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Butter Chicken

A warm, complex, and comforting Indian dish perfect for a chilly evening.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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. 

  4. 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. 

  5. 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.

  6. 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.