Murgh Makhani Wings
Ingredients
- neutral oil for frying
For marinade
- 2 lb chicken wings bone-in
- 2 Tbsp dahi or yogurt
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chilis chopped
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ Tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
Seasoned flour
- ¼ cup, plus 2 Tbsp rice flour
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Butter chicken sauce
- 2 Tbsp butter divided
- ½ a yellow onion chopped
- 1 star anise optional
- 1 black cardamom pod optional
- ½ Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- ½ Tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ Tbsp tomato paste
- 7 oz canned tomatoes
- salt to taste
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tsp kasuri methi
- fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Marinate chicken wings
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dahi, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, green chilis, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Whisk it together until smooth.
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. Add the chicken wings into the bowl and massage the marinade into the wings until fully coated.
- Cover the wings and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk together the rice flour, corn starch, baking powder, garlic powder, and onion powder for the seasoned flour mixture. This is also a great point to make the makhani sauce.
Makhani sauce
- Melt 1 Tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add the star anise and black cardamom (if using) and allow the flavor to infuse with the butter for a minute.
- Add the chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste into the butter. Sauté until the onions start to brown. Then, add the spices - the cumin, garam masala, coriander, cloves, and chili powder. Give everything a good stir and let it cook for 1-2 minutes so the spices can bloom in the butter.
- Once the oil starts to separate on the sides, add in the tomato paste, canned crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt to taste. Switch the stove to low to medium heat, and allow the sauce to simmer. It'll start to thicken and darken significantly. The fat will once again start to release and form little pools.
- Remove and discard the black cardamom pod and star anise. Transfer the ingredients into a blender along with the rest of the butter. Blend the sauce until it's completely smooth.
- Transfer the sauce back into the pan. Pour in the heavy cream and continue to simmer until the sauce is thick. This is a great point to taste and adjust for spices. Remove from heat and finish off the sauce with a pinch of kasuri methi.
Fry chicken wings
- Once the chicken is done marinating, toss the chicken wings in the dry ingredients to evenly coat. Shake off excess flour.
- Heat neutral oil in a dutch oven to 350°F. Fry the chicken wings in batches of 6-7 at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the dutch oven to prevent the temperature from dropping.
- Fry the chicken wings for 6-7 minutes, or until the skin is a crispy deep brown. Place the wings on top of a cooling rack or paper towel to allow the excess oil to drain. Continue to fry the rest of the batches.
Assembly
- Transfer the wings to a large mixing bowl. Pour the makhani sauce over the wings and toss to evenly coat.
- Serve in a large serving platter with cilantro as garnish.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Masala & Chai