Easy Butter Chicken

Who doesn’t love Butter Chicken, especially an Easy Butter Chicken, it is one of the most popular Indian dishes and just the mention of it gets everyone salivating. My kids absolutely love Butter Chicken, although I had to stop making it for a while because they had too much of it and didn’t want to hear the word butter chicken.

Now that they’ve had a break they are happy to eat it again and this time it was super-delicious. I’ve created many versions of this recipe and I was never totally satisfied so I’m constantly tweaking my recipe until I know it’s perfect.  I’m hoping this is my final tweak as this recipe couldn’t be more perfect.

I must have tried making a hundred different versions, just kidding…well not exactly a hundred but enough to make me crazy. I’ve cooked this chicken dish for all my family and friends and everyone loves it and I’m also sure everyone’s had a different version of this recipe.

Cooking the Butter Chicken

This Butter Chicken is a really simple dish to prepare and even the most novice cook can make this dish with ease. Especially if you have all the right ingredients. As I always say freshly roasted and ground spices are the best so if you do have the time it will be worth it.

Tomato puree or passata has become my new best friend in the kitchen. I love it and it is the most convenient thing to have in my pantry. You can find different brands in almost all major supermarkets.

Although this recipe is so easy it doesn’t compromise on flavor. I prefer to marinate my chicken for 30 minutes but if you short on time you can skip this step.

Spices

As I mention in all my Indian dishes freshly ground spices are the best. It takes a little more effort but adds so much aroma to your curries. If you purchase spices rather the seeds than the ground spices. All you need to do is clean it, roast it in a pan, allow it to cool and pop it into a coffee grinder.

I store my extra ground spice in an airtight glass bottle for up to 2 weeks and it’s perfectly fine.

How to serve Butter Chicken

You can serve your Butter Chicken with Naan Bread or Rice. If you are South African there’s always the option of Roti.  However you choose to serve it the taste is still the same, delicious.

Butter Chicken

Rich and Creamy Butter Chicken cooked with aromatic spices

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 500 gram chicken breasts or thighs cut into cubes or strips
• ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
• ▢ 1 tspn ground cumin
• ▢ 1 tspn ground coriander
• ▢ 2 tspn kashmiri chilli powder
• ▢ 1 tspn garam masala
• ▢ 1/2 tspn turmeric

Sauce

• ▢ 2 tbsp butter
• ▢ 2 bay leaf
• ▢ 1 large onion roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
• ▢ 1/4 cup cashew nuts (optional)
• ▢ 2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground fennel/soomph
• ▢ 1 tsp garam masala
• ▢ 1 cup tomato puree/passata
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 1 tsp dried methi leaves (optional)
• ▢ 3/4 cup fresh cream
• ▢ 2-3 tsp sugar
• ▢ salt

Instructions

 

• Marinate the chicken with all of the ingredients listed under chicken, lemon juice, yogurt, ginger/garlic paste, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and chilli powder,oil. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
• Heat a large pan and fry the chicken in little batches, just until it slightly brown on the edges. Remove and set aside
• In the same pan heat the butter with a few drops of oil. Add the onion, bay leaf and cashew nuts and fry until onion is translucent
• Add the chilli powder and garam masala and cook for a minute. Add the tomato puree. Season with salt and add the sugar. Adjust sugar according to your taste
• Simmer on low heat until the sauce reduces and the butter separates. Add water and simmer for a minute. Remove the bay leaf. Transfer the sauce into a glass bowl as it will be hot. Use a stick blender and blend until the sauce is smooth. You can put it through a sieve if you want extra smooth but not necessary
• Add the sauce back to the pot together with the fresh cream. Add the chicken and mix well. Crush the dried methi leaves with your fingertips and add it to the curry.
• Bring to the boil and turn the heat off. Garnish with coriander
• Serve with rice or naan bread or both

Notes

1. 500 grams of chicken amounts to about 4 medium sized chicken breasts
2. You can use fresh tomatoes instead of passata
3. If you have a grill you can cook your chicken on the grill instead of frying it in a pan
4. The dried methi leaves is not absolutely necessary so you can leave it out if you don't have any
5. Butter Chicken from the restaurants is always slightly sweet, my kids prefer this so I add more sugar. You can reduce the amount of sugar according to your taste

Keyword butter chicken, butter chicken curry, easy butter chicken, indian food

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