Butter Chicken
Marinade
- 28 oz (800g) chicken. Breast or thighs. Sometimes I just butcher the meat from half a chicken
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 3 cloves minced fresh garlic
- 1 Tbsp minced ginger (or finely grated)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp of salt
For the sauce!
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp ghee (or butter)
- 1 large onion, sliced or chopped (size doesn’t matter since it will be blended smooth)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger , minced or finely grated
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1.5 teaspoons [[Garam Masala]]
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 14 oz (400 g) can tomatoes (the big can)
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder. Do mind the spice tolerances of your patrons.
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) This ingredient is key authenticity for me.
INSTRUCTIONS
Day one - Marination
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grind slices fine in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle.
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In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 24 hours.
Day two - Cooking
- Heat oil in a large high-rimmed skillet
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When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
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Heat butter or ghee in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to sweat (about 6 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
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Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add ground coriander, cumin and garam masala. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
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Add crushed tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
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Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
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Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Stir the cream, sugar and crushed kasoori methi (or fenugreek leaves) through the sauce. Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
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Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh, hot garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread!