Butter Chicken Kabsa

Ingredients

• 2 knob butter
• 2 onions
• 2 tomatoes
• 4 chilies
• 1 stem curry leaves
• 0.5 cup cashews
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 180 g yogurt
• 1 kg skinless chicken pieces
• salt and pepper (To taste)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 0.25 tsp food coloring (Optional)
• 2 cup water (For cooking the chicken)
• 2 cup basmati rice (Canary basmati rice; use washed rice)
• 1.5 cup water (For cooking the rice; the source says the water should sit about a fingertip above the rice)
• 1 cup cream (For garnish)
• coriander (For garnish)

Steps

1. 1

   Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onions, tomatoes, chilies, curry leaves, and cashews, then sauté until the vegetables are cooked and the cashews are nicely toasted.

2. 2

   Add the tomato paste, ginger-garlic paste, and yogurt. Stir everything together and cook for a couple of minutes.

3. 3

   Add the chicken pieces, salt and pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, garam masala, and optional food coloring. Stir well so the chicken is coated in the seasoning.

4. 4

   Pour in 2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

5. 5

   Remove the chicken from the pot. Blend the remaining mixture into a smooth sauce, then return the chicken to the pot.

6. 6

   Let the chicken simmer in the sauce for another 10 minutes.

7. 7

   Remove the chicken from the pot along with about three-quarters of the sauce. Leave most of the remaining sauce in the pot so the rice cooks up fluffy.

8. 8

   Add the basmati rice and 1½ cups of water to the pot. The water should come approximately a fingertip above the rice.

9. 9

   Bring the rice to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 8–9 minutes, until the rice begins to bloom and open.

10. 10

    Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot, and cook for 20 minutes.

11. 11

    Turn off the heat and keep the pot covered for another 15–20 minutes.

12. 12

    Fluff the rice and transfer it to a serving plate. Top with the chicken and reserved sauce, then garnish with cream and coriander.

Notes

The source emphasizes removing most of the sauce before cooking the rice to keep it fluffy. The stated cream quantity is listed for garnish. The source does not specify the type of chicken pieces, the exact amount of salt and pepper, or a blending method/equipment.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• chicken
• rice
• one-pot
• stovetop
• South Asian-inspired
• spicy
• gluten-free