Butter chicken is a lovely and creamy, spicy Indian casserole. I love butter chicken. It’s a dish that’s perfect to serve during the months of fall. Butter chicken takes a while to cook because the chicken needs to be left in a delicious marinade overnight, so it absorbs flavor and becomes extra tender. But it’s well worth the wait! I’ve served butter chicken with cauliflower rice, but plain rice works just as well. You can serve it with flat bread or naan bread and raita. And try mig Indian Dhal, pumpkin soups and Massaman Curry, too. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Marinade
3 cloves garlic
1.5 tsp. salt
2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cinnamon
Ca. 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
50 ml olive oil
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. chili, fresh or dried
200 ml yoghurt, natural
750 g chicken breast fillets
Sauce
Ca. 50 g butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. garam masala
3 tsp. paprika
Ca. 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
200 ml chicken stock
1 tin chopped tomatoes
300 ml cream
4 tbsp. tomato puree
Salt and pepper to season
Extras
Rice or cauliflower rice
Cashew nuts
Coriander or parsley
Approach
Marinade
Mix all the ingredients (except for the chicken) in a large bowl for an even marinade. Dice the chicken and put it into the marinade. Let the chicken soak in the marinade overnight in the fridge.
Then “brown” the chicken with the marinade in a pot that’s large enough to make the sauce. The chicken only needs to get a little color, not cook all the way through. Remove the browned chicken from the pot, with a little of the liquid (that’s where all the good flavor is) and put it in a bowl. Now make the sauce.
Sauce
Melt the butter in the pot and allow it to bubble slightly. Sauté the garlic, chili powder, garam masala, paprika and ginger. Be careful not to burn the spices. Keep an eye on it and stir the pot well. Then add the stock, chopped tomatoes, cream and the tomato puree. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes. Then return the chicken to the pot and leave it to simmer with the lid on. It’s best if it’s allowed to simmer for a long time. If you don’t have time to leave the sauce to simmer to thicken it, you can thicken the sauce by adding, e.g., a little cornflour.
Serve butter chicken with cauliflower or plain rice, cashew nuts, coriander, flatbread and raita. Enjoy!
