Indian · serves 2

Butter Chicken

When you want to feel like you went out without going out.

50 min A proper cook Non-vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 600g boneless chicken
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 5 tomatoes
  • 12 cashews
  • 2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi
  • 80g butter
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 1 tsp sugar

Method

  1. Marinate chicken in yogurt, half the ginger-garlic, chilli powder, salt. 30 minutes if you can.
  2. Sear the chicken hard in a hot pan until charred at the edges. Take out.
  3. Boil tomatoes with cashews and the rest of the ginger-garlic, 12 minutes. Blend and strain.
  4. Butter in the pan, add the puree, salt, sugar. Simmer 12 minutes till it darkens.
  5. Chicken back in with any resting juices, 5 minutes.
  6. Crushed kasuri methi, cream, one more minute. Naan or rice.

Questions people ask about Butter Chicken

How long does Butter Chicken take?

About 50 minutes from starting to sitting down, and it is a proper cook. A good part of that is unattended, so you can get on with something else once it is going.

What can I use instead of chicken in Butter Chicken?

Use paneer, firm tofu or mushrooms. All three cook far faster than chicken, so add them in the last 5 minutes rather than at the start.

Can I make Butter Chicken ahead of time?

You can prepare it a few hours ahead and reheat gently. It keeps two days in the fridge, though it is best on the day.

Can I make Butter Chicken vegetarian?

Yes. Replace the chicken with paneer, firm tofu, mushrooms or soya chunks. All of them cook far faster than meat, so add them in the last five minutes rather than at the start, and keep the masala exactly as written.

What do you serve with Butter Chicken?

Naan or rice. It serves two as written. Double everything to feed four, but use a wider pan so the food still browns rather than steams.

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