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Butter Chicken

By 25 Comments

My family loves butter chicken. This is such an easy dish to make and it is so versatile. I’ve used chicken here but you could so easily use other meats, vegetables or paneer.

The sauce is made first. If cooking chicken add it just like I do in the video. If using lamb or beef, you can do the same but you will need to cook the meat longer. Beef takes about an hour to get tender and lamb could take about 90 minutes.

If you would like to make a vegetarian version, just add your vegetables of choice to the sauce. I like to use this base sauce with chickpeas. Paneer also tastes amazing. If using paneer, just add it at the end just before cooking.

By the way, the above video is part of the Affordable Alfresco series produced by Vouchercodes.co.uk. Be sure to watch the other videos in the series. There are some fantastic recipes out there featuring some of my food blogger friends.

Butter chicken

In the photo above I coloured the chicken with red dye. This is not necessary and adds no flavour.

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Yield: 6

Butter Chicken Made Easy

Butter Chicken Made Easy
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 chicken thighs – skinned and scored in three places
  • Juice of three limes
  • 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (I use Maldon but any salt will do)
  • 2 tablespoons garlic and ginger puree*
  • 2 chopped green chilli peppers
  • 1 bunch chopped coriander
  • 1-tablespoon cumin powder
  • 200ml plain Greek yogurt
  • FOR THE BUTTER CHICKEN SAUCE
  • 100ml vegetable, olive or rapeseed oil
  • 3 large finely sliced onions
  • 1 carrot - grated
  • 1-inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 x bay leaves
  • 2 star anise
  • 6 green cardamom pods
  • 15 fresh curry leaves
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic and ginger puree*
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 2 x 400ml tins of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon mild or hot paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 300ml double cream**
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon fenugreek leaves (optional – available at Asian food shops)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
  • Juice of one lime

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl.
  2. Squeeze the lime juice over them and leave to rest while you make the marinade.
  3. In a blender, blend the garlic, ginger, chili peppers, chopped coriander, cumin and yogurt until nice and smooth.
  4. Pour this marinade over the chicken and rub it into the flesh with your hands.
  5. Leave to marinade for 3 to 48 hours. The longer the better.
  6. When ready to cook the chicken, pre-heat your oven to its highest setting and cook until the chicken begins to blacken slightly on the outside. You could of course do this in a tandoor oven or on a barbecue if dining outside.
  7. Note: In the video, I skipped the above step of baking/barbecuing the chicken. I’d like to mention that it is an option for those keen to cook outside on the barbecue or for those who like a more blacked tandoori look to the curry. In the video I simply add the marinated chicken raw to the sauce and let it cook.
  8. TO MAKE THE SAUCE
  9. Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
  10. When hot, toss in the cinnamon stick, star anise, green cardamoms and the bay leaves and fresh curry leaves if using.
  11. After about 30 seconds, throw in the sliced onions and let them fry for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally so that they get soft and translucent but not browned.
  12. After 15 minutes or so, sprinkle a little salt over the top. This will help release some of the liquid from the onions.
  13. Now add the grated carrot, garlic/ginger puree and the tomato puree and allow to sizzle for about a minute in the onion mixture.
  14. Add the paprika, cumin powder and garam masala and stir to combine.
  15. Add the raw or cooked chicken and chopped tomatoes to the sauce and pour in just enough water or chicken stock to cover.
  16. Ensure the chicken is completely cooked through and then stir in the cream.
  17. Bring to a simmer.
  18. While the curry is simmering away, melt the butter in a small frying pan. When melted, add the turmeric to the butter. After about 30 seconds, the turmeric will darken.
  19. Add the turmeric butter to the curry and sprinkle in the fenugreek leaves. (if using)
  20. Check for seasoning and then top with the chopped coriander and the lime juice.
  21. Serve with plain white rice or homemade naans.

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© Dan Toombs
Cuisine: Indian / Category: Main

*Garlic and ginger puree is available at Asian food shops. I like to make my own as it is easy to do and tastes better too. To make garlic and ginger puree, simply blend equal amounts of chopped garlic and ginger with just a drop of water in a spice grinder until smooth.
**The double cream will give this dish the classic look and taste of a butter chicken. Those who do not want the calories could leave it out. The curry tastes great without cream too.

