- Akshay Bhardwaj, the executive chef at Junoon, shared tips for making the perfect butter chicken.
- He said selecting the right cut of chicken and marinating the meat is vital.
- Adding cashews provides extra creaminess.
Chef Akshay Bhardwaj leads the kitchen at Junoon, one of New York City’s best-known Indian restaurants, but when it comes to comfort meals, he often reaches for a bowl of butter chicken.
The dish — a rich curry made from yogurt, cashews, tomatoes, a mix of spices, and grilled chicken — was known in India as murgh makhani. But it first found its footing as “butter chicken” in the US at Manhattan’s now-closed Gaylord Indian Restaurant in 1975.
Easily the best-known Indian dish, even among non-Indian-Americans, it can be found on almost every Indian restaurant’s menu in the US.
Even national grocery chains such as Costco and Trader Joe’s have capitalized on its popularity by stocking frozen versions of the curry. In 2023, Trader Joe’s frozen butter chicken with basmati rice bagged the top spot in the lunch-and-dinner category of the brand’s Customer Choice Awards.
While growing up in Queens, New York, Bhardwaj learned there are many variations of butter chicken. In North India, the creamy curry has a slightly tangy but still spicy taste, while some places in the West and Northwest added extra jaggery or sugar to make a sweeter version.
For his recipe, Bhardwaj preferred a balanced flavor profile: neither too sweet nor too spicy.
Bhardwaj has been the executive chef at Junoon since 2016. The Manhattan restaurant won Michelin stars for eight consecutive years, three of which were under his leadership.
When he is not working on creating innovative Indian dishes for Junoon or bringing Indian street-food flavors to diners at his second venture, Jazba, he’s learning, writing, and perfecting his mother’s and grandmother’s recipes.
Business Insider spoke to Bhardwaj via video call to ask for his advice on recreating a restaurant-style butter chicken at home.
Here are his top nine tips for making the perfect butter chicken at home.
