Butter Chicken

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.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
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.