Butter Chicken Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: people

Calories: 656kcal

Author: Neha Mathur

Butter Chicken is one of the most popular Indian curries all around the world. Check out the homemade butter chicken recipe I learned from a chef. It is made using simple ingredients, comes together in 30 minutes, and rivals any restaurant or take-out.

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Ingredients

To Marinate The Chicken

1 pound boneless chicken breasts 500 g
2 tablespoons thick yogurt or Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon salt

To Make The Gravy

½ cup cashew nuts
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped onions
2-3 whole green cardamoms
2 whole black cardamoms
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
3-4 whole black peppercorns
3 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
salt to taste
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 ounce khoya 50 g, crumbled
2 ounce processed cheese 50 g, shredded
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Kasuri methi
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions

Marinate The Chicken

Wash the chicken breasts and drain any extra water. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes.
Mix the chicken pieces with thick yogurt, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala powder, lime juice, and salt.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the chicken for 2-3 hours or better overnight. The longer the chicken marinates, the softer and juicier it will turn out.

Grill The Chicken

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Arrange the marinated chicken on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Lining the tray with foil makes the clean-up super easy.
Roast for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is nicely browned and tender.
Note - You can broil the ready chicken for 5 minutes to get that charred color and flavor.
Note – You can also grill the marinated chicken in a skillet over the stovetop.

Make the Gravy

Heat 4 cups of water in a pan over medium-high heat.
When it comes to a boil, add cashew nuts, tomatoes, onions, whole green cardamoms, whole black cardamoms, cinnamon stick, cloves, and whole black peppercorns.
Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
Drain the water and add the boiled ingredients to a blender along with ½ cup of water.
Blend to make a smooth paste.
Pass the paste through a fine-mesh strainer. Keep pressing the paste with the back of a spoon to get maximum smooth paste. Discard the rough residue.
Heat butter in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the butter is melted, add Kashmiri red chili powder and saute for 2-3 seconds. Adding red chili powder to hot butter gives a lovely color to the curry.
Note – Be quick after adding the red chili powder otherwise it may burn.
Add the cashew nut paste to the pan along with ½ cup water and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Now add salt, ketchup, khoya, processed cheese, heavy cream, Kasuri methi, honey, and lime juice to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and add it to the pan. Adjust the gravy by adding more water if needed. Check for salt and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Garnish with cream swirls and serve hot.

Notes

To make thick yogurt, add some plain yogurt to a fine-mesh strainer and let the strainer sit over a bowl for an hour. The liquid from the yogurt will drip down in the bowl and you will be left with thick yogurt in the strainer. You can also use Greek yogurt in place of thick yogurt.

If khoya is not available, mix ¼ cup dry milk powder with some milk and make a dough. Use it in place of khoya.

If processed cheese (Amul) is not available, use a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

Nutrition