Indian Butter Chicken

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

1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with all of the marinade ingredients. Use your hands to work the marinade over the chicken until every piece is coated.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then chill it for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. For the nuts, cover the cashews and almonds with water; they need at least 1 hour of soaking, and overnight is fine, before the rest of the cooking starts.
3. Warm a grill pan or skillet on medium-high, then slick the surface with a teaspoon of oil. Cook in batches: lift the chicken out of the marinade, lay it in the pan, and cook it 3 to 5 minutes per side, until cutting into a piece shows clear juices and the chicken is done all the way through. Give the pieces room instead of crowding the pan.
4. Move the cooked chicken to a separate dish, cover it, and save it for later.
5. Use a skillet or a medium sized Dutch oven for the sauce; set it over medium low heat and melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter has just melted, add the ginger garlic paste, then the sugar, and cook them for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Add the tomato, switch to medium high heat, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the extra moisture has cooked away. The mixture should be thick but still loose, not watery.
7. Sprinkle in coriander, garam masala, Kashmiri Lal Mirch, and salt; stir, then keep it cooking on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Take it off the heat.
8. Move the tomato paste into a blender or into a food processor bowl. Add the soaked cashews and almonds, then process until completely smooth.
9. Scrape the paste back into the cooking pan and place it over medium heat. Pour in the water, stirring until it loosens into a smooth sauce.
10. When the sauce starts bubbling toward a boil, add the grilled chicken along with the heavy cream, and stir to combine. Put the lid on and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
11. Take the pan off the heat and lift off the lid. Mix in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter with the kasuri methi. Cover the pan again, then let the butter chicken sit for 8 to 10 minutes, giving the kasuri methi a chance to blend into the dish.
12. Set out steamed basmati rice, roti, or naan alongside. Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for 5 days. For freezing, use either a zip-top bag or a covered airtight container for a month. Thaw, then rewarm in a saucepan over medium-low heat to keep the texture intact.