Description
Butter Chicken is flavorful Indian dish with tender chicken and a velvety smooth sauce. This recipe uses simple, easy to find ingredients, and is easy to make.
Ingredients
- yogurt marinade and chicken:
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used fat free)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (plain, not smoked)
- Optional: Pinch of saffron threads
- 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- sauce:
- 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- optional :1 Serrano peppers, minced (can remove seeds for a mild heat)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (regular, not smoked)
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce (sugar free)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons raw cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened and unflavored cashew milk
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- salt to taste
- For serving
- cilantro leaves, for garnish
- rice (see notes)
Instructions
- Marinade the chicken: Start marinating the chicken at least 10 minutes before you make the meal. Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, and spices together in a small bowl. Add the cut up chicken pieces and toss until the chicken is well coated in the yogurt marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 6 hours – the longer the chicken marinates the more tender it will be but if you only have 10 minutes than it will still help to make it tender.
- Cook the rice: (see notes for tips on rice) Just before you start making your meal get your rice cooking (depending on how long your rice takes to make). If it gets done early you can always set it aside and keep warm until ready,
- Cook the chicken: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the marinated chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side (it’s okay if the chicken isn’t fully cooked because it will continue to cook in the sauce at the end) remove the chicken to a dish and set aside.
- Saute the aromatics: To the same pan reduce the heat to medium low and melt a little more butter if the pan is dry. Saute the onion, and Serrano pepper, if using, until the onion is tender – about 3 minutes. Add the garam masala, paprika, ginger, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute – remove the pan from the heat.
- Blend the sauce: Transfer the sauteed onions, Serrano pepper, and spices to a blender. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, honey, cashew milk, raw cashes, and water – blend until everything is really smooth.
- Simmer the sauce and chicken: Transfer the sauce back to the skillet and add the chicken back into the sauce. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and simmer for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a little and the chicken pieces are fully cooked. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter, until melted (hence butter chicken). At this time add salt to taste and adjust any other seasonings or flavors as desired.
- Serve: Spoon some rice and the chicken and sauce into a bowl. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy immediately.
Notes
Garam masala: is a spice blend that is used in Indian cooking. It is essential for flavoring this dish. I can usually find it in the Asian section of my local grocery store.
Rice: Traditionally Indian dishes are often served with basmati rice, you could certainly go with basmati rice if you would like. However I like to opt for a brown rice for more fiber, and better nutrition. I like to use a quick cooking brown rice for convenience (10 minutes to make). If you want to add even more flavor to your rice saute a teaspoon of cumin seeds in a little butter in the pot before cooking your rice. This is optional, but those cumin seeds are often added to rice for Indian food.
Prep time does not include the inactive time needed for marinating the chicken. Be sure to add on anywhere from 10 minutes to 6 hours for hands off marinating time.
