Butter Chicken

The following is Klaus’ recipe for Butter Chicken. He merged a recipe from the Middle East with one from India. It is my absolute favorite version of Butter Chicken, and it is a great addition to a potluck or open house party. The dish can be prepared one or two days in advance and warmed up before serving.

The recipe is for 5 people.

Step one – prepping the chicken breast: 

• 5 chicken breasts (cut into cubes; or mix breast and leg) 
• 1 tsp lemon juice 
• 1 tsp salt 

Clean the chicken with water and pat dry with a paper towel. Ensure the chicken is completely dry. Once dried, cut the chicken into cubes and marinate with lemon juice and salt. Marinate until step 2 is completed. 

Step two – making the paste: 

• 4 tsp oil 
• 2 tsp tandoori masala 
• ¼ tsp garlic (crushed/ground) 
• 1 tsp ginger (crushed/ground) 
• 1 tsp fenugreek leaves 
• ½ tsp ground cumin 
• green chillies to taste (approx ½ tsp or more – depends on how hot the   wchillies are) 
• ¼ tsp salt 

Pre-heat oven to 205°c

Take a bowl and mix all of the step 2 ingredients into a paste. Then take your chicken (from step 1) and mix the paste with the chicken. You can let this marinate over night (this is not a requirement). Once the paste and chicken are mixed together lay it out into a dish that you can put in the oven.

When the oven is hot, put your tray of marinated chicken into the oven for 10 minutes. Then remove and mix the chicken (turn it over so the other side can cook). Then put the chicken back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

When the oven is hot, put your tray of marinated chicken into the oven for 10 minutes. Then remove and mix the chicken (turn it over so the other side can cook). Then put the chicken back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Step three – cooking on the stove:

• 3 tsp oil 
• 1 tsp whole cumin 

In a cooking pot, heat oil and cumin. Let the cumin cook for a bit (about 1 minute – let cumin sizzle). Then add the following ingredients: 
• 1 ½ cup crushed tomatoes from the can 
• 2 tsp tandoori masala 
• ½ tsp tumeric 
• ½ tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp fenugreek leaves 
• ¼ tsp garlic (crushed) 
• 1 tsp ginger (crushed) 
• salt to taste (about ¼ tsp) 
• green chillies to taste (about a ¼ tsp – add more if you like) 

Let the sauce simmer and cook on medium heat until the oil comes to the surface (about 15 to 20 minutes) – stir well. Then add the chicken from step 2. Mix well and cook the chicken with the sauce for another 3 to 4 minutes. 

Then add: 

• 500ml of heavy (whipping) cream 

Let the sauce with the newly added heavy cream come to a boil on medium to high heat. Only bring it to a boil once. 

Then add: 

• 3 to 4 tsp of sugar (depends on how sweet you like it). Mix well. 

Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Enjoy with rice or naan bread! 

Side dish 
I suggest a crispy salad (iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers)
with a cardamom flavour type dressing. Or maybe something with fresh strawberries and poppy seeds as well? 

A word on fenugreek leaves…
You can use them crumbled up as they come out of the bag, but I prefer to fully grind them (in a mortar or very briefly in a spice mill) and then strain them through a fine sieve. This way you end up with a nice powder and none of the thicker bits. Ground up I use just slightly less than the recipe calls for. Fenugreek leaves are super fragrant and really make the taste of this recipe so good. 

Vegetarian? 
If you want to cater to your quasi vegetarian guests, you can just set aside some of the sauce before adding the chicken in and instead use some pan fried paneer. Your Indian store (or many other good grocery stores) probably have ready-made paneer you can buy and only have to pan fry it slightly. 

ਆਪਣੇ ਖਾਣੇ ਦਾ ਆਨੰਦ ਮਾਣੋ

2019