Butter Chicken Wings (Murgh Makhani Wings)
I’ve taken my wing game up a notch and crafted these Butter Chicken Wings. Take the classic Murgh Makhani aka butter chicken gravy and dunk those chicken wings in it and taste that deliciousness. Enjoy the recipe!
History
Butter chicken wings trace back to the much-loved traditional Indian dish, Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken. The original dish was reportedly concocted by chefs in Delhi in the 1950s using leftover tandoori chicken, which was simmered in a tomato-based, creamy sauce. This recipe swaps traditional boneless chicken with wings, offering a flavorful rendition perfect for an appetizer or party snack.
Ingredient Notes
This recipe uses classic Indian flavors that give the chicken wings a huge depth of flavor. This flavor comes from the delicious spices so don’t let the quantities of spices put you off making it, as once you have them, this recipe is very easy to make again. As most of the ingredients are pantry.
For the more unique ingredients like tandoori masala and kasuri methi, there are some easy alternatives you can use instead.
- Chicken Wings: For this recipe, we’re using full chicken wings, which include both the drumette and the flat. If desired, you can also use wingettes or drumettes separately.
- Tomato Puree: Tomato puree provides the sauce with a rich, velvety base that brings a hint of tangy sweetness, vital for the classic butter chicken taste. In different states or countries, tomato puree may be labeled slightly differently; sometimes it’s called passata or sieved tomatoes.
- Ginger Garlic Paste: if you can’t find pre-made ginger garlic paste, you can easily make your own by mixing equal parts of minced fresh ginger and garlic. This can even be done in a food processor.
- Cream: I used fresh cream for the recipe but feel free to use heavy whipping cream also. If you use heavy whipping cream, you may need to reduce the sauce for a few minutes as it has a thinner consistency than fresh cream.
- Sweetener: A sweetener of your choice can be used to balance out the spicy and tangy flavors in the sauce. Depending on your dietary preferences, it could be regular sugar, stevia, or any other low-calorie sweetener.
- Red Chili Powder: This adds the heat to the dish. Adjust the quantity according to your tolerance for spiciness. For a milder spice, you can use paprika instead.
- Kasuri Methi: Known as dried fenugreek leaves, Kasuri Methi brings a uniquely slight bitter undertone, which is characteristic of many Indian dishes. If this is hard to source, you could use a tiny pinch of ground mustard seed as a substitute but use it sparingly due to its strong flavor.
- Ghee: Ghee, or clarified butter, is used in this recipe for seasoning the wings before baking. This lends a rich, nutty flavor and helps the wings achieve a crispy finish. If you cannot find ghee, unsalted butter or coconut oil can be used, but ghee is recommended for its authentic flavor.
- Tandoori Masala: Tandoori Masala is a unique blend of spices, and not finding it shouldn’t deter you from making this dish. A homemade mix of red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and ground coriander can mimic its smoky and savory profile quite effectively.
Expert Tips
Thorough Coating: It’s crucial to ensure the chicken wings are completely coated with the seasoning. This is what gives your wings the depth of flavor and a beautiful color once baked.
Baking Tips: For perfectly crispy wings, bake them on a rack in a single layer without touching each other. This allows even heat distribution and airflow around each wing, ensuring that they are crisped up evenly on all sides. Also, preheating your oven is important as it helps achieve the desired crispness right from the start.
Creamy Sauce: When preparing the sauce, it’s important if you’re using fresh cream to add it at the end after turning off the heat. This helps prevent the cream from curdling due to high heat, thus maintaining a smooth and rich consistency.
Sauce Intensity: You can adjust the intensity of the sauce to personal preference. If you prefer a more intense, concentrated flavor, you can reduce the sauce for longer. If you want it lighter, you can add a bit more water or cream. I always recommend trying the recipe as it is first, then adjusting it if needed the next time around.
Step by Step Instructions
1) Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
2) Add the chicken wings into a large bowl and season with salt, tandoori masala and ghee.
3) Arrange the chicken wings on a baking rack in a baking tray in a single layer.
4) Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes or until the center of the biggest chicken wing is 390°F (75°C).
4) In the meantime in a saucepan melt the butter over low heat and add ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, and ground cumin to the saucepan. Stir the spices into the butter, letting them cook until they are fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
5) Stir in the tomato puree, a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup should suffice), and the Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Gently simmer the butter chicken wing sauce covered for 5 minutes. Season to taste with sweetener and salt then cover and gently simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
6) Turn off the heat, and then stir in the fresh chopped cilantro and cream.
7) Place the baked wings in a large bowl, and pour the prepared sauce over them. Toss the wings in the sauce until they are well coated.
8) Return the sauce-coated wings to the baking rack, and place them back in the oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
9) After the final bake, remove the wings from the oven and mix them back into the sauce bowl, giving them a final coat.
10) Serve the butter chicken wings immediately for the best flavor and texture.
Storage and Leftovers
The butter chicken wings are best served immediately while hot and crispy. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When reheating, it’s best to do so in the oven or an air fryer to maintain crispiness.
FAQs
Butter Chicken Wings can be served as an appetizer or as part of a main course. They pair well with yogurt-based dips like Chatpata, ranch or tzatziki.
Ideally, Butter Chicken Wings should be served immediately while they’re still hot and crispy. However, if you’re preparing them for a party, you can bake the chicken wings and prepare the sauce ahead of time.
