I have a weakness for Indian cuisine and all its flavorful, spicy dishes. I love the wide range of creamy curries, crispy pakoras and samosas, and also the spiced potato Jeera Aloo. But the dish I order most often in Indian restaurants is the tender butter chicken. This curry is generally not very spicy and the tomato sauce provides a sweet taste. Fortunately, the recipe for butter chicken is quite simple so you can easily whip it up at home.
Many Indian dishes are cooked with ghee (clarified butter) that gives the curries its wonderful taste. If you don’t have ghee, you can use a combination of butter and oil.
Butter chicken recipe
Ingredients
(4 servings)
For the chicken marinade
- 400 – 500 gr chicken breast
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- salt and pepper
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp butter or ghee
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- chili powder (to taste)
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp ground cashews or cashew butter
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (400 gr)
- 100 ml cooking cream
Instructions
Start with the marinade for the chicken. To do this, dice the chicken and place it in a bowl. Coat the chicken with all the ingredients for the marinade and mix well. Let the marinade sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours for optimal flavor.
Fry the chicken pieces over high heat and remove just before they are cooked.
For the sauce, heat the butter (or ghee) in a pan and sauté the chopped onion for a few minutes until glazy, but not brown. Add all the spices and the ground cashews (or cashew butter). Then also add the can of diced tomatoes and the cream. Let this simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Puree the sauce with a stick blender or in a blender. Pour the sauce back into the hot pan and now also add the cooked chicken pieces. Let simmer for another 15 minutes, adding an extra knob of butter (or ghee) to your liking.
Ladle onto a plate, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice and naan bread.
