There is something like a warm hug on a cold rainy day, a feeling of closeness and contentment when you first try butter chicken at a real Indian restaurant. That feeling is hard to replicate; the atmosphere at home may be different, there isn’t the clamor of the kitchen in the background or the conversations of others to surround yourself in. The taste however can absolutely be mimicked, the depth of the flavors melding together in the rich creamy sauce is something you can do! The restaurant may have your dish to your table in less than 20 minutes, but there is much more that goes into this recipe that must happen before you get to dig in.
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My favorite place to eat butter chicken is in a small strip mall near my house. They have a Sunday buffet where $15 will get you as much tika masala, butter chicken, and gulab jamun as you can fit into your body. The setting is always quite and filled with polite patrons filling their plates in an orderly fashion, no Golden Corral scene here. The food was always delightful and gave you a warm feeling that is hard to match.
I hadn’t eaten butter chicken in a while when my buddy Snehal offered to make his mom’s butter chicken for us one night. I expected a house filled with smells of garam masala, heavy cream, and bubbling tomatoes on the stove. What I got was like nothing I can even describe. OK, I’ll try… Imaging your favorite food growing up, let’s say chicken noodle soup for some reason. Now imagine that soup grew up with you and gained an equal amount of experience as it did. That chicken noodle soup got a damn PHD in flavor from Tasty Town University. It graduated valedictorian of all the other soups and THEN it gave the best graduation speech you’ve ever heard… It’s kinda like that. That’s what was going on in my mouth when I tasted this butter chicken. I was there, I saw this recipe come together and even assisted in its culmination. Nowhere did I see a magic wand or pixie dust being sprinkled over our chicken, but the results were magical! Now would be a good time to give credit where it’s due: Snehal’s mom not only gave me access to this recipe, but she also marinated the chicken for us and provided basmati rice to go along with it! On top of the homecooked dosas that Snehal will occasionally bring over and the fresh ground spices, all credit for this recipe and its inherent magic goes to Asmita! Thank you!
Butter Chicken
A warm, complex, and comforting Indian dish perfect for a chilly evening.
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (breast or thighs, cut into bite size pieces)
- 1 + 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coriander-cumin powder 1:1 ratio (I used a pre-blend from Asmita)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp tandoori masala (packaged, Shan brand)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garlic (minced/pureed)
- 1 tbsp ginger (minced/pureed)
- 3 tbsp yogurt (plain/Greek)
For the gravy
- 8 oz. heavy cream
- 2 medium onions (sliced)
- 3 roma tomatoes (sliced)
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3/4 tsp coriander-cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kassori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Instructions
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Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl, stir to combine. Add chicken and allow to marinate for 1-2 hours (ideally overnight) I usually place this all in a gallon Ziplock bag.
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Add 2-3 tablespoons oil to a large pan over med heat and cook the chicken along with all the marinade until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.
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While the chicken is cooking, in a separate large pan over med heat, add 2-3 tablespoons oil and cook the onion and tomatoes along with the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Once onions are translucent remove from heat and allow to cool.
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Remove the cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves from the gravy and transfer to a blender. (An immersion blender will NOT work here… I tried it) Blend until a chunky consistency is achieved, then pour back into your pan.
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Add all spices for the gravy except the kassori methi to the ground onions and tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes. Slowly add the heavy cream stirring constantly until combined.
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Add the chicken to the gravy and sprinkle kassori methi over the top. Stir to combine everything and you are all done! Serve with your favorite rice and some naan.
Recipe Notes
All of the spices I used were ground at home and provided to me from Asmita with the exception of the tandoori masala. This can be found online or at your local Indian market. Additionally you can use cheese cloth to keep your cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaves together to make it easier to remove them after simmering with the tomatoes and onions.