Butter chicken: A tale of irresistible flavour, culinary rivalry, and fight for legacy

Of course, there would be no butter chicken if there was no tandoori chicken, which gives it its distinctive flavour. It’s almost impossible to make restaurant or dhaba-style slightly charred, smoky, and orangey-red tandoori chicken at home, and this, in turn, makes replicating butter chicken at home difficult.

The origins of butter chicken

Nearly a century ago, Mokha Singh Lamba started a small restaurant in Gora Bazaar in Peshawar. History credits his young chef, Kundan Lal Gujral, with marinating pieces of chicken in yoghurt and some spices, skewering it and cooking it in a tandoor (in which naan and tandoori roti were baked in). This creation – a massive hit – became the legendary tandoori chicken.

Gujral, who moved to India after Partition, started a restaurant in Delhi – Moti Mahal – one that still stands tall in Daryaganj. To avoid wastage, Gujral decided to cook the unsold tandoori murgh tikkas in a tomato gravy flavoured with butter and cream. This combination is also what softens the tandoori chicken pieces to create the butter chicken we know.

Of course, there would be no butter chicken if there was no tandoori chicken, which gives it its distinctive flavour. (Pexels)

The courtroom drama

In 2023, in an episode of Shark Tank India, the owner of Daryaganj restaurant claimed it was the birthplace of butter chicken. He stated, “In 1947, Kundan Lal Jaggi, a refugee from Peshawar, launched an iconic restaurant in Daryaganj, inventing butter chicken and dal makhani.”

This sparked a legal feud between the descendants of Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi—co-founders of Moti Mahal. The lawsuit now pits their grandsons against each other. Monish Gujral, Gujral’s grandson, filed a 2,752-page document to safeguard his family’s legacy.

Both chefs hailed from Peshawar, shared the same first and middle names, and co-founded Moti Mahal, making it challenging to determine butter chicken’s true origin. Local Peshawar residents identify Kundan Lal Gujral as the inventor, who revisited the old eatery in Pakistan post-Partition, further complicating claims.

Regardless of who loses, Delhi wins – because butter chicken will still be available at multiple restaurants and at Moti Mahal and Daryaganj.

Was it an Indian invention to suit British tastes?

To me, this is a more contentious debate. Was butter chicken created to appeal to the British tastebud? The British used to have a large garrison in Peshawar and the original small Moti Mahal was located in that garrison, in an area called Gora Bazaar. Chicken was also primarily consumed by the British then, not the locals. Butter chicken, with its low spices and sweet and tangy taste, could well have been created to appeal to British tastes.

I personally love butter chicken, but it’s best to indulge in it sparingly, given the generous amounts of butter and cream that go into its making. That said, it’s pure comfort food, especially in winter. I believe it tastes better with plain rice—though I know that’s considered sacrilege in North India. Follow your heart, people. And remember, as this court case has shown, while blood may be thicker than water, butter chicken gravy is thicker than both.

Next week, I’ll write on harvest festival dishes to celebrate Lohri and Makar Sankranti.