Indian Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is yogurt-and-spice-marinated chicken dressed in a velvety red bath comprising butter, onions, ginger and tomatoes scented with garam masala, cumin and turmeric, with a cinnamon tang.Serve with basmati rice and mango chutney, with naan.
Dovetailing tip: Add 4 chicken breasts to this recipe. When done, pull out of the sauce. You will not need sauce on the chicken breasts. Save the chicken breasts to use for Meal 4, Tandoori Chicken Salad.
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Ingredients:
| 1 1/2 cups | full-fat greek yogurt |
| 2 tablespoons | lemon juice |
| 1 1/2 tablespoons | ground turmeric |
| 2 tablespoons | garam masala (Indian spice) |
| 2 tablespoons | ground cumin |
| 3 pounds | chicken thighs, on the bone |
| 1/4 pound | unsalted butter |
| 4 teaspoons | vegetable oil |
| 2 | medium-size yellow onions, peeled and diced |
| 4 cloves | garlic, peeled and minced |
| 3 tablespoons | fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely diced |
| 1 tablespoon | ground cumin |
| 1 | cinnamon stick |
| 2 | medium-size tomatoes, diced |
| 2 | Anaheim green chilies, seeded and diced |
| kosher salt to taste | |
| 2/3 cup | chicken stock, low-sodium or homemade |
| 1 1/2 cups | cream |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | tomato paste |
| 3 tablespoons | ground almonds, or finely chopped almonds |
| 1/2 bunch | cilantro leaves, stems removed. |
Directions:
Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala and cumin in a large bowl. Put the chicken in, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate (at least 1 hour or for up to a day).
In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil until it starts to foam. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin, and cook until the onions start to brown.
Add the cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chiles and salt, and cook until the chiles are soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes.
Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the almonds, cook for an additional 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Garnish with the cilantro leaves.
Revised from Source: cooking.nytimes.com
