Restaurant-Style Butter Chicken

Ingredients

• 200 g boneless chicken pieces (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste (pounded; for marinade)
• 2 tsp hung curd (strained yogurt)
• 0.5 lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (for marinade)
• 1 tsp garam masala powder (for marinade)
• 1 tsp salt (for marinade)
• 1 tbsp oil (for frying chicken)
• 1 tbsp butter (for gravy base)
• 1 tbsp oil (for gravy base)
• 2 onions (medium sized, finely chopped)
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste (pounded; for gravy)
• 3 tomatoes (large, roughly chopped)
• 3 Kashmiri red chillies (whole dried)
• 1 tsp salt (for gravy)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder (for gravy)
• 2 tbsp water (to cook down tomatoes)
• 10 cashews
• 0.25 cup water (for grinding paste)
• 2 tbsp butter (for finishing the sauce)
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (for final sauce color)
• 0.5 cup water (to adjust gravy consistency)
• 0.25 cup fresh cream
• kasuri methi (crushed, for garnish)
• coriander leaves (finely chopped, for garnish)

Steps

1. 1

   In a bowl, combine 200 grams of boneless chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of pounded ginger garlic paste, 2 teaspoons of hung curd, the juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.

2. 2

   Mix everything together thoroughly and let the chicken marinate for about 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken pieces and cook for about 10 minutes until done. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

4. 4

   In a separate pan (or the same one cleaned), add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil.

5. 5

   Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until they have turned a nice golden brown color.

6. 6

   Add 1 teaspoon of pounded ginger garlic paste and sauté until fragrant.

7. 7

   Add the roughly chopped tomatoes and 3 whole Kashmiri red chillies. Mix well.

8. 8

   Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, and 1 teaspoon garam masala powder.

9. 9

   Pour in 2 tablespoons of water and cook until the raw smell of the spices disappears and the tomatoes become nice and mushy.

10. 10

    Add 10 cashews to the mixture and sauté for about 5 minutes.

11. 11

    Turn off the heat and allow the masala mixture to cool completely.

12. 12

    Transfer the cooled mixture to a blender jar, add 1/4 cup of water, and grind it into a very fine, smooth paste.

13. 13

    In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder over low heat.

14. 14

    Pour the ground masala paste into the pan. If the paste is coarse, pass it through a sieve first to ensure a silky texture.

15. 15

    Rinse the mixer jar with about 1/2 cup of water and add that liquid to the pan to adjust the consistency.

16. 16

    After simmering for 2-3 minutes, add the cooked chicken pieces and mix well.

17. 17

    Stir in 1/4 cup of fresh cream and let the curry simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat.

18. 18

    Finish the dish by adding crushed kasuri methi and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and serve.

Notes

If your ground masala paste feels coarse, the author recommends passing it through a sieve before adding it back to the pan to achieve the signature smooth restaurant-style texture.

Nutrition per serving

• main dish
• Indian
• butter chicken
• chicken curry
• restaurant style
• non-vegetarian