Mains · By Megha · 56 min total
Megha's Butter Chicken
While I'm a vegetarian, this dish is such an indian staple, I knew I had to learn how to make it.
Ingredients
Marinade for chicken (or tofu/paneer)
- 1 cup of plain yogurt (2% or higher, or greek yogurt)
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 2 tbsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- Salt to taste
Main dish
- 4 chicken breasts (or tofu/paneer)
- Can of crushed tomatoes
- 28 (or a big handful of) plain cashews
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 2 tbsp of salted butter
- ½ bulb of garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp of ginger paste
- 2 medium green chillis (serranos/Thai green chillis), finely chopped
- ½ cup of water (or to consistency)
- Pinch of chopped coriander to garnish
Spices
- ½ tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tbsp ground cloves
- ½ tbsp cardamom
- ½ tbsp paprika
- ½ tbsp garam masala
- ½ tbsp cumin powder
- ½ tbsp coriander powder
Marinating (at least 4–6 hours before starting the main dish)
- 1
Prepare the marinade by combining all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Score the chicken, and add to the marinade.
- 2
Transfer the mixture to a large plastic freezer bag and place in the fridge.
- 3
Two hours before starting on the main dish, take the freezer bag out of the fridge and let rest (and continue marinating) at room temperature.
Main dish
- 1
Blend the cashews and can of tomatoes until you get a smooth paste (i.e. the cashews are smooth and blended into the tomatoes). You may want to use a food processor for this.
- 2
Heat a medium sized wok over low heat with butter. Once the butter has melted, add ginger, garlic, and chillies. Add the following spices: cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Once the garlic starts to soften and lose some of its aroma, add in paprika, garam masala, and coriander powder. Add in salt to taste. Ensure that your heat remains relatively low so that the spices don't burn.
- 3
Add in the tomato and cashew puree. Turn up the heat to medium, and stir the mixture and cook down the mixture. This can take about 10 to 15 minutes. Warning: this may cause some splatter, keep a cover close!
- 4
Once the mixture has cooked down a bit, add in water, ¾ cup of cream, and salt. Mix, set the heat to low, and then cover so the mixture can simmer. Stir occasionally.
- 5
While the mixture simmers on low, barbecue the chicken so it's just a little undercooked. You can also choose to put the chicken in the oven.
- 6
Once the chicken has been cooked, cut it into bite sized pieces (or to your liking).
- 7
Add the chicken to the sauce and mix for 1 minute.
- 8
Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with a drizzle of the remaining cream and finely chopped coriander. Serve with plain basmati rice, or (garlic) naan.
A note from Megha
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