Name: Butter Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; 2 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp garam masala; pinch salt; 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 4 tbsp butter; 1 medium sized onion, blended until smooth; 8 clove garlic, minced or puréed; 2 tsp ginger, puréed; 1.5 tsp ground green cardamom; 0.5 tsp ground mace; 2 lb ripe fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped; salt, to taste; 2 tbsp sugar, or to taste; 1 cup heavy cream; 1 tbsp garam masala; 1 tbsp kasuri methi, crushed

Butter chicken is a dish almost everyone recognizes, but every cook seems to find their own way of making it. Over the years, this has become mine. When my garden is producing ripe tomatoes, I use them as the foundation of the sauce, cooking them slowly until their excess moisture evaporates and their flavour becomes concentrated.

I blend the onion completely smooth before cooking it, and later blend the tomato sauce before adding the cream. This gives me the velvety texture I want without having to strain it. Green cardamom and mace are important to my version.

I cook the chicken separately until it develops a little char before finishing it in the sauce. The garam masala and crushed kasuri methi go in during the final few minutes so their aroma stays fresh. Serve it with basmati rice, roti or naan.

Ingredients
•2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
•2 tsp ground cumin
•2 tsp ground coriander
•2 tsp chili powder
•1 tsp smoked paprika
•1 tsp garam masala
•pinch salt
•2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
•4 tbsp butter
•1 medium sized onion, blended until smooth
•8 clove garlic, minced or puréed
•2 tsp ginger, puréed
•1.5 tsp ground green cardamom
•0.5 tsp ground mace
•2 lb ripe fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
•salt, to taste
•2 tbsp sugar, or to taste
•1 cup heavy cream
•1 tbsp garam masala
•1 tbsp kasuri methi, crushed
Tomatoes: Use very ripe, flavourful tomatoes. Because fresh tomatoes vary in water content, the cooking time may vary. Cook them until they have broken down and the excess liquid has evaporated before blending. When my garden is producing, I use freshly picked tomatoes for this recipe.

Kasuri methi: Kasuri methi is dried fenugreek leaf, not fenugreek seed. Crush the leaves between your palms or fingers just before adding them to release their aroma.

Green cardamom: I use ground green cardamom seeds rather than whole pods. If grinding your own, remove the seeds from the pods first.
Garam masala: Add the garam masala near the end of cooking rather than with the earlier spices. This helps preserve its fragrance and is an important part of how I build the flavour of this sauce.

Chili powder: Use an Indian-style chili powder or another pure ground red chili rather than an American chili seasoning blend, which usually contains additional spices.

Preparation

Marinate the chicken.
Combine the chicken with the cumin, coriander, chili powder, smoked paprika, garam masala, salt and lemon juice. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
Cook the chicken.
Grill, roast or pan-sear the marinated chicken until lightly charred on the outside but not completely cooked through. Set aside. The chicken will finish cooking in the sauce.
Start the sauce.
Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat.
Add the blended onion and cook until it loses its raw flavour and begins to caramelize lightly.
Build the aromatics.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.
Stir in the green cardamom and mace and allow the spices to bloom for approximately 30 seconds.
Cook down the garden tomatoes.
Add the chopped fresh tomatoes and season with salt and sugar.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes should completely break down while their excess moisture evaporates and their flavour concentrates.
Don't rush this stage. You want the tomatoes rich and concentrated rather than watery.
Blend the sauce.
Carefully transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the sauce to the pot.
Add the cream and chicken.
Stir the heavy cream into the sauce and return the lightly charred chicken to the pot.
Simmer gently until the chicken is tender and completely cooked through.
Finish the Butter Chicken.
During the final few minutes of cooking, stir in the garam masala and crushed kasuri methi.
Taste and adjust the salt and sugar as needed.
Serve hot with steamed basmati rice, warm roti or naan.

Chef's Notes

Blending the onion before cooking and the tomato mixture after reducing gives the sauce a smooth, velvety texture without needing to strain it. The green cardamom and mace are the quiet heroes of this recipe. They aren't there to overpower the sauce. They add another layer of warmth and fragrance in the background. Adding the garam masala and kasuri methi near the end preserves more of their aroma rather than cooking it away. Using fresh tomatoes requires a little more patience than passata. Letting them slowly cook down and concentrate is important to achieving a rich sauce rather than a watery one. And don't be afraid of a little char on the chicken. That flavour becomes part of the finished sauce.

chicken tomato indian

Neil NijjerChef Neil Nijjer | Indo-Fijian roots. Global flavours. No culinary borders.

Chef Neil Nijjer believes great food doesn't need borders, just flavour, instinct and a little attitude. From Indo-Fijian curries and global comfort food to whatever is growing in his North Vancouver garden, Neil cooks the food he loves, tells the stories behind it, and always leaves room for another plate.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients

Preparation

Chef's Notes

I Cooked This

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