Butter chicken

Marinated Chicken in Tomato, Butter and Cream Sauce

Butter chicken is yoghurt-marinated chicken, roasted hard and finished in a sauce of tomato, ginger, garlic and whole spices, enriched with butter and cream. The sauce is simmered, blended and returned to the pot, which is what makes it smooth.

Butter chicken is credited to Delhi.

The magazine's recipe marinates skinless chicken in yoghurt, lemon and spices for 4 hours or overnight, roasts it at 260°C for about 20 minutes until not fully cooked, simmers the tomato sauce for 25 minutes, purées it, cooks it 15 minutes more, adds the chicken for 10 minutes and finishes with cream, butter and curry leaves.

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 120 g Greek yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 7 cm piece of fresh ginger
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1.5 kg chicken pieces, skinned, cut into 8

For the sauce

  • 1 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cardamom pods, cracked
  • 3 cloves, crushed
  • 800 g tinned tomatoes
  • 7 cm piece of ginger, grated
  • 1 bay leaf
  • About 500 ml water
  • 80 ml double cream
  • 55 g butter
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 4 curry leaves
  • Fine sea salt and black pepper

To serve

  • Raita and mango chutney

Method

  1. Marinate Blend the yoghurt, lemon juice, oil, garam masala, chilli flakes, garlic, ginger and salt until smooth. Coat the chicken, cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  2. Roast Heat the oven to 260°C. Put the chicken on a foil-lined tray and roast for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned but not cooked through.
  3. Make the sauce Simmer the chilli flakes, garlic, cardamom, cloves, tomatoes, ginger, bay and about 250 ml of the water in a pot for 25 minutes. Purée until smooth, return to the pot and cook for 15 minutes.
  4. Finish Add the chicken, any marinade left on the tray and the remaining water and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Stir in the cream, butter, garam masala and curry leaves and cook gently for 5 minutes. The chicken must be cooked through, with no pink. Season and serve with raita and chutney.

Food safety

Check that the chicken is cooked through, with no pink and juices running clear. A very hot oven and a hot tray burn: use oven gloves. Wash hands, boards and knives after handling raw chicken. Cool leftovers quickly and reheat until piping hot.

Skin the chicken so the marinade reaches the meat.

The sauce can be made a day ahead.

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