Traditional Butter Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, season the chicken breast with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and the teaspoon of turmeric. Let sit for 15 minutes to marinate.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Brown the chicken, then remove from the pot.
• Melt another 2 tablespoons of butter in the pot, then add the onion, garam masala, remaining teaspoon of chili powder, the cumin, ginger, garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant.
• Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
• Add the water and cream and return to a simmer.
• Return the chicken to the pot, cover, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
• Stir in the last 2 tablespoons of butter and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve the chicken over rice and garnish with cilantro.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• For the marinade: Whisk together the yogurt, salt, ginger and garlic in a large bowl until combined. Toss the chicken in the seasoned yogurt marinade until evenly coated. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 24. (Overnight works best.)
• For the sauce: Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large Dutch oven or wide heavy pot over medium heat. Toss the fenugreek seeds, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and clove in the butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darker and very fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onions, season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and beginning to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until very fragrant and the ginger starts to turn golden and sticks to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garam masala and chili powder and cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up into pieces with a spoon, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by half and the tomatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick (but leave the other whole spices).
• Let the hot sauce cool for about 5 minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender filling no more than halfway. Remove the center cap from the lid and place it on the blender. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth. (If your blender is small, you may need to work in batches.) Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the cream to the blender and puree until creamy. Pour into a clean pot and bring to a simmer. Season with salt.
• Meanwhile, arrange a rack directly under the broiler and preheat to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside.
• Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the rack. Broil until the chicken starts to brown in spots, 3 to 6 minutes per side (it will not be cooked through). Remove from the broiler. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the simmering sauce, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the cilantro. Serve with rice and naan alongside.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat along with the tomato sauce, heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in caramelized onions.
• While the sauce is simmering, toss cubed chicken breast with vegetable oil until coated, then season with tandoori masala and spread out onto a baking sheet.
• Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 minutes. Once done, add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• For the marinade: In a bowl, add the yogurt, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir until everything is one color. Scoop into a large resealable bag and add the chicken. Leave on the counter at room temperature for 2 hours.
• To cook the chicken: In a large pan with straight sides on medium-high heat, add the butter and then the chicken chunks from the bag, discarding the marinade. Cook, turning, until some parts are browned but most are still white, about 8 minutes.
• For the sauce. Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, ginger and garlic to the pan. Things should be bubbly and hot. Stir to marry everything and when the pan smells like garlic and ginger, add the heavy cream and stir again until everything is the same color. Partially cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.
• For serving: Stir in the cilantro and serve over rice with another sprinkle of cilantro.

Steps:

• Make the garam masala: Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, blcak peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and nutmeg to a medium skillet. Toast over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, but not burnt. Transfer the toasted spices to a plate and let cool.
• Transfer the spices to an electric spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind into a fine powder. The garam masala will keep in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for several months.
• Make the ginger-garlic paste: Add the ginger, garlic, oil, and salt to a small food processor or blender and process into a smooth paste, scraping down the sides of the processor as needed.
• Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste, 2 teaspoons garam masala, the turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, lemon juice, Kashmiri red chile powder, and Greek yogurt until well combined. Add the chicken and toss to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but ideally overnight.
• Add the wooden skewers to a large baking dish. Cover with enough water to completely submerge, then soak for at least 1 hour.
• When ready to cook the chicken, arrange an oven rack in the highest position. Turn the oven to broil on high. Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
• Thread the chicken onto wooden skewers and set on the wire rack, spacing evenly. Broil for 15 minutes, until evenly browned and cooked through, turning the skewers every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking. Let cool slightly before removing chicken from the skewers. Set aside.
• While the chicken cooks, make the gravy: In a large, high-walled skillet, melt together the butter and the olive oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, cardamom pod, bay leaf, cloves, green chiles, and turmeric and sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste and cook for another minute, until fragrant. Add the ground cumin, Kashmiri red chile powder, ground coriander, and 1½ teaspoons of garam masala and stir for 1 minute, until well combined.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, cashews, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes are a deeper, dark red color and the cashews are soft.
• Transfer the tomato mixture to a high-powered blender. Add ½ cup water and blend until completely smooth, adding up to ½ cup more water if needed. If your blender is not high-powered, strain the gravy through a fine-mesh sieve after blending for a smoother texture.
• Wipe the pan clean, then return the gravy to the pan. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, the sugar, and the cooked chicken. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, until the chicken is warmed through. Stir in the heavy cream and fenugreek and season with more salt to taste.
• Garnish the butter chicken with cilantro and serve with your choice of basmati rice, onion kulcha, naan, roti, or paratha.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Rub the lemon juice and chilli powder or paprika into the chicken with a pinch of salt, then chill for 1 hr. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl, taste for seasoning, then add the chilled chicken. Mix well and chill for another 2 hrs.
• Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto metal skewers, reserving any leftover marinade. Grill over a hot barbecue for 5 mins, turning occasionally and basting with the melted butter or ghee. Alternatively, cook under a hot grill for 8-10 mins, turning occasionally. Don't worry if the chicken is a little under cooked, as it will finish cooking in the sauce. Remove the skewers to a board.
• To make the sauce, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan and drop in a few cumin seeds. When they start sizzling, tip in the rest of the seeds. Swirl the pan, reduce the heat and add the green chillies. Stir once or twice until the skins of the chillies have blistered, then add the butter or ghee. Turn the heat up to high and continue to cook until all the butter or ghee has melted. Tip in the onions and fry for 10 mins until the onions are light brown and soft. If you prefer a smooth sauce, tip the mixture into a blender and blitz until smooth. Alternatively, scrape into a bowl and set aside.
• Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper and heat the remaining oil. Drop in the crushed cardamom pods. When they have swelled and lightened in colour, reduce the heat, add the garlic and ginger and fry for 30 seconds, stirring continuously until you can no longer smell raw garlic and ginger. Return the cooked onion mixture to the pan and mix well. Add the turmeric and half the fenugreek leaves. Season with salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed - if you like, you can add some chilli powder. Pour in the diluted passata, mix well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, for around 20 mins. Oil will eventually rise to the surface when the sauce is cooked.
• Remove the chicken pieces from the skewers and chop into bite-sized pieces. Add these to the sauce along with any resting juices. Tip about 125ml warm water into the bowl with the reserved marinade, swirl to loosen, then stir into the sauce. Bring the sauce to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Sprinkle over with garam masala and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. If you like, add a splash of boiling water to loosen the sauce, then taste for seasoning. Pour in half the cream and mix well.
• Transfer the butter chicken to a serving bowl, drizzle over the remaining cream, sprinkle with the remaining fenugreek leaves and garnish with the fresh coriander leaves.