Indian Butter Chicken (murgh makhani)

Butter chicken is one of those dishes that everybody orders when they go out for Indian food, but it’s unusually simple to make. We start by making a yogurt-based marinade for the chicken, then build a base for a umami-rich tomato “gravy". Yep, that’s all I got.

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Yield: 5-6 servings

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Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

• 1 1/2 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, sliced into strips
• 1 Tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 1/2 cup Yogurt
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper
• Kosher Salt, to taste

Butter Chicken

• 5 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided
• Red Onion, diced
• 2 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 Tbsp Kashmiri Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper
• 1 pound Tomatoes, sliced into chunks
• 1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1/3 cup Cashews, chopped
• 2 Tbsp White Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream, more to garnish
• 1/2 stick Unsalted Butter
• 1 tsp Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• Kosher Salt, to taste

Instructions

Chicken Marinade

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and let sit for 1 hour, up to overnight.

Butter Chicken

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the oil then sear the marinated chicken. Remove the chicken, set aside.
2. To the same hot pan melt in 2 Tbsp of butter then sweat the onions for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garam masala and Kashmiri chili powder then stir until the onions are coated with the spices. Add in the tomato, ginger garlic paste, cashews, vinegar, sugar and water. Simmer for 20 minutes until the mixture is reduced and jammy.
3. Transfer the mixture to either a blender and puree until smooth, or transfer to a bowl then use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Pass the smooth puree through a strainer back into the original pan.
4. While stirring, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Add in the remaining 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter, the cream and kasoori methi. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minute. Finish with a swirl of cream and sprinkle of kasoori methi. Serve with naan or rice and CRUSH!