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! 🙂
Can I skip grilling part??
Either grill or fry, but do not skip that step entirely.
pLZ TELL CAN WE GRILL ON THE GRILLING PAN?
Yes that is ok.
Salam fauzia, can we freeze your butter chicken after fully cooked? I have some leftover that I would like to freeze for another time. Pls advise . JazakAllah khair
W/Salaam, yes you can.
Salam fauzia, its difficult finding methi leaves here during d raining season. What should I use instead of the methi leaves? I could only get fenugreek seeds. Thanks
W/Salaam, you can leave it out. Don’t use the seeds in place of the leaves for this recipe.
aslamoalikum fauzia anty May Allah pak bless u ..i want to know the recipe of tandore msla that u use in making of buttter chikn coz i cannt fond ths msala in market.
Thanks for the quick reply, but wunt it change the flavour without the leaves? Just curious, I want it to be perfect☺ I wanT to cook it for lunch tomorrow insha Allah.
W/Salaam, I normally buy tandoori masala ready made, where are you located? Try checking for it at any indian grocers or at the supermarket. 🙂
It won’t make a huge difference although the leaves add a very nice flavour to the dish. If it is possible to get the leaves do so, otherwise the dish will still be yummy even without them.
If I want to substitute fresh tomatoes for the tin ones how many tins will it be
1 can of tomatoes.
Fabulous recipes!!!
Butter chicken tastes yummy if cashew paste is added to the gravy
Mashallah , May Allah Reward you for your kind help
Salam Fauzia Baji, What is tomato paste? I haven’t seen it in supermarket. Is it something that needs to be made at home? I have seen and used tomato puree that comes in can(tin) and tube, is it same as paste? I live in UK.
W/Salaam, it comes ready made, please refer to my previous comment on this. 🙂
can we put chkn in fan oven instead of grilling ??? if so thn for how much tym ???
Grilling helps retain moisture in the chicken. You can fry the chicken for 3 minutes per side or bake for around 10 minutes, although I would recommend to grill or fry rather than bake if you want the chicken to remain moist.
Best to get the ready made version as it is very thick and concentrated. Otherwise blend tomatoes and cook them down with a pinch of salt and sugar until thick and dark.
assalamulikum…. i would lyk to knw wt to do wid left over marinated chicken masala…. reply soon..
W/Salaam, please refer to the first line of my Instructions.
Had this at my sisters place and loved it. Just put the chicken to marinate now. Will let it stay overnight and make the dish for lunch.
Salam..I really appreciate your work and the way you explain solutions to our every queries . Your all recipes are great. I wanted to make this butter chicken for the first time ..I have started the procedure after thoroughly going through your recipe but I just did a big mistake . I have marinated boned chicken.. Wanted to get it marinate overnight. Now how can I fry it? Should I deep fry it or bake it ? Please solve my problem. That boneless thing just got out of my mind while marinating.. Thanks in advance
W/Salaam, thank you. It is ok, you can use the chicken on bone for this recipe. Bake the chicken just as described in the method and then cook it as per the rest of the recipe. It should be just fine. 🙂
i mean,i will try this butter chicken recipe of yours for the 1st time.i tried other recipe of butter chicken but it turned out not so well.jst want to know adding of cashewnuts will change the taste of the recipe.plz reply soon.
Cashewnut will help add more flavour and thicken the gravy. I prefer it without the cashewnut myself though.