Butter Chicken
If you’ve never had Butter Chicken before, there’s a chance you're worried it might be a little too extra for you. A mild disclaimer: our Butter Chicken IS lush, but it’s not that lush. Butter Chicken is a kind of curry, and for people who aren’t super familiar with Indian food, yes, there’s more than one kind of curry. “Curry” is one giant umbrella term that is broadly applied to vegetables and proteins that have been cooked in some kind of sauce with a blend of spices. Usually curry is associated with Indian cooking, but curries are also very popular in Thai cooking, and pop up in Japanese and Jamaican cuisines as well.
Butter chicken comes in a velvety sauce made from butter, cream, and tomatoes. In terms of spice levels, Butter Chicken has more of a tang than overt heat. This recipe balances tartness from lemon juice, fresh minced ginger, and tomato, with sugar and warming spices. These all combine to make Butter Chicken a dish that could appeal to anyone who is looking for a recipe to check off all the boxes mid-winter comfort meal checklist.
Ingredients for marinade:
- 1 ½ cups plain low fat yogurt
- 1 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ginger root, minced
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Demerara Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri Chile Powder
- 2 teaspoons Garam Masala
- 2 teaspoons Madras Curry Powder
Ingredients for chicken:
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons ghee
- 1 Vidalia onion, diced small
- 2 teaspoons ginger root, minced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 14 ounce can of tomato puree, or plain tomato sauce
- 3 Tablespoons butter, unsalted and chilled
- ⅓ cup milk
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, ginger root, Kosher Salt, Demerara Sugar, Kashmiri Chile Powder, Garam Masala, and Madras Curry Powder and mix well. Add chicken and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or over night.
- In a Dutch oven heated to medium high, add ghee. Add onions and cook about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken and marinade and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is cooked on the outside and the juices are released. Add the tomato puree and mix well.
- Return to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in the milk and butter.
- Serve with brown basmati rice, fresh made naan, and garnish with cilantro.
