Get Premium access to all the latest content online
Subscribe and view full print editions online... Subscribe
Butter chicken
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 600g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 3cm pieces
- 75g full-fat natural yoghurt
- juice ½ lemon
- 3tbsp tandoori spice blend
- 60g ghee, butter or neutral oil, such as sunflower or vegetable
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- approx. 2cm piece fresh ginger, grated
- 1tsp garam masala
- 1tsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
- ½tsp hot chilli powder, or to taste
- 400g tomatoes, finely chopped, or 1 x 400g can plum tomatoes, chopped
- 2tbsp tomato purée
- 1tsp caster sugar
- ½tsp salt
- 60ml double cream
Method
Put the chicken, yoghurt, lemon juice and tandoori spice blend in a bowl, mix welll and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
When ready to cook, melt the ghee, butter or oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute until soft and fragrant. Add the garam masala, fenugreek, if using, and chilli powder and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, salt and100ml water. Cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have begun to break down, thickening to form a sauce.
Add the chicken, including all the marinade, stirring well, and cook for around 5 minutes over a medium-high heat until simmering.
Cover the pan, turn down the heat to medium-low and cook for 20–30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is rich, thick and deeply flavoured.
Stir in half the cream, check the seasoning, then season with salt, pepper and more chilli powder, if necessary. Stir in a splash more water if you would like a looser consistency for the sauce. Remove from the heat and let the curry rest for at least 5 minutes before spooning the remaining cream over to serve.
This recipe featured in the August/September 2022 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
Advertisement