As far as we are concerned, Butter Chicken should be (very!) high on the top ten list of best chicken curry recipes.
For that matter, it should also be on the top ten recipes for chicken! Ever! You only need to do two things right with this recipe: just lightly cook the chicken and ensure that the sauce is delicious, tangy, aromatic and just the right level of tart sharpness before you add the chichen pieces. Enjoy!
Butter Chicken Recipe
Course: Chicken & PoultryCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Moderate6
servings30
minutes40
minutesAs far as we are concerned, Butter Chicken should be (very!) high on the top ten list of best chicken curry recipes.
Ingredients
1 kg chicken breast fillets, cut into 2-cm cubes
juice of a lemon or lime
6 whole cloves
8 – 10 peppercorns
10 piece piece of whole cinnamon
2 bay leaves
10 ml coriander seeds
5 ml cumin seeds
seeds from 4 or 5 pods of cardamom
8 – 10 almonds
5 ml dried chili flakes (or to taste)
5 ml turmeric
250 ml plain yoghurt
30 ml sunflower oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
15 ml garlic, finely chopped (or to taste)
10 ml fresh ginger, finely grated
1 x 400 g can of tomato puree
500 ml prepared chicken stock
small handful of curry leaves (or dried fenugreek leaves)
salt and sugar, to taste
90 ml butter or ghee
fresh coriander leaves to garnish
Directions
- Place the chicken in a glass or plastic bowl and add the lemon or lime juice and set aside.
- Heat a dry, clean pan over medium heat and add the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, cumin and cardamom seeds, almonds and chili flakes. Toast until aromatic then transfer to a grinder. Grind until powdery then add the mixture to the chicken together with the turmeric and yoghurt. Mix well, cover and set aside to marinate for at least an hour.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions. Sauté until golden then add the garlic and ginger. Cook lightly then add the tomato puree, chicken stock and curry or fenugreek leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer without a lid until it has reduced and thickened to your liking.
- Heat half of the butter in a large frying pan then add the chicken with the marinade. Sauté lightly before adding the mixture to the sauce. Season to taste, bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Do not overcook.
- Stir in the rest of the butter, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
- Serves 6 – 8
CHEF’S HINT
- Do not overcook the chicken – a few minutes is all it takes. It should be tender, moist and just-just cooked for the best results.
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