Butter Chicken
Kelly AllenButter chicken, traditionally known as murgh makhani, originated in Delhi as a wildly successful chance recipe made by a local restaurant using leftover tandoori chicken, tomatoes, and butter. The recipe has countless variations and is popular the world over. One thing everyone agrees on? It's delicious.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅔ tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp ground cumin, plus ½ tbsp more
- 1-1½ pounds chicken breasts, chopped into 1½ cubes
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp olive oil or sesame oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 medium tomatoes, diced (or ½ cup diced canned tomatoes)
- ¼ -½ tsp ground cayenne, or 1 jalapeño (if in season) seeded and diced
- ⅓ cup chicken stock
- ¾ cups cream
- ¾ tsp tomato paste
- ¼ bunch cilantro leaves, rinsed of any dirt, stems removed
- Salt, to taste
Preparation
- Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala and 1 tbsp cumin in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat entirely. Cover, and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
- In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and ginger. Continue to cook until the onions start to brown.
- Add the tomatoes, cayenne or jalapeño, remaining cumin, and salt. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and its marinade to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and the tomato paste. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 10-15 minutes more.
- Serve hot, garnished with the cilantro leaves.
