Butter Chicken

Butter chicken

I just cant have enough of this dish. Be it in a dhaba 

on the Punjab roadside or in any swanky restaurant 

this is an infallible dish..something you can always fall 

back on if you are unable to make up your mind.

Having lived in Punjab for sometime I have grown to 

love the cuisine. It is a very common sight to see 

skewered chicken and paneer hanging over hot coals 

ready to be prepared at your order. The ethnic rustic 

cooking is something that no 5 star can beat. I have 

even eaten butter chicken from a roadside vendor on 

a redhi bearing just a tandoor and a big tava. Cook 

the chicken in the tandoor, whip up the gravy on the

 tava, add a big chunk of butter and Hey Presto!!!

Whenever I make butter chicken at home I grill the 

chicken in the oven. Although it doesn’t have the 

charred texture of a tandoor yet it comes close 

enough.

Ingredients

1 chicken, cut into pieces

Marinade

½ cup yogurt

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp kasuri methi

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Few drops orange red food colour

For the gravy

6 big tomatoes, blanched, skinned and pureed

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

½ cup ready made tomato purée

10 cashews, ground into paste

1 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp chicken masala/meat masala

1 cup milk

2 tbsp cream

Salt to taste

A pinch of sugar

Marinate the chicken for at least two hours. 

Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius. Grill the chicken for 

about 20-25 minutes.

In case you don’t have an oven you can cook the 

chicken on gas. Heat some butter or ghee. Add the

 chicken and sauté on high for 3 minutes. Cover and 

cook till the chicken is done. You don’t have to add

 any water because there will be enough water from 

the chicken and the marinade.

For the gravy

Blanch the tomatoes in hot water, take off the skin 

and puree them well so that no lumps remain.

Heat some butter and add the bay leaf. Add the 

tomato puree and sauté. 

Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook till oil starts leaving the sides.

Add the ready made tomato puree, red chili powder,

 garam masala, chicken masala, kasuri methi, salt and

 sugar. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the cashew paste. Stir for a few minutes and then

 add the chicken pieces. Cook on high for about 2-3 

minutes. Now slowly add the milk stirring all the while. 

If the milk is added at one go it might curdle. Simmer for sometime .

Add cream and then remove from heat. Serve 

garnished with a dollop of cream and chopped green chillies.