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Butter Chicken

Classic Indian curry
Print Recipe
CourseMain Course
CuisineIndian
Keywordchicken, classic, curry
Servings5
Calories566kcal
Authorkschoenwandt

Ingredients

Prepping the Chicken

  • 5 pieces Chicken Breast (cut into cubes) or leg and breasts mixed
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Salt

Making the Paste

  • 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 2 tbsp Tandoori Masala I like the Kissan brand
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic crushed/ground
  • 1 tsp Ginger crushed/ground
  • 1 tsp Fenugreek Leaves I like to grind them up real fine
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin ground
  • 1/2 tsp Chillies approx., to taste, add more if you like
  • 1/4 tsp Salt

Cooking on the Stove (1)

  • 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 1 tsp Cumin whole

Cooking on the Stove (2)

  • 1.5 can Tomatoes crushed
  • 2 tbsp Tandoori Masala
  • 1/2 tsp Tumeric
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin ground
  • 1 tbsp Fenugreek Leaves
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic crushed/ground
  • 1 tsp Ginger crushed/ground
  • 1/4 tsp Salt approx., to taste
  • 1/4 tsp Green Chillies approx., to taste, add more if you like

Cooking on the Stove (3)

  • 500 ml Heavy Cream

Cooking on the Stove (4)

  • 3 tbsp Sugar depends on how sweet you like it
  • Cilantro chopped

Instructions

Prepping the Chicken

  • Clean the chicken with water and pat dry with a paper towel. Ensure the chicken is completely dry. 
  • Once dried, cut the chicken into cubes and marinate with lemon juice and salt. Marinate until next step is completed. 

Making the Paste

  • Pre-heat oven to 205°C
  • Take a bowl and mix all of the step 2 ingredients into a paste. Then take your chicken (from step 1) and mix the paste with the chicken. You can let this marinate over night (this is not a requirement). Once the paste and Chicken are mixed together lay it out into a dish that you can put in the oven.
  • Once the oven is hot, put your tray of marinated chicken into the oven for 10 minutes. Then remove and mix the chicken (turn it over so the other side can cook). Then put the chicken back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Cooking on the Stove (1)

  • In a cooking pot, heat oil and cumin. Let the cumin cook for a bit (about 1 minute - let cumin sizzle). 

Cooking on the Stove (2)

  • Let the sauce simmer and cook on medium heat until the oil comes to the surface (about 15 to 20 minutes) -- stir well. 
  • Then add the chicken, mix well, and cook the chicken with the sauce for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Cooking on the Stove (3)

  • Let the sauce with the added heavy cream come to a boil on medium to high heat. Only bring it to a boil once. 

Cooking on the Stove (4)

  • Add sugar, turn off the heat, and garnish with chopped cilantro
  • Enjoy with Rice or Naan Bread

Notes

 
Side Dish
I suggest a crispy salad (iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers) with a cardamom flavour type dressing. Or maybe something with fresh strawberries and poppy seeds as well?
A word on Fenugreek leaves...
You can use them crumbled up as they come out of the bag, but I prefer to fully grind them (in a mortar or very briefly in a spice mill) and then strain them through a fine sieve. This way you end up with a nice powder and none of the thicker bits. Ground up I use just slightly less than the recipe calls for. Fenugreek leaves are super fragrant and really make the taste of this recipe so good. 
Vegetarian? 
If you want to cater to your quasi vegetarian guests, you can just set aside some of the sauce before adding the chicken in and instead use some pan fried Paneer. Your Indian store (or many other good grocery stores) probably have ready-made Paneer you can buy and only have to pan fry it slightly. 
Nutrition Facts
Butter Chicken
Amount Per Serving (0 g)
Calories 566 Calories from Fat 522
% Daily Value*
Fat 58g89%
Saturated Fat 39g244%
Cholesterol 138mg46%
Sodium 740mg32%
Potassium 82mg2%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 1470IU29%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 69mg7%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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