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Butter Chicken

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Butter Chicken

Cuisine:Indian

Course:Dinner

30m prep 1h 0m cook 1h ready

A rich and creamy Indian dish featuring tender chicken thighs in a spiced tomato-cashew sauce, finished with butter and cream. Served with rice.

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Ingredients

Servings:
½× 1× 1½× 2× 3×
Units:
As Written US Metric
  • 1
    • 1 2/3 tbsp kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves)
    • 2 whole dried chiles de arbol
    • 1 brown cardamom
    • 1 whole clove
    • 1 tbsp garam masala
    • 1 tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
    • 1 can whole fire-roasted tomatoes with their juices
    • 1 oz raw cashews
    • 1 1/4 cup water divided
    • 2 tbsp canola oil
    • 1 medium white onion peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda
    • 1 small ginger peeled and thinly sliced
    • 4 clove garlic smashed and roughly chopped
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 4 tbsp unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
    Sub-recipe steps
    1. Place fenugreek leaves (or seeds, if using), chiles de arbol, brown cardamom (or green cardamom, if using), and clove in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast, tossing frequently, until quite fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, add garam masala and salt, and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
    2. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine cashew nuts and 1/4 cup (60ml) water. Microwave on high until cashews look plump and have softened slightly, about 1 minute. Set aside.
    3. In a Dutch oven, heat canola oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and baking soda, stirring with a wooden spoon to coat onions in oil and distribute baking soda. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have completely broken down, most moisture has cooked off, and they begin to brown, 14 to 17 minutes. If onions brown too quickly or unevenly, add a tablespoon (15ml) of water and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
    4. Reduce heat to medium low. Add ginger and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring constantly, until quite fragrant, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon, push onions into the center of the pot to form a mound. Add the ground spice mixture to the mounded onions to prevent scorching. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are coated in spices and mixture is very fragrant, about 30 seconds.
    5. Add the cashews and their soaking liquid, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add tomatoes and their juices plus 1 cup (240ml) water, and use the back of a wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are completely broken down and liquid has reduced, about 40 minutes.
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves)
  • 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 tsp kala namak (black salt)
  • 1 fresh ginger peeled and finely grated
  • 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size, 1-inch pieces
  • Warm long-grain rice

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

Estimated based off 4 of 9 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).

Energy
678 cal
Protein
41.3 g
Carbohydrate
39.1 g
Fiber
1.22 g
Sugars
0.06 g
Sodium
188 mg
Total fat
38.1 g
Saturated fat
10.4 g
Monounsaturated fat
15.8 g
Polyunsaturated fat
7.95 g
Vitamins & minerals
  • Calcium: 33.2 mg
  • Iron: 4.36 mg
  • Magnesium: 57.3 mg
  • Phosphorus: 417 mg
  • Potassium: 537 mg
  • Zinc: 3.49 mg

Let's Prepare

Collect

Gather these ingredients - no prep needed yet.

  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves)
  • 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 tsp kala namak (black salt)
  • Warm long-grain rice
  • 1 Makhani Sauce

Prepare

  • 1 fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size, 1-inch pieces

Let's Cook

  1. Step 1.

    In a small skillet, toast the fenugreek leaves (or fenugreek seeds) over medium heat, tossing constantly, until quite fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the toasted leaves to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.

  2. Step 2.

    In the center of a rimmed baking sheet, create a roughly 9- by 13-inch aluminum-foil boat with 1-inch sides, and set aside. (Alternatively, if you have a 1/4 rimmed baking sheet, use that instead, omitting the foil.)

  3. Step 3.

    In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the yogurt, garam masala, salt, black salt, grated ginger, and ground fenugreek leaves until well combined. Add the chicken thigh pieces to the bowl and, using clean hands, toss with the marinade until evenly coated. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet, arranging the pieces in a single, even layer in the aluminum-foil boat.

  4. Step 4.

    While the sauce simmers, adjust the oven rack to about 3 inches below the broiler element and preheat the broiler on high. Transfer the chicken to the broiler. Cook, checking the chicken frequently to ensure it's not burning, until the chicken is charred in spots and fully cooked through, about 14 minutes (time will vary depending on the strength of the broiler). Remove the chicken from the broiler and set aside.

  5. Step 5.

    Using an immersion blender and off the heat, blend the contents of the Dutch oven until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and cream, and blend until completely smooth and emulsified, about 2 minutes. At this point, you may remove 1 1/2 cups (360ml) of sauce and reserve it for another use.

  6. Step 6.

    Add the reserved broiled chicken along with any juices in the sheet pan to the sauce and stir until the chicken is well incorporated and warmed through. Ladle the chicken and sauce into a serving bowl and drizzle with additional heavy cream. Serve immediately with rice alongside.

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