Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken is a popular Indian curry that is made by simmering marinated boneless Tandoori Chicken pieces in a creamy aromatic Tomato Cashew based gravy.
Ingredients
First Marination:
- Boneless Chicken 300gm (Chicken thighs best)
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
Second Marination:
- 2 Tbsp Mustard Oil or use any other oil (Mustard oil tends to give a better flavor though)
- 1 Tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 Tsp Tandoori Masala
- 1/2 cup Hung curd/Thick yogurt/Greek yogurt ( do not use sour curd)
- 1/2 Tbsp Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
For the Gravy:
- 2 Tsp Butter and 1 Tsp oil
- 4 Cloves, 1 inch Cinnamon, 2 small Bay leaves, 4 Green Cardamom
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Small sized Onion
- 6 Garlic pods
- 1 inch Ginger
- 3 Big Tomatoes (300gm)
- 10 Cashews, soaked in Hot Water for 15mins
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 Cup Hot Water
- 1 Tsp Oil 2 Tsp Butter
- 1 Tsp Coriander powder
- 1 Tbsp Kashmiri Chilli Paste(made by grinding 4 soaked Kashmiri chillies) or Use 2-3 Tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tsp Kasturi methi leaves crushed
- 2-3 Tbsp Fresh Cream
- Chopped Coriander leaves
Instructions
- I used Chicken Thighs as they tend to be more juicy. Boneless is best so i removed the bones and cut into small 1 Inch cubes. You can use boneless chicken breast fillets too.
- Marinate the chicken cubes with salt, ginger garlic and Lemon juice for atleast 15-20 mins. This step helps to tenderize the meat.
- Mix Hung Curd with Oil and spices listed under second marination. Mix the chicken pieces and keep marinated for atleast 4 hours or overnight.
- Fry the chicken pieces till golden brown on both sides and drain them in a cooling rack. Keep them in the oven or a warm place till used.
- Prepare the gravy. Saute whole spices in butter and oil. Fry the onions till translucent
- Add the ginger and garlic pods. Add the tomatoes, soaked cashews and pour some hot water. Cover cook for 15mins or till tomatoes soften.
- Allow the mixture to cool down and grind into a smooth paste. Strain the puree.
- Heat some butter and oil. Add coriander powder and Kashmiri chilli powder. I used Kashmiri chilli paste made by grinding soaked 4-5 Dry Kashmiri chillies in hot water for sometime. This gives a nice red color to the gravy without making it too spicy.
- Add the strained puree and saute for 5-8mins. Add salt, Honey and the fried chicken pieces to the gravy.
- Add crushed Kasturi methi leaves and drizzle some fresh cream.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve it warm with Plain Basmati Rice.
- Or Scoop the succulent gravy with Butter/Garlic Naan my favourite combo!
Notes
Use Chicken thighs for juicy tender chicken. Boneless is preferred so that the pieces can absorb the creamy gravy.
Use fresh Kashmiri chilli paste or homemade Kashmiri Chilli powder for a vibrant color without adding too much spice to the succulent gravy.
Kasturi Methi Leaves add a nice flavor to the gravy so do not skip it.
Instead of Fresh Cream, you can add fresh milk or even Greek yogurt/plain non sour Yogurt.