Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken pictures (1 of 4)

I am sure you all remember Sukaina from Lick My Spoon who recently shared her naan recipe with us. Today, she is sharing yet another popular Indian recipe that we all love–butter chicken. Butter chicken is often served at Indian buffet restaurants and it’s easily my favorite Indian dish. I always ask for an extra serving of naan to sop up the creamy and rich sauce of butter chicken. Thanks to Lick My Spoon for her butter chicken recipe. Enjoy!

After my naan post recently, I thought it would only be fair to share a butter chicken recipe with you. After all, you can’t have one without the other. I can’t tell you the number of times I have gone to an Indian restaurant where my other half ordered a butter chicken and begged, ”Can you make this at home?’ I had no choice but to learn how to make this. So I turned to the best chef I know when it comes to Indian cooking- my mom. She has this wonderful knack of trying a meal at a restaurant and then replicating it at home. I slightly modified her recipe by adding a few more spices…

I once read somewhere that butter chicken was created when a hungry man walked into an Indian restaurant and they had no curry left. The chef decided to whip up a quick meal by throwing a tandoori chicken into a simple gravy of butter, tomatoes and a few spices. And thus, butter chicken was born. Also known as murgh makhani, this is curry not for the faint hearted- literally! Originating from Mughlai cuisine, it has lashings of butter (duh!) and cream to give it that dreamy, creamy texture. This is one dish where skimping on these two essential ingredients is not recommended. What I love about this recipe is that it doesn’t contain any food coloring to give it that gleaming red color.

Many people love eating Indian food at restaurants but are often intimidated about trying it at home. This recipe is super simple so you’ll have no excuse to order take out again. It is best served with steamed rice or butter naan.

Butter Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

500 grams boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
juice of 1 lemon
salt and red chili powder, to taste
1 cup yogurt
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp garlic
1 1/2 tbs tandoori masala
3 tbs butter
2 cardamoms
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
4 medium ripe tomatoes, blended
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbs honey
1 tbs dried fenugreek leaves
250 ml thick cream
extra butter or coriander to garnish

Method:

Marinate the chicken cubes in lemon juice, salt, chili powder, yogurt, ginger, garlic and tandoori powder for at least half an hour. Overnight is best. Preheat the oven to the highest grill setting. Place the chicken on a baking tray closest to the grill and grill for at least 10 minutes on each side or until cooked. Allow the chicken to cook until it JUST starts to char.

To prepare the gravy, heat and melt the butter. Add to it the the cardamoms, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Stir fry for a minute before adding the tomatoes and tomato paste, Let this simmer on low to medium heat, half covered, for about 15-20 minutes. You will notice the gravy thicken and the oil will form a film on top. If the gravy is too thick, you can add a small amount of water. Add the rest of the ingredients as well as the grilled chicken and simmer for another 15 minutes. Garnish with butter or coriander.