The Delhi Restaurant That Invented Butter Chicken Never Used Vegetable Oil

By Savannah Ryan — The Foodie Kitchen

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Butter chicken is one of the most searched Indian recipes in the world every month — and the authentic version from Delhi has always been cooked in ghee, not canola oil. The seed oil version that most restaurants serve is a 20th century substitution that strips flavour and replaces it with nothing. This is the original. Browse the complete Indian recipes collection for more ghee-cooked authentic dishes, and see the ghee vs butter guide for why ghee is the correct fat for this recipe.

Why Ghee Is the Correct Fat for Butter Chicken

Butter chicken — murgh makhani — was created in Delhi in the 1950s by Kundan Lal Gujral at Moti Mahal restaurant. The original recipe used tandoor-cooked chicken finished in a tomato and cream sauce enriched with ghee. Not canola. Not vegetable oil. Ghee. The reason is not historical convention — it is culinary chemistry. Ghee's fat-soluble compounds carry the spices in the tomato base at a molecular level that water-based or polyunsaturated oil sauces cannot replicate. The finished sauce has a depth and richness that the vegetable oil version approaches but never reaches. According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, ghee contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K2 alongside butyric acid — a short-chain fatty acid that supports gut lining integrity and is uniquely concentrated in dairy fat. Research on PubMed confirms ghee's chemical stability at the sustained medium heat required for a long-simmered sauce. Healthline's ghee nutrition analysis confirms its superior fat-soluble vitamin profile versus seed oils.

Ghee Butter Chicken — The Recipe

Ingredients

• 700g chicken thighs — boneless, cut into large chunks
• For the marinade: 150g full fat yoghurt, 2 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp salt, juice of half a lemon
• For the sauce: 2 tbsp ghee, 1 large onion finely diced, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
• 400g crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, half tsp turmeric, half tsp chili powder
• 150ml full fat cream
• 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter — stirred in at the end
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander and naan to serve

Method

1. Combine all marinade ingredients with the chicken. Mix thoroughly so every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours — overnight produces the best flavour and tenderises the chicken significantly.

2. Cook the marinated chicken: heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a large pan over high heat. Add the chicken pieces in batches — do not crowd. Sear for 3 to 4 minutes each side until charred at the edges. The slight char is characteristic of tandoor-style butter chicken. Set aside.

3. Make the sauce: in the same pan reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining ghee. Cook the onion for 7 minutes until deeply golden. Add garlic and ginger — cook 1 minute. Add all the spices and stir for 90 seconds until bloomed in the ghee.

4. Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine with the spice base. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce darkens and the raw tomato smell cooks off.

5. Use a stick blender to blend the sauce smooth in the pan — or transfer to a blender. Return to the pan and add the seared chicken pieces.

6. Pour in the cream and stir through. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon thickly. Remove from heat. Stir in the cold butter — it will melt and add gloss and richness.

7. Taste and adjust salt. Serve immediately with fresh coriander and naan or rice.

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Ghee butter chicken is the recipe that demonstrates what Indian food was always meant to taste like before vegetable oil entered restaurant kitchens. Find the complete Indian recipes collection and the complete global seed oil free guide. For 20 authentic Indian recipes all cooked in ghee — Savor India by Savannah Ryan. More fast meals at the 30-minute dinner collection on Wix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is butter chicken made with butter or ghee?
The authentic original recipe uses ghee — clarified butter with milk solids removed. The name 'butter chicken' refers to the richness of the sauce, not that butter is the only fat. Ghee is used for cooking because its higher smoke point handles the searing and sauce-making temperatures that unclarified butter cannot.

Why does restaurant butter chicken taste different from home versions?
Restaurant butter chicken often uses a pre-made tomato base, cream powder and large quantities of butter added at the end for richness. The authentic version builds flavour by blooming whole spices in ghee before adding tomatoes, then blending the sauce smooth. The ghee is the flavour carrier — vegetable oil versions taste flatter.

Can I make butter chicken dairy free?
The marinade yoghurt can be replaced with full fat coconut yoghurt and the cream with full fat coconut milk. The butter stirred in at the end can be replaced with additional ghee — ghee is lactose and casein free, making it suitable for most dairy sensitivities.

Is butter chicken keto?
Yes if served without rice or naan. The sauce itself contains only protein from the chicken and fat from ghee and cream with minimal carbohydrates from the tomato base and spices. Serve over cauliflower rice for a complete keto meal.

What is the difference between butter chicken and tikka masala?
Butter chicken — murgh makhani — has a sweeter, creamier, more mellow sauce. Tikka masala has a spicier, more robust tomato base. Both should be cooked in ghee. The chicken preparation is similar — marinated in yoghurt and spices and seared before going into the sauce.

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