Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 2 lbs chicken breast cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice fresh or store-bought
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 1 Tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
For the Butter Chicken:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup ghee or substitute with 1/2 cup butter and 2 Tbsp oil
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup onion chopped
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 cups cream or half and half
Method
- In a ziplock bag or bowl, mix marinade ingredients together. Add chicken chunks to marinade and let them hang out for a few hours to overnight. See notes for a speed method.
- Ready to cook? In a pot or pan over medium to medium high heat, add olive oil and marinated chicken chunks. Once browned remove the chicken from the pot (onto a plate or in a bowl). Set aside.
- In the empty but hot pot add the ghee and onions. Sauté the onions until translucent. This step will take about 3-5 minutes.
- Next, stir in the ginger and garlic and cook until aromatic, about a minute.
- After you begin smelling the delicious garlic and ginger, next in - the mustard, coriander, grama masala and cumin.
- Then add the tomato sauce, cayenne, chili powder, salt, and sugar.
- Using an immersion blender (or regular blender) puree what is in the pot. This will great the base of the sauce.
- Once your sauce base is blended and smooth simmer for 10 minutes then add the browned chicken chunks back in.
- Lastly, add the cream (or half and half if you prefer a lighter option) and simmer an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve the butter chicken hot, ideally over a bed of fragrant basmati or jasmine rice and warmed naan.
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for a speedy method? If you need dinner on the table now, feel free to toss the chicken chunks in the marinade and cook immediately. The chicken won't be as deeply flavored but you may not notice a huge difference especially if everyone is hungry.