Butter chicken
One of the best-known Indian dishes, created in Delhi in the 1950s. The secret is the marinade: yoghurt with spices breaks down the fibres of the chicken and lets the flavours sink in deep. Use chicken thigh fillets instead of breast. They are juicier and dry out less quickly. The sauce is the crown jewel: tomatoes, butter, cream and toasted spices melt together into something you can't stop eating. Serve with naan to mop up the sauce.
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets
- 150 g Greek yoghurt
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- juice of ½ lemon
1 Cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the chicken. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2 hours.
- 50 g butter
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cm piece of ginger
2 Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Melt the butter in the Dutch oven and fry everything for 5 minutes over medium-high heat until soft and fragrant.
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp paprika
3 Add the spices and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tin)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp sugar
4 Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and sugar. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down low and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the sauce is thick. Blend the sauce smooth with a hand blender. This is the difference between an ordinary curry and butter chicken: the sauce should be silky smooth.
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 30 g cold butter, diced
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi, optional but authentic)
- salt
5 Stir in the cream and warm through for 2 minutes. Add the cold butter for shine and stir until melted. Rub the fenugreek leaves between your hands and sprinkle over. Season to taste.
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
6 Heat the Dutch oven over high heat. Fry the marinated chicken in batches for 3 to 4 minutes until coloured. It doesn't need to be cooked through.
7 Spoon the chicken into the sauce and let it cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes.
- fresh coriander
- naan or basmati rice
8 Roughly chop the coriander and scatter over the dish. Serve with naan or rice.
Ingredients
Step 1
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets
- 150 g Greek yoghurt
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- juice of ½ lemon
Step 2
- 50 g butter
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cm piece of ginger
Step 3
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp paprika
Step 4
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tin)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp sugar
Step 5
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 30 g cold butter, diced
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi, optional but authentic)
- salt
Step 6
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Step 8
- fresh coriander
- naan or basmati rice
Method
- 1 Cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the chicken. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2 hours.
- 2 Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Melt the butter in the Dutch oven and fry everything for 5 minutes over medium-high heat until soft and fragrant.
- 3 Add the spices and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 4 Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and sugar. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down low and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the sauce is thick. Blend the sauce smooth with a hand blender. This is the difference between an ordinary curry and butter chicken: the sauce should be silky smooth.
- 5 Stir in the cream and warm through for 2 minutes. Add the cold butter for shine and stir until melted. Rub the fenugreek leaves between your hands and sprinkle over. Season to taste.
- 6 Heat the Dutch oven over high heat. Fry the marinated chicken in batches for 3 to 4 minutes until coloured. It doesn't need to be cooked through.
- 7 Spoon the chicken into the sauce and let it cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes.
- 8 Roughly chop the coriander and scatter over the dish. Serve with naan or rice.
