This butter chicken recipe makes a British Indian-style butter chicken that will impress your guests. It is creamy, aromatic, savoury, and it goes perfectly well with naan, roti, and basmati rice. The butter chicken sauce is so good it will make you top up more naan!
Meal: Lunch, Dinner Cuisine: Western Indian
Preparation time: Cooking time: Total time: Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients
For Chicken and Marinade
500g of boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-size pieces
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of ginger paste
½ tsp of garlic paste
½ tsp of paprika powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder
½ tsp of garam masala
3 tbsp of plain yoghurt
15ml of oil
For Sauce
4 tbsp of unsalted butter
2 shallots, chopped
1 tsp of garlic paste
1 tsp of ginger paste
½ cup of unsalted and unflavoured tomato puree
½ tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of salt
240ml of water
½ cup of heavy cream
3 tbsp of cashew nut paste
Others
1 tsp of dry fenugreek leaves
1 handful of coriander, chopped (optional)
Equipment
1 large bowl
1 grill pan and cover
Directions
Marinate the bite-size chicken pieces with the marinade ingredients: salt, ginger paste, garlic paste, paprika powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, and plain yoghurt in a large bowl. Mix well, set aside, and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Pour the oil into the grill pan and heat it over medium heat, then grill the marinated chicken until all sides are golden. Remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Next, add unsalted butter into the pan to make the sauce, then add the chopped shallots. Fry over medium heat until browned.
Then, add the garlic paste and ginger paste. Stir for a few seconds.
Add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, paprika, garam masala, and salt to taste.
Pour in the water, heavy cream, and cashew nut paste. Let it cook for 1 minute.
Next, put in the cooked chicken and stir well.
Cover the grill pan and let the butter chicken cook for 2 – 3 minutes.
Then, sprinkle dried fenugreek leaves and the chopped coriander.
Alternative Ingredients for Butter Chicken
Suppose you’d like to make a dairy-free version. You can replace the butter with alternative butter or cooking oil and replace heavy cream with coconut milk or cream, or cashew nut cream. If you want a vegan version, replace the chicken with firm tofu. If you want it to be super firm, you can press it. Place the tofu on a plate, stack another plate on the tofu, and place something heavy on the top plate. Leave it pressed for 30 minutes. You can also adjust the spice level by increasing or decreasing the amount of paprika.
Missing some ingredients?
We bet this butter chicken recipe has got you drooling. So, it’s time to make some. If your kitchen cabinet is missing ingredients like turmeric powder and garam masala, visit pandamart! Our online store has everything you need. So, add the spices to the cart and check out! Soon enough, you’ll be cooking up butter chicken in your kitchen.
