Description
A rich and creamy traditional Indian Butter Chicken recipe featuring tender marinated chicken simmered in a spiced tomato and cream sauce, perfect for serving with basmati rice or flatbread.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Marinade
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt, full fat
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1.5 lb / 750 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite size pieces
Curry
- 2 tbsp (30 g) ghee or butter, OR 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup tomato passata (tomato puree)
- 1 cup heavy / thickened cream
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
To Serve (optional)
- Basmati rice
- White rice
- Coriander/cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Optional Blitz: For an extra smooth sauce, combine all marinade ingredients except the chicken in a food processor and blend until smooth. This step is optional and not required.
- Marinate: Mix the marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight or up to 24 hours to allow flavors to develop.
- Cook Chicken: Heat the ghee, butter, or oil in a large fry pan over high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade but do not shake off excess marinade. Place the chicken pieces in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes until the chicken turns white all over; it won’t brown much due to the marinade.
- Make Sauce: Add the tomato passata, cream, sugar, salt, and any remaining marinade from the bowl to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer gently for 20 minutes to meld the flavors.
- Final Touches: Taste and adjust salt if needed. Garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves if using.
- Serve: Serve your butter chicken hot with basmati or white rice, and optionally with flatbread or no-fry papadums for an authentic accompaniment.
Notes
- Garam Masala is a popular Indian spice blend available in supermarkets in the spice section.
- Use pure chilli powder or cayenne pepper for a mild spice kick rather than American chili powder.
- Ghee is clarified butter commonly used in Indian cooking. You can substitute with butter or a neutral oil.
- Tomato passata is pureed canned tomatoes, sometimes called tomato puree in America. If unavailable, blend canned tomatoes or use tomato sauce (not ketchup) as a substitute.
- For a lighter sauce, substitute 3/4 cup light cream + 1/4 cup milk instead of heavy cream.
- No Fry Quick Papadums: Microwave raw store-bought papadums for 45 seconds to 1 minute until puffed for a quick crispy side.
- This recipe is adapted from Australian chef Luke Mangan with some adjustments like adding salt and a lighter cream option.
