Butter chicken (Makhani chicken)
Why I Love This Recipe
This is an popular Indian recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
Chicken – 1 kg, skinned, boned, and cubed (2lbs+4oz)
For marinade:
Yogurt – 5 tablespoons, plain, thick; use fat-free yogurt if you would like to reduce the fat content of this dish
Tandoori masala – 1 tablespoon
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Lime juice – 2 tablespoons
Salt – 1 teaspoon, or to taste
Cummin powder – 1 teaspoon
Orange color – ½ teaspoon (optional)
For sauce:
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Butter – 2 tablespoons
Onions – 2, sliced
Ginger – 1 inch piece, crushed into a fine paste
Garlic – 6 cloves, crushed into a fine paste
Chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
White pepper – 1 teaspoon
Cashew nuts – 10
Almonds – 5; made into a thick paste along with cashew nuts and water
Tomatoes – 2, pureed
Cream – 2 tablespoons, single (optional)
Coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons, fresh, chopped, for garnishing
Directions
Marinate the chicken in the smooth paste of marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Heat oil and butter in a medium wok and fry onions for 3 minutes or until golden. Add the ginger and garlic paste along with a little water and fry till oil separates.
Add the marinated chicken mixture and stir-fry for 8-10 minutes. Add chilli, coriander, turmeric, and white pepper powders, tomato puree, cashew and almond paste, and mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water, mix well, and bring it to boil. Cover and cook in a low flame until chicken is done. It takes approximately 10 minutes.
Pour over the cream and stir in well. The sauce will start to thicken. Garnish with coriander leaves and a dollop of fresh cream. Serve hot with rice, roti, paratha, or naan.
