I will be honest and tell you that although I am of Pakistani origin, my mother never made Butter Chicken or taught me how to make it! I do the occasional Indian Dinner Party and was asked if I could make it. I sourced this recipe from the internet and very slightly modified it. I have to say, I am very happy with the end result! It tastes amazing and like most curries, improves over the next few days!
Hints & Tips
- Give yourself lots of time as this recipe requires you to mix something up, marinade for an hour, mix something again, marinade for another hour and then cook! Best to be made in parallel to other dishes you are cooking.
- GF, SF
- Category: Chicken, Gluten Free, Main Course, Sugar Free
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram Boneless Chicken Breast, Cubed
- 2 Brown Onions, Diced
- 3 teaspoons Garlic Paste
- 2 teaspoons Ginger Paste
- 4 teaspoons Coriander Powder
- 2 teaspoons Cumin Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 400 grams Tin of Tomato Paste
- 1/2 Litre Chicken Stock
- 3 tablespoons Dried Fenugreek Leaves
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 cup Yoghurt
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder (you can use any type of Chilli Powder, Hot or Mild, depending on your taste)
- 8 Cloves
- 15 Black Peppercorns
- 2 Inch Stick of Cinnamon
- 4 Bay Leaves
- 15 Almonds
- Seeds from 6 Pods of Green Cardamom
- Fresh Coriander Leaves
Instructions
- Mix the chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a large, non-metallic bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for 1 hour.
- Heat a frying pan on medium heat and gently roast (stirring frequently) the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly. Cool and add the cardamom seeds.
- Grind into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.
- Mix the yoghurt, above whole spice powder (from previous step), coriander, cumin and turmeric powders together and add them to the chicken. Allow to marinate for another hour.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Fry till a pale golden brown in color and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute.
- Add only the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry till sealed (chicken will turn opaque and the flesh will go from pink to whitish in color).
- Now add the tomato paste, chicken stock, fenugreek leaves and remaining part of the yogurt-spice mix to the chicken.
- Cook untill the chicken is tender and the gravy is reduced to half its original volume.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Naan Bread, Roti or Rice.
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