Butter Chicken
About this Recipe
By: Rachel
I was sixteen when I had my first taste of Indian food. India Palace had just opened, and my friend Alicia could not stop talking about it. I went along with a healthy measure of trepidation.
Everything on the menu was unfamiliar. “You have to try the Chicken Makhanee,” Alicia urged, gleefully. While we waited for our order, we were served warm cups of chai tea, spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise.
Our order arrived in beautiful, delicate serving dishes: first, a large silver dish of hot rice. Inexplicably, some grains were pure white, while others were shades of red, yellow, or orange. The main dish arrived in smaller, round silver serving dishes; chunks of the most tender chicken in a thick, fragrant, bubbling sauce. A large basket of the softest bread arrived, too, glistening with warm butter and studded with fragrant garlic and fresh cilantro.
It was love at first bite. We returned as often as our meager pocketbooks would allow, trying every dish on the menu, from matar paneer to lamb biryani. But the Chicken Makhanee—butter chicken—remained our favorite. When we finally learned how to make it, it meant, to our delight, that we could have it much more frequently.
Chicken thighs are marinated in yogurt and spices. Do not skimp on the marinating time—it tenderizes the chicken while infusing it with complex flavor. The sauce, with plenty of aromatics, butter, and cream, is silky-smooth and the perfect complement to the chicken. I like to serve it with plenty of hot, basmati rice (you can cook some with saffron for color) and fresh garlic naan brushed with butter.
Finally, an important note—curries made with yogurt can break from time to time, leaving you with sauce that is grainy rather than luscious and smooth. There are two ways to avoid this. The easiest is to ensure gentle, even cooking, avoiding drastic changes in temperature (allow marinated meat to come to room temperature before cooking; cook at a very gentle simmer and do not allow the mixture to come to a boil). Alternatively, you can stabilize your yogurt prior to cooking.
Butter Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade:
- 1 cup (250g) full-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 3 pounds (1⅓ kilos) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
For the sauce:
- 1 stick (112g) unsalted butter
- 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 inch (2½ cm) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 3 San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
- 2 red hot chile peppers (leave seeds in for a hotter dish, or discard)
- ½ cup (120mL) chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups (350mL) heavy cream
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Optional: Chopped cilantro, to garnish
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
- Mix the marinade ingredients together. Cut the chicken into large chunks, add to the marinade, and stir to coat. Allow to marinate, ideally for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
Step 2
- In a large skillet, heat 6 tablespoons (90g) butter until melted. Add the onion and cook until soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, chili powder, and coriander, and cook until fragrant and well-browned (do not undercook).
Step 3
- Add the tomatoes and peppers, and cook until the peppers begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock, stir to combine, and add the chicken in its marinade.
Step 4
- Simmer gently over low to medium heat for 30-35 minutes, allowing the chicken to cook and the flavors to meld.
Step 5
- Remove the chicken, and set aside. Add the remaining contents of the skillet to a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, and blend until completely smooth. Set the sauce aside.
Step 6
- Add the puréed sauce to the skillet (no need to wash the skillet out first), and whisk in the cream with about ¾ teaspoon salt. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Do not allow the sauce to come to a boil, or it may break.
Step 7
- Taste and correct seasoning. Garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro, and serve with plenty of hot Basmati rice and naan.
Beverage Pairing
By: Olivia
This Butter Chicken offers many pairing opportunities due to the play between creamy and spicy. If you want to highlight the creaminess of this dish, look for a rich white wine like a Chardonnay or Roussanne. If you want to highlight the spices in this dish, look for spice-forward red wines like Carignan, Granacha, or Cabernet Franc. A happy balanced pairing between the creamy and spicy qualities of the Butter Chicken would be a dry Rosé. I’d highly recommend grabbing a bottle of Rosato di Ampeleia from Violet Wine!
