Servings : Serves 3-4
If there was a chicken dish that was fit for Royalty, I truly believe Butter Chicken would be it! Perfect grilled boneless chicken served in a creamy, buttery, silky smooth sauce….this dish is not for those that would shy away from extra calories!! It's the kind of dish that would have you literally licking your plate and scooping up second helpings!
The dish is famous the world over, and is probably one of the most loved of Indian meals. It goes oh-so-well with steamed rice and naans, and each bite of the tender and juicy chicken morsels covered in creamy sauce is a delightful experience.
Because of all the extra calories in this dish, it should be one of those meals that you save for super-special occasions, that way you can look forward to and enjoy the meal the way it is supposed to be enjoyed!
Ingredients for Chicken Marinade
- 500gm boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes - marinate the chicken for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight in the ingredients below.
- 1/4 cup plain yoghurt
- 1 tsp. garlic paste
- 1 tsp. ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. red chilli powder
- pinch of turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp. cumin powder
- 1 tbsp. tandoori masala
- 1 tsp. tomato paste/puree
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp. oil
Additional Ingredients
- 1 large onion, grated
- 1 tsp. fenugreek leaves/kasuri methi
- 2-3 green chillies
- 4-5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1-2 tsp. tomato paste/puree
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1/4 cup fresh cream (you can use up to 3/4 of a cup if you want it creamier)
- 4 tbsp. butter + 4 tbsp. oil
- 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp. garlic paste
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. garam masala
- salt to taste
Instructions
Put the chicken on skewers (discard the marinade) and either grill on a bbq grill or in the oven directly under the grill for about 8 minutes on each side (at 200 C) or until the chicken pieces are slightly charred. (Remember that the chicken will be cooked further in the sauce, so don't over-cook them at this stage). Remove the cubes from the skewers and put them in a bowl, cover to keep them moist and set aside.
Heat the butter and oil in a pot, add the cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon. When the cumin starts to splutter, add the fenugreek leaves followed by the onions and fry until they are translucent and starting to brown. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and the green chilies, fry them for a minute then add the cubed tomatoes and the tomato paste.
Cook on high heat for a few minutes, then lower to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes are mushy and well-cooked and some oil begins to get released from the sides. Turn off the heat, and remove the cinnamon stick and the cardamom pods from the mixture. Let it cool slightly, then put the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture into your pot, season with a bit of salt and the sugar. Add the grilled chicken cubes. Simmer together for about 5 minutes until the gravy coats the chicken cubes well, you can add a bit of warm water at this stage if you want extra gravy. The gravy will thicken when you add cream. Sprinkle the garam masala.
Lastly add the cream, stir well and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Switch off and serve over rice or with naan. You can add a blob of butter or drizzle some cream for a lovely appearance if you want when you serve the dish.
Enjoy! 🙂
may i know what is cardamom pods
Whole cardamom.
I have always wondered what you mean by fresh cream? There are so many different types of creams sold here, I get confused. Do you mean regular cream also used for whipped cream on cakes? Or creme fraiche?
Fresh cream is sometimes labelled as cooking cream. You can use single cream in it’s place. Not creme fraiche nor whipped cream. However if you cannot find the ones I’ve mentioned, you can use whipping cream (the liquid version) but dilute it in half with milk so it is not too heavy. Fresh cooking cream is normally lighter in consistency. Hope that helps!
hi, instead of grilling the chicken, can i shallow fry it in a pan?
Hi, yes you can! Don’t over-fry though, just 3-4 minutes per side for every skewer.
butterchicken is my favorite
Are you talking here about d nestle fresh cream?d one vch comes in a small tin like milk maid tin?want to make it for iftaar,hope it comes out good 🙂 can u tel me plz what type of bread goes best wit this?i dont have electric oven,can i make ur tawa naan for this?
No, in this case fresh cream is the fresh cooking cream, normally available in the refrigerated section next to stuff like sour cream, whipping cream etc. You can use single cream instead. And yes you can make tawa naan for this, goes beautifully with it. Otherwise I sometimes make it with Parathas.
Made this atleast 10 times now! This is simply the best chicken dish ever! Cannot believe I made this – its such a high quality restarant dish! Thanks!
Hi! This is such an easy dish to make. It was a super hit at my place. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks.Do you have Methi Chicken’s Recipe? Would love to try that too.
Hi and thanks! At the moment no methi chicken recipe but planning on adding it soon inshaAllah.
salted butter or unsalted?
It doesn’t matter, either of the two. If salted, mind how much salt you use in the recipe.
ms.fauzia
aap ka koi b mukabla nahi kar sakta.aap kamaal ho. kya aap garam masala ki recipe bataa sakte ho aap ki recipe ki video kahan se dowlload kar sakte hai.
In English please?
If I have garlic & ginger paste mixed together, should it still be 1 spoon or should I use 2 spoons then?
Thanks
2 tsp.
Salamz.. Hi
How much fresh cream is it in ML??
W/Salaam, 1 cup of cream is 200 ml.
kk thanx 🙂
Fauzia love u dear.u r blessed.thx 4r helping me in my kitchen.
if using chicken with bone hw mch ckn i shd use.and in oven is it k if i just keep the ckn on a grill tray.
The recipe should be good enough for a full small chicken, about 1.2kg or so.
Wat about ckn in oven is it k i just keep on grill tray
Yes that is fine.
I tried the above recipe.taste ws awesome same.same like restaurant.thank you.
hey fauzia,
hope you’re well
what is the difference between tomato paste and tomato puree? are they the same?
can i use tomato puree in this recipe?
thanks,
Sabira 🙂
Hi, am well thank you Sabira. You know, in some places tomato paste and tomato puree actually mean the same thing, but literally, puree is blended tomatoes and paste is the thick concentrated tomato that is sold in jars or cans. For this recipe use the concentrate, not the blended tomatoes. 🙂
Can we make tomato paste at home?