Photograph by Wedig + Laxton
When quarantine first struck our house, my dad and I applied all our free time to a single mission: learning how to master the ideal murgh makhani, or butter chicken. A type of curry consisting of smoky chicken pieces, traditionally cooked in a coal-fired clay oven called a tandoor, then tossed in a spiced, creamy tomato-based gravy, it soon became our signature dish, our go-to for any event. We had its preparation down to a science.
We spent our days following different recipes online and keeping the parts we liked, with my dad applying his analytical skills as a software engineer to the kitchen. Straining the yogurt through a cheesecloth overnight to improve the marinade? Time-consuming, but worth it. Adding cashews to the gravy to increase sweetness? Not our favorite. Smoking the chicken with a heated piece of coal to mimic the effect of a tandoor? Genius. The dish had so many components, and each trial was about perfecting something new, including the exact oven settings needed to char—but not overcook—the chicken, the ratio of cream and butter to get the right consistency, the exact number of cardamom pods to steep.
Photograph by Wedig + Laxton
Although butter chicken became a staple in our kitchen just a few years ago, it’s been a staple in the kitchens of Indian restaurants for decades. Indian food spans hundreds of regions with different languages and flavor profiles, but butter chicken has become ubiquitous in the cuisine, especially in the West. So much so, in fact, that Delhi High Court in India is currently hearing arguments from two esteemed restaurants in a heated case about the dish’s origin.
Needless to say, we take our butter chicken very seriously. What started as a comfort food to order for dinner soon became a research opportunity to see how our recipe stacked up against those of nearby restaurants—and so my dad and I have sampled a good fraction of the curries in the Atlanta area. If you’re tempted to make the foray into Indian cuisine (and can’t make it to our house to try some), I highly recommend the butter chicken from one of these restaurants instead.
Photograph by Wedig + Laxton
By far the most authentic butter chicken I’ve tried in Georgia is from Zyka. The restaurant has locations in Decatur and Alpharetta and specializes in cuisine from the city of Hyderabad. Butter chicken originated in Delhi as a way for scrappy chefs to breathe new life into already-prepared tandoori chicken, and Nooruddin Fazal, the chef and founder of Zyka, prides himself on following this tradition. “If it’s not cooked in a tandoor, it’s not an authentic recipe,” he says. “It takes a long time to properly marinate the chicken, cook the chicken, pull the chicken.” And he’s right—the shredded smoked chicken clings to every bit of the rich gravy in a way that modern interpretations can’t match.
Fazal recalls eating butter chicken at Moti Mahal, a restaurant chain, where the dish allegedly originated, when he was a student in India. “I wanted to see if I could replicate that classic in Atlanta,” he says. Zyka’s version pairs beautifully with its larger-than-life naan—flatbread that is also typically cooked in a tandoor, and topped with ghee (clarified butter). The restaurant is no-frills, with paper plates and counter service, but the glistening pools of butter on top of every bowl of curry make it my can’t-go-wrong choice for butter chicken.
If you’re looking for something with a little more kick to it, order the spicy version of the butter chicken at Hyderabad House in Dunwoody. Even though the restaurant specializes in biryani—a vibrant layered rice and meat dish that is also an Indian staple—I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful its butter chicken was. Served in a traditional copper-style pan, the gravy is coarse, allowing the loosely blended spices their moment to shine. The visible green chilies get amped up when you request the spicy version, giving the curry a peppery aftertaste that balances out the richness of each bite. If the chicken isn’t buttery enough by itself, pair the dish with the garlicky naan, coated in even more butter and cilantro.
The tawa butter chicken at Eggmania in Suwanee is a surprising addition to this list, as the restaurant is mostly known for its spicy scrambled egg–based curries and sandwiches. Given the oversize swivel egg chair at the front of the restaurant and the bright yellow decor, it’s hard to believe that a chicken dish stands out. However, the restaurant’s use of a tawa, a large round frying pan, gives the meat a tenderness that’s hard to re-create in the absence of a traditional tandoor. The curry is packed with plenty of cilantro and black pepper, giving it a unique savoriness, and literally glistens with ghee. Instead of naan, try complementing the curry with some pillowy toasted bread called pav, which is used to make the restaurant’s street food–style sandwiches. Although Eggmania is a popular Indian brunch spot, the butter chicken makes it worth a visit for lunch or even dinner.
Also in Suwanee is the newly opened Desi Chowrastha, a casual eatery with a diverse menu. Chowrastha means “the crossing of four roads,” and the restaurant does the name justice with cuisine from myriad Indian regions. The butter chicken is spicy and oniony, giving it a different flavor profile from the usually sweeter, tomatoey interpretations. The chicken is also incredibly smoky, with just the right amount of char, adding a welcome sharpness when combined with the abundant green chilies. While it isn’t similar to the conventional butter chicken that most people expect, the spicy and peppery twist doesn’t take away from the dish’s integrity. If you’ve already tried several Indian restaurants in the area, Chowrastha might be a refreshing new addition.
Finally, if you’re craving a milder, creamier version of the dish, head to Nalan in Alpharetta. Its take on the curry is silky and earthy, focused more on notes of cardamom, cinnamon, and aromatics over pungent spices. Lots of restaurants conflate butter chicken with chicken tikka masala, the oniony, homogeneous version of the dish that was popularized in Great Britain. Nalan walks a line between the two but ultimately preserves the butteriness of the original dish. It’s a great place to try Indian cuisine without resorting to an overly sweetened, bland interpretation. Wait times can be long, though, so be sure to order in advance or make a reservation.
These restaurants became my family’s trusted butter chicken suppliers when my dad became a vegetarian, soon after quarantine ended. But that doesn’t stop him from still occasionally firing up the oven and making the dish for my sister and me. Although he no longer taste-tests it himself, he continues to plate the curry with a swirl of cream and cilantro, excitedly waiting for our reaction—and it’s still perfect, every time.
This article appears in our September 2024 issue.
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