Introducing my version of a Savory, Sweet Heat, Creamy Butter Chicken and this Curry will rival any restaurant if not better. It's highly customizable too, ensuring that you end up with your style of Butter Chicken that hits that heat just right. Serve with Rice & Naan or as a Butter Chicken Wrap with Lettuce, Cucumbers, and other vegetables wrapped up in Naan or Pita Bread. Use the leftover Butter Chicken Sauce for other followup meals.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breast - diced 1 inch, about 2 Chicken Breast or more
Chicken Marinade
- 1/4 C Neutral Oil & Yogurt - each, omit Yogurt for an oil-based marinade.
- 1 1/2 Tbl Garam Masala - or 2 Tbl of Tandoori Masala, see notes
- 1 Tbl Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Sea Salt - if using Garam Masala without Salt
Butter Chicken Sauce
- 2 C Water
- 1 Large Onion - about 115g
- 1 Large Red Bell Pepper
- 1 C Crushed Tomatoes - about 230g
- 1/4 C Ghee & Tomato Paste - each, can use butter in place of ghee
- 1/2 Tub Cool Whip
Butter Chicken Masala
- 3 Tbl Chickpea Flour - for thickening
- 2 Tbl Sugar - Can use Brown Sugar or Jaggery,
- 2 Tbl Fenugreek Leaves
- 2 tsp Kashmir Chili Powder - 1 tsp for Mild, 2 tsp for Medium and more for as spicy as desired.
- 1 tsp Chicken Broth Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander, ground Cumin, Dried Cilantro, & Sea Salt - each
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric & Garlic Powder - each
- 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger, ground Fenugreek seeds, ground Cardamom & ground Nutmeg - each
Instructions
- Marinate the Chicken: In a bowl, mix the chicken marinade ingredients, add 1-inch diced chicken breast, and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. 2 hours is recommended.
- Cook the Chicken: Preheat the oven to broil (middle rack). Place marinated chicken on a pan and broil for about 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly charred.
- Prepare the Sauce: Add onion, tomatoes & red pepper to a blender along with water. Reserve some sliced or diced onion & red pepper for the sauce. Purée and empty into a bowl. Whisk in the butter chicken masala and set aside.
- Cook the Base: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add fat & tomato paste. Cook for about 5 minutes while whisking frequently until the fat separates from the paste. If using butter, avoid excessive browning; as soon as it separates and is browned, move on to the next step. You can also cook sliced or diced onion & peppers in just the fat until softened but still crisp and set aside before adding in the tomato paste.
- Simmer & Serve: Add the puréed vegetables and seasoning to the pan, mix, and simmer until thickened. Stir in cooked meat, and optionally, sliced onions and peppers. Lower the heat and simmer gently. Mix often until the sauce thickens more. Add Cool Whip and mix well to bring back to a simmer. Any sautéed vegetables can be added at the same time as the cream or served on the side. Serve right away with rice and naan or as a wrap with sliced cucumbers and sautéed onions & peppers. Optionally with lettuce.
Notes
Garam Masala or Tandoori Masala: Either the homemade Garam Masala can be used for butter chicken or Tandoori Masala for tandoori chicken tikka masala. For Garam Masala use the following:
- 1 tsp each of Coriander, Cumin, Kashmir Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom
- 1/4 tsp each of Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, and ground Fenugreek seeds.