Indian Butter Chicken
Classic Indian Butter Chicken features tender marinated chicken in a rich, creamy tomato-based sauce with aromatic spices, served over rice with fresh cilantro.
Equipment
Ingredients
Marinade & Chicken
full fat plain Greek yogurt (plain)
240 ml
lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
15 ml
ground turmeric (ground)
2 tsp
garam masala (ground)
2 tsp
ground cumin (ground)
1 tsp
garlic (minced)
2 cloves
fresh ginger (grated)
1 tbsp
boneless skinless chicken breast (bite-sized pieces)
900 g
Sauce
unsalted butter (unsalted)
7.5 g
vegetable oil
7.5 ml
onion (finely chopped)
80 g
garlic (minced)
1 clove
fresh ginger (grated)
1 tbsp
garam masala (ground)
1 tsp
chili powder (ground)
0.5 tsp
ground cayenne pepper (ground)
0.25 tsp
salt
0.25 tsp
low-sodium tomato sauce
225 g
tomato paste
33 g
half and half cream
240 ml
unsalted butter (unsalted)
14 g
For Serving
hot cooked rice (hot, cooked)
400 g
fresh cilantro (chopped)
15 g
Instructions
Prepare the marinade
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a glass bowl. Toss to combine, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Prepare the sauce base
Heat ½ tablespoon of butter and the vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
Add aromatics and spices
Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the garam masala, chili powder, cayenne and salt. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Cook the chicken
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the marinated chicken pieces. Don't worry about scraping out any remaining marinade mixture - just discard. Sauté until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside, about 5 minutes.
Simmer the sauce
Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through.
Finish the sauce
Reduce the heat, and add the half-and-half and remaining tablespoon of butter, and warm gently until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat.
Serve
Serve over hot rice and garnish with chopped cilantro if desired.
Storage
Rice is not included in nutritional information. If you wish to make the sauce a little richer, add an additional tablespoon of butter.
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