Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, is a global comfort food at the center of a bitter lawsuit in India. The widely accepted story places its origin at Moti Mahal in Old Delhi, founded by Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi after they fled Peshawar during Partition in 1947.

This episode explores how leftover tandoori chicken may have been rescued with a tomato and butter gravy, and the 2024 dispute between Monish Gujral and the Jaggi family’s Daryaganj restaurants. We examine the competing Peshawar theory, the food science of the marinade and velvet sauce, and how the dish spread worldwide.

• Why tandoori chicken dries out and how a butter-rich gravy rehydrated it
• How Moti Mahal extended the makhani base to dal makhani and paneer makhani
• The contradiction between the new Peshawar claim and Monish Gujral’s 2013 book
• Kashmiri chili, kasuri methi, sieved tomato sauce, and cashew paste
• The 1975 Gaylord menu in Manhattan, butter chicken pies and poutine, and the difference from tikka masala