Indian Butter Chicken
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Category
Dinner
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Cusine
Indian
What do you need?
How to make?
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into roughly 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup full-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon dried coriander
1 teaspoon Kashmiri Lal Mirch
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt to taste
8 to 10 whole almonds
8 to 10 whole cashews
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
1 can canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon ground Kashmiri Lal Mirch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon Kasuri Methi
Cooked rice, roti, or naan bread
Directions
Bring the chicken and the rest of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Using your hands, massage the marinade into the chicken.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight. Soak cashews and almonds in water for at least an hour to before preparing the rest of the recipe.
Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil to the pan.
Working in batches, remove chicken from the marinade and grill them on the pan for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through . Do not crowd the pan.
Once cooked, transfer the chicken into a separate dish. Cover and set aside for later.
Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium sized Dutch oven or a skillet on medium low heat. As soon as the butter melts, add the ginger garlic paste followed by sugar. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomato and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on medium high heat, until all the extra liquid is cooked off. The sauce should be a loose, paste-like consistency.
Add coriander, garam masala, Kashmiri Lal Mirch, and salt. Stir and cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Transfer the paste to a blender or the bowl of a food processor. Add the soaked cashews and almonds. Blend into a smooth paste.
Return the paste to the cooking pan over medium heat. Add the water to the paste and stir to make a smooth sauce.
As the sauce begins to boil, add the grilled chicken and heavy cream. Stir well. Cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and uncover the pan. Stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter and the kasuri methi. Cover again, and let the dish rest for 8 to 10 minutes so the flavor of kasuri methi can marry into the butter chicken.
Serve the butter with a side of steamed basmati rice, roti, or naan. Leftovers will keep refrigerated, covered, for five days.
You can freeze this dish in an airtight covered container or a zip-top bag for a month. Thaw and reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat to retain the texture.