Butter Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Marinade - Step 1

1 pounds chicken breast meat, diced into 1 inch cubes

1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Marinade - Step 2

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp tumeric

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

1 tbsp vegetable oil - to grease baking pan, use a high smoke point oil

Sauce

2 tbsps butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1/8 tsp cardamom 

pinch of ground cloves

1/2 tsp red Kashmiri chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp white sugar

1 cup tomato passata (see our blog post on making your own passata)

1/2 cup water (optional, but recommended for sauce consistency)

1/4 cup heavy cream (35% whipping cream)

Fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped - for garnish

Directions:

Marinade #1: Combine the Marinade #1 ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and rest 20 minutes

Marinade #2: Add Marinade #2 ingredients to the same bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight - maximum 24 hours

Roast chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, remove marinated chicken from fridge while preheating

2. Grease a large sheet pan, covered with aluminum foil

3. Arrange marinated chicken piece on the tray - do not shake off extra marinade

4. Roast in the oven until starting to brown, about 20 mintues, it may not get cooked through.  Watch carefully to avoid burning. Set aside

Sauce:

1. Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat (6 out of 10)

2. Melt butter, add onion, garlic and ginger- saute 10 minutes

3. Add spices, continue to saute another 5 minutes, lower heat if necessary to prevent browning  

4. Pour in tomato passata, water (to desired consistency), roasted chicken with juices and sugar, stir to combine.  Simmer on low (3 out of 10) for 20 minutes, covered - ensure chicken is fully cooked

5. Temper cream* with hot tomato sauce and add back to the pot.  Heat through, but avoid boiling

6. Adjust seasoning 

Serve over basmati rice with naan, or other flatbread - try our Quick & Easy Flatbread. Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves and extra cream or sour cream, if using.

Notes:

Fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) are not a typical item in most regular grocery store, so you may have to look around a little, but it's totally worth the effort.

Kashmiri chili powder is another ingredient which you'll have to source out.  It is the spicy ingredient. Common chili powder is not a substitute here.

*Tempering the cream helps prevent it from curdling.  To do this, put the cream in a 4 cup measuring cup and slowly whisk in about 1/2 cup of hot tomato sauce, add back to the large pot of tomato sauce and stir to incorporate. Heat through, avoid boiling.  You can also risk curdling the yogurt marinade if you add it to boiling tomato passata.  Therefore, make sure the passata is not hot when adding the roasted chicken.  If it does curdle, the taste will still be amazing, but the sauce will be a bit grainy.

I doubled the ingredients in the batch I made for the photos below, as we love us a lot of Butter Chicken!! 

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 6

Calories 321

Total Fat 17.9g 23% Saturated Fat 8.3g 42% Cholesterol 117mg 39% Sodium 520mg 22% Total Carbohydrate 10g 4% Dietary Fiber 1.4g 5%

Total Sugars 5.3g Protein 29.7g Vitamin D 13mcg 65% Calcium 121mg 9% Iron 1mg 7% Potassium 691mg 15%

The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.