Butter Chicken Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus overnight marinating time
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 along with rice and sides
For marinade
- 500-600g/1.1-1.3lbs chicken thighs, skinless
- 80g/2.8ozs Greek or natural yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 25g/0.9oz crushed ginger
- 25g/0.9oz crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
For Sauce
- 60g/2ozs butter, divided
- 180g/6ozs onion, chopped (1 large, any colour onion)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 black cardamom, whole
- 1 star anise
- 4 green cardamom, crushed, seeds only
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 40g/1.4ozs crushed garlic
- 30g/1oz crushed ginger
- 400g/14ozs tomato passata sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 280ml/9.8flozs pure or thickened cream
- Kasuri methi or fenugreek leaves and coriander leaves to garnish
Step 1 - Start this recipe the day before. First mix all of the marinade ingredients (yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, chili powder, garam masala, coriander and cumin) in a bowl or container and mix well. Cut chicken thighs into bite sized pieces. Mix into the marinade and cover and allow to marinate in the fridge overnight.
Step 2 - The also on the day before, add half of the butter to a frying pan and sauté the onions on medium heat until fragrant and translucent (around 8-10 minutes). Then add the remaining half of the butter and melt and add all of the spices (cinnamon stick, bay leaves, black cardamom, star anise, green cardamom seeds, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander, cloves, cumin) and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato passata, sugar and salt and stir. Place the lid on and allow to simmer for 5-6 minutes. It is ready when you get little oil or butter pools in the sauce. Cool and place in a container and refrigerate overnight.
Step 3 - The next day grill the chicken with the marinade so that you get little charred parts on the chicken. You don't need to cook the chicken through, just give it a char flavour.
Step 4 - Sieve the sauce removing the cinnamon stick, black cardamom, star anise and bay leaves. Blitz the sauce in a food processor with 1/4 cup/60ml/2floz of water until very smooth.
Step 5 - Heat the sauce in a frying pan and add the lightly charred chicken. Place the lid on and simmer for 8 minutes to cook the chicken fully through. Remove from heat and stir in the cream mixing well. Ladle into a serving bowl and sprinkle kasuri methi or fenugreek leaves and coriander over the top.
- Other Indian Curry and Accompaniment Recipes You Might Like:
- Beef Vindaloo Recipe
- Indian Channa Dahl on the Stovetop or Pressure Cooker
- Raita
- 15 Minute Garlic Naan Bread
I actually made this butter chicken for Monica during her last week living in Sydney. When we holidayed on the Central Coast she came across a place that sold butter chicken pizza. We were so excited to eat it but when we tried it, we were disappointed. It was nothing that we wanted it to be. It had a few small pieces of chicken but it didn't have any of that incredible sauce on it and it was really just a chicken pizza with a bit more spice.
I promised her that we could make our own butter chicken pizza at home using our Gozney. Most of my friends have come over for pizza but she and Marco hadn't and we decided that she had to have this butter chicken pizza because while it seemed relatively easy to find here, I know that it won't be common in Northern Italy where she is moving.
So far her "farewell tour" has been all about having dishes she may struggle with finding in Italy. We also made an amatriciana pizza and a clam pizza based on her favourite pizza at Bella Bruta with clams, pecorino bechamel and fermented chilli sauce. It tasted just like it so I felt like if she ever missed the food here she could recreate it at home.
When we sat down to eat them it was full of happy moments with eating delicious food but also sad that she would be moving away and we wouldn't see each other as regularly as we have. Maybe she'll make this butter chicken to top a pizza with and we won't feel so far apart and maybe next time I make this I'll think of that butter chicken pizza dinner.
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried butter chicken on a pizza? Do you have a lot of spices in your spice cupboard?