Butter Chicken

Serves 8

I learnt this recipe on a road trip through Punjab many years ago. Up until then, I would simply use butter, garlic and canned tomatoes to make Butter Chicken at home. It was only when I tried the authentic version in road-side dhabas (small restaurants on highways in Northern India) that I realized the beauty of this truly iconic dish . Charred tandoori chicken swimming in a creamy sauce made with caramelized red onions, ripe tomatoes, kasuri methi and quality spices are all key to a good butter chicken. Enjoy this awesome recipe and I promise you’ll be making it over and over again.

Butter Chicken Recipe Video

Ingredients

1.2 kg boneless chicken thighs, chopped into 1" wide pieces

For marinade:

3/4 cup thick plain yogurt or greek yogurt

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1.5 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped

1 fresh green chili padi, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

3/4 teaspoon garam masala powder

1 teaspoon salt

For sauce:

3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee

175g red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, chopped

1 fresh green chili padi, chopped

40g or 1/3 cup cashews

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

4 medium or 600g tomatoes, puréed or tomato Passata

3/4 teaspoon garam masala

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder, optional

1.25 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup cream or Ayam coconut milk

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 nutmeg, freshly grated

2-3 tablespoons butter or ghee

2-3 tablespoons kasuri methi leaves (fenugreek leaves)

1 tablespoon butter, for garnish - optional

Recipe

1Marinade chicken with yogurt, ginger, garlic, fresh chili, turmeric powder, salt, chili powder, garam masala, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 3-4 hours.

Pan-frying chicken

2Heat a tablespoon of butter or ghee on medium heat in a large non-stick frying pan.

3Fry chicken pieces, few at a time until cooked and slightly charred on both sides. This may take about 6-8 minutes for each batch (3-4 minutes on each side). Drain chicken and set aside.

4Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all your chicken is cooked.

Making Sauce

5Heat 3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee on medium heat in a heavy base saucepan, drop in cumin seeds and let them splutter.

6Add onion, ginger, garlic, fresh chili and stir well. Fry until onions start browning, stir every couple of minutes.

7Drop in cashews and stir-fry for another few minutes until cashews turn slightly brown. Transfer this mixture along with chopped tomatoes in a blender and blend until smooth. You can add a few tablespoons of water to speed up blending.

8Next, heat the same wok and pour in the blended mixture followed by coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric and salt. You will notice that lots of paste is still stuck to the walls of the blender. Add about 1 cup water to the blender, shake well and set aside.

9Add chicken along with leftover juices from the chicken. Cook for about 10 minutes on low-medium heat so spices release their oils. (you may cover it if sauce starts spluttering).

10Add 1 cup of water from the blender. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.

11Add garam masala and pounded green cardamoms, stir.

12Add crushed kasuri methi leaves, and cream/coconut milk, stir well. Finish with a tablespoon of honey and a light grating of nutmeg - stir. Garnish with a tablespoon of butter - serve hot with naan or rotis.

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