Butter Chicken
Posted On 19 May 2024
Ask 10 people with Indian heritage for a Butter Chicken recipe and you’ll probably get 10 vastly different things. My ancestry is German, so….
Butter Chicken
A thick chicken stew with warm spices and some heat if you want it.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Chicken
- 680 grams chicken (thighs or breasts), cut into bite size pieces (1½ pounds)
Marinade
- 123 grams plain yogurt, full fat (½ cup)
- 14 grams lemon juice (1 tablespoon)
- 3 grams turmeric (1 teaspoon)
- 6 grams garam masala (2 teaspoons)
- 1 gram cayenne pepper powder (or chili powder) (½ teaspoon)
- 8 grams freshly grated ginger (1 tablespoon)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed/minced
The Curry
- 30 grams ghee, oil, or butter (2 tablespoons)
- 225 grams tomato sauce (or petite diced tomatoes) (1 cup)
- 180 grams heavy cream (¾ cup)
- 10 grams salt (1½ teaspoons)
- 4 grams sugar (optional) (1 teaspoon)
Serving
- cilantro (optional)
- white or basmati rice
Instructions
The Marinating
- Combine all the marinade ingredients, add the chicken, stir well, then cover and refrigerate for 3-24 hours.
The Curry
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil/ghee/butter and immediate add the chicken a forkful at a time, reserving the marinade.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes, the chicken won't be cooked through or browned because of the marinade but it'll be white.
- Add the tomatoes and cream and sugar and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 20-40 minutes until thickened slightly.
The Serving
- Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro if you choose.
Notes
- Next time I make this I’m going to use the petite diced tomatoes. Took a while to thicken with the tomato sauce. Or perhaps I’ll buy a can of San Marzano tomatoes and just crush them by hand.