Fresh cream and heavy whipping cream can both be used in this recipe. While fresh cream can’t be further cook or else it will curdle, heavy whipping cream can be reduced for an even thicker sauce.
Quick Dip to Serve with Butter Chicken Wings
If you’re looking for a quick and easy dip for your chicken wings, here is my Chatpata recipe. It work’s extremely well with these butter chicken wings.
Chatpata Dip Ingredients:
- 2.5 fl oz (75 ml) Yogurt (or 5 Tbsp)
- 1 oz (30g) Cream Cheese (or 2 Tbsp)
- Salt to Taste
- 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Chaat Masala
- 1 Small Handful of Fresh Cilantro
Chatpata Dip Method:
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
- Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, then serve.
Chatpata Dip Nutrition (4 servings):
- Calories: 41
- Net Carbs: 0g
- Carbs: 0g
- Fat: 3g
- Protein: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
More Chicken Wing Recipes You May Like:
- Alfredo Chicken Wings
- Japanese-style Keto Chicken Wings
- Keto Tandoori Chicken Wings
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Malai Chicken Wings
- Peanut Butter Chicken Wings
- Saag Chicken Wings
Butter Chicken Wings (Murgh Makhani Wings)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Add the chicken wings into a large bowl and season with salt, tandoori masala and ghee.
- Arrange the chicken wings on a baking rack in a baking tray in a single layer.
- Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes or until the center of the biggest chicken wing is 390°F (75°C).
- In the meantime in a saucepan melt the butter over low heat and add ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, and ground cumin to the saucepan. Stir the spices into the butter, letting them cook until they are fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato puree, a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup should suffice), and the Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Gently simmer the butter chicken wing sauce covered for 5 minutes. Season to taste with sweetener and salt then cover and gently simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, and then stir in the fresh chopped cilantro and cream.
- Place the baked wings in a large bowl, and pour the prepared sauce over them. Toss the wings in the sauce until they are well coated.
- Return the sauce-coated wings to the baking rack, and place them back in the oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- After the final bake, remove the wings from the oven and mix them back into the sauce bowl, giving them a final coat then serve.
Notes
- Fresh cream is used in this recipe, but you can substitute it with heavy whipping cream. If using heavy whipping cream, be aware that you may need to reduce the sauce for a bit longer due to its thinner consistency.
- When using fresh cream be sure to turn off the heat before adding the cream to the sauce to prevent it from curdling (this is different to heavy whipping cream).
- The wings are best served immediately while they are still hot and crispy. However, if there are leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Use more or less red chili powder to control the level of spiciness.
These were so good!
I had to go back to the video to clarify a few things but overall it was an easy recipe to follow.
Am still getting used to writing down recipes. I’m more of a video guy myself 🙂
Dear Sahil,
Thank you for the incredible recipe for the butter chicken wings! We made them exactly as you did, including the cool, creamy chatpata dip! And your recipe for naan! WOW!! We LOVED all of it!! Our son took one bite and stated, “That recipe is a keeper!” We all agreed!! DELICIOUS!!
Thanks again!
I scroll to the bottom to see if your very clever mini-bio is there and am always charmed that it is. I hope no one ever stops you! PS. Thank you for another excellent recipe!
Hahah thank you Victoria.
Hi – Thanks for the recipe. Just FYI – The text version doesn’t have the cooking temperature (that I could find). Had to watch the video to find it.
Thanks for pointing that out, I’ll fix it asap 🙂
Easy and very yummy wings. My husband who loves indian food said it taste like in his favorit Indian restaurant here in Frankfurt (Germany). Great work and I’m so happy that I came across your youtube channel and the blog. It is also great that we have a quite big indian community here in Frankfurt (of course not that big like in London were I lived for 2 years) so that I get most of the spices and we can enjoy your recipes. Thank you so much for all your hard work and sharing delicious recipes with us. Next week we are going to try paneer. So excited to make the Paneer myself.
I would love to print out the recipe but there is no “Print” button. There are two links for PDFs, both of which take you to something called “YourPDF”. In other words, this is one of those ads that tries to trick you. You seem like a person of high integrity. Why would you put something on your web site that tries to fool people?
Besides that – do you have a way to print recipes on your site?
Hi Mike, thank you for the accusation. I’m not trying to fool anyone I promise you. Right at the bottom of the post there is a recipe box. In that box you will see the list of ingredients along with the written instructions for the recipe. At the top of that box you will see 5 stars which indicate the recipe ratings. Right next to those stars there is a printer icon. If you click that (I’m using the chrome browser) it opens a printable PDF in a new tab and if you hit the print button on that pdf it will print the recipe to your printer. That’s the normal way that everyone is printing out recipes on my website. Your other option is simply to select the recipe text and copy paste it to a txt file or a doc file and print from there. Either way there is nothing on my website to ‘fool’ anyone. Hopefully it’s just a bit of misunderstanding what’s going on. Cheers!
How much heavy cream do I add and when do I add it? Thx
50ml and right at the end of making the sauce. if the sauce feels thin you can reduce it a bit on the stove.
My wife and I made these last night, along with Raghavan Iyer’s chile-spiked bell peppers and spinach and it was all fantastic. This recipe is a keeper!
awesome! so glad to hear that!