mixture to the side, add the cumin seeds, black and green cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick to the centre of the pan, and let them sizzle in the fat for 60 seconds until fragrant.

Add the canned tomatoes, crushing them with your hand as they go in, along with the Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine and simmer uncovered over medium heat for 20 minutes until the sauce is thick, dark, and the fat begins to pool on the surface.

Remove the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and black cardamom husks. Use a stick blender (or transfer in batches to a standing blender) and blend the sauce until completely smooth. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pan, pressing firmly to extract all liquid; discard the solids.

Return the pan to medium heat. Stir in the double cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the charred chicken pieces and any resting juices. Simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and reads 74°C on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest point of a piece.

Stir in the crushed kasuri methi and the final tablespoon of butter. Taste and adjust salt. Serve immediately with basmati rice or warm naan.