BUTTER CHICKEN

A BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE YOU’LL LOVE.

This is real-deal, Tandoori-style butter chicken made at home that the whole family will love. I use a cast iron kadai / wok to make this dish. As I say in the video, a lot of the flavour comes from the pieces of chicken and fat and marinade that stick to the cooking vessel in the initial chicken charring process. It’s better to use the same vessel all the way through for maximum flavour impact. You can reduce the chilli if you have children—or adults—in the house who don’t have much tolerance for spice.

Find out more about butter chicken >

RECIPE DETAILS

Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes + 24 hours marinating time.
Cooking time: 45 minutes.
Dietary Style: Gluten Free

INGREDIENTS

MARINADE

• 1.3 kg chicken thigh, diced into 2 inch pieces
• 500 gm yoghurt
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp fine white salt
• 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tbsp hot ground red chilli powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp lime juice

FOR THE MASALA

• 600 gm tomato passata
• 125 gm chilled butter
• 1/3 tsp fine pink salt
• 1/4 tsp fine black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 tbsp dried fenugreek lead
• 3 tbsp cream
• To garnish, red onion and lime

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METHOD

How to make our butter chicken recipe.

STEP 1

Dice the chicken thighs in to two inch pieces. Put aside.

In a bowl, whisk the yoghurt with a little water. Add to the whisked yoghurt the minced ginger and garlic, 1 tsp fine white salt, the Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tbsp ground red chilli powder, and the coriander, cumin, and turmeric powders along with 1 tsp garam masala. Add the lime juice and tip the yoghurt, spice, and lime mix into the chicken pieces. Stir well and leave to marinade overnight, or for at least three to four hours in the fridge.

STEP 2

On the stove, use a heavy bottomed pot, or cast iron work. Set the stove to high heat. In small batches, place the marinated chicken pieces on the bottom of the cooking vessel so that all the flesh is touching. Leave for a minute or two until its smoking and seared. Turn once. Repeat on the reverse side. The chicken should be blackened but not cooked through. Remove from the hot vessel and place into a tray. Repeat in small batches until all of the chicken is blackened in this way. Reserve what marinade is left in the bowl to add back to the vessel (see step 3).

STEP 3

Using the same vessel, turn the heat to very low. Add in the passata, 2 tablespoons of the chilled butter, and whatever is left of the yoghurt and spice marinade from the bowl the chicken was marinaded in. Stir through for a few minutes, scraping the bottom of the vessel with a metal spoon to remove the caramelised pieces sticking to the bottom.

Add to the sauce the 1/3 tsp of a fine pink salt, 1/4 tsp of fine black pepper, 1/2 tsp of ground red chilli, and 1 tsp garam masala. Stir through.

Add back the blackened chicken to the butter chicken sauce.

Add the rest of the chilled butter. Stir through. Turn up the heat until the sauce is evenly bubbling and hot. Once this state is attained, turn down the stove to a medium-low setting and allow the chicken to cook through for around 15 minutes.

STEP 4

Once the chicken is cooked through, add the dried fenugreek leaf and the cream. Stir through and serve immediately with diced red onion and a wedge of lime.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT
BUTTER CHICKEN

Is butter chicken spicy?

Not if you don’t want it to be! Our recipe has directions for spicing that caters to various palates and their ability to tolerate chilli.

What is butter chicken?

Butter chicken is a modern Indian curry that traditionally uses tandoori chicken in order to achieve that deliciously smoky and charred taste.

Can I make dairy-free butter chicken?

Yes is the short answer. Replace any dairy components with your non-dairy substitute of choice. Using coconut yoghurt in place of cow’s milk yoghurt in the marinade will change the taste. But it will still be delicipus.

What is your top tip for perfect butter chicken?

Make sure the chicken pieces are charred before cooking out in the masala. I use a very hot and unoiled kadai or cast iron wok to achieve this. You could also use a barbecue surface or griddle.

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