Comments

  1. Mark Holland says

    Thank you so much for this recipe! As an American I have struggled to find good Indian cuisine recipes that are easy to follow and taste like the great food I get in restaurants. I have tried several different recipes for things like butter chicken and have been dissatisfied. This one works amazing and the finished product taste as good if not better than my favorite restaurant’s. I used chicken breasts, fennel in lieu of anise, and canned whole plum tomatoes. I also took all of the seeds out of the tomatoes because I have found this to be an important step in any recipe because the seeds are very bitter. I also blended the curry sauce in a blender just prior to adding the chicken. Next time I will use the curry leaves and anise in the recipe, I just didn’t have any on hand this time. I cannot wait to try your other recipes on this sight! Cheers!

    Reply

    • Dan Toombs says

      Sure you can Lisa. A lot better for your too. Just add the yogurt one tablespoon at a time though while stirring or it will curdle.

      Dan

      Reply

  3. Tania says

    making this tomorrow i have the meat marinating now , i can’t wait. i made the complete madras curry i found on this page it was mind blowing

    Reply

  4. Amalie Lyday says

    Dear Dan, I’m very excited about trying this recipe. I’m curious though= in the video you add the turmeric in with the chicken when you’re cooking it. The instructions say to do a separate pan with butter and turmeric, which way is better?

    Reply

  5. Liz says

    Hello Dan,
    so excited when i saw this recipe cant wait to try it! just wondering the chicken thighs u use are they with or without bones? Thanks for answering

    Reply

    • Dan Toombs says

      Hi Liz

      Here in the UK, the meat is usually served off the bone. I cook it like that often especially when cooking for my kids who don’t like the bone. Cook it with the bone in and you will get a better flavour. That’s what I prefer.

      Dan

      Reply

  6. nick says

    Your book “How to make brittish indian restaurant style meals” still stands up as the best cookbook i’ve ever seen. Found it as a blog post back in 2008 i think and after losing my favourite saag recipe for years i finally found it on amazon. Really appreciate you’re work. This recipe is great too which comes as little surprise.

    Reply

    • Dan Toombs says

      Hi Nick

      Thank you very much for that. Really appreciated and I’m glad you like my recipes. I’ll keep them coming.

      Cheers,
      Dan

      Reply

  7. william says

    Hi Dan i have made a few of your recipes and was dying to try the Buttered chicken as all have turned out great but i think i went wrong somewhere as it seems to be very wet .. to much liquid and i haven’t even added the cream or butter yet . Will it be ok to simmer and reduce it down or will the flavors get to intense ?

    Reply

    • Dan Toombs says

      Hi William

      Yes, definitely reduce down until you are happy with the consistency. If your chicken is over cooking, remove it and simmer until it is right. Then add it back to the pan. You’ll get there!

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply

    • Dan Toombs says

      This recipe doesn’t call for it but there is absolutely no reason why you can’t use it. Frying the onions and tomatoes and then adding the water makes a sauce. The base sauce is just a smoother version of that.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply

    • Dan Toombs says

      Hi Madeline

      There really aren’t any rules. You could make the whole recipe and then add some base sauce too. You could also leave out the frying of the onions and tomato and just use base sauce. Experiment a bit. You really can’t go wrong.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply

  10. Sabrina says

    Hlp if you csn but my annoying family dont like seeds or whole spices in their cirry what do i do painstakingly fish them out of the sauce before
    e serving or can i grind the spices and fry thrm onstead of frying whole spices? I despair.

    Reply

    • Dan Toombs says

      Hi Sabrina

      I do the same for my family. You can definitely grind the spices before adding them. It will be a different curry but still good. Hope this helps.

      Dan

      Reply

  11. Noelle Sammour says

    I made this for dinner tonight, and it was delicious and oh so easy! Next time I shall make a true trip to an ethnic store to pick up all of the lovely ingredients I was missing. Thank you so much for this recipe that left room for interpretation and also pleased the taste buds! Your recipe book will need to grace my shelves soon.

    Reply

  12. Dan Carlson says

    Hi
    Thank you so much for all your hard work! During these globally challenging times I decided finally that now is the time to make at home my favorite cuisine, Indian food. Your recipes have been so fantastic and I love tinkering with the herbs as I want them. I have made several recipes of yours so far and they are all great! Tonight I made the Sri Lanka pork curry and reduced the sauce for a n extra long time as I did with your lamb preparation for Vindaloo and others and the outcome was sublime. You are awesome , thank you for adding to our home. I am getting the opportunity to now cook for my wife and she is so happy with the results. You rock!

    Reply

    • Dan Toombs says

      Hi Dan
      Thank you very much for your lovely e-mail. I am really glad you are enjoying my recipes so much and that your wife is too!
      Dan

      Reply

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