Butter chicken is widely regarded as one of the most popular local dishes from India. The gravy for butter chicken varies between chefs, where it can be made as hot or mild to suit your taste palate.
The colorful variety of spices added to this dish is best accompanied with jasmine rice or oven-baked flat-bread naan. Here, I will be sharing this excellent and mildly spiced butter chicken recipe which can be easily cooked in 5 easy steps.
Ingredients
1) 500 grams of boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
2) juice of 1 lemon
3) salt and red chili powder, to taste
4) 1 cup of yogurt
5) 2 tsp of ginger
6) 2 tsp of garlic
7) 1 1/2 tbs of tandoori masala
8) 1 tbs of butter
9) 2 cardamoms
10) 1 cinnamon stick
11) 1 cloves
12) 1 medium ripe tomatoes, blended
13) 1 tbs of tomato paste
14) 1 tsp of garam masala
15) 1 tbs of honey
16) 1 tbs of dried fenugreek leaves
17) 250 ml thick cream
18) extra butter or coriander to garnish
Method
1) Marinate the chicken cubes in lemon juice, salt, chili powder, yogurt, ginger, garlic and tandoori powder for at least half an hour. Marinating it overnight will be the best.
2) Preheat the oven to the highest grill setting. Place the chicken on a baking tray closest to the grill and grill for at least 10 minutes on each side or until cooked. Allow the chicken to cook until it JUST starts to char.
3) To prepare the gravy, heat and melt the butter. Add to it the cardamoms, cinnamon sticks and cloves.
4) Stir fry for a minute before adding the tomatoes and tomato paste, Let this simmer on low to medium heat, half covered, for about 15-20 minutes. You will notice the gravy thicken and the oil will form a film on top. If the gravy is too thick, you can add a small amount of water.
5) Add the rest of the ingredients as well as the grilled chicken and simmer for another 15 minutes. Garnish with butter or coriander.
Conclusion
I do hope this easy recipe has been useful and your taste buds have been satisfied like how this dish did for me. Feel free to follow my other recipes and articles to learn more on food from different cultures and countries.