Butter Chicken

A royal dish if ever there was one, Butter Chicken is known for its luxuriously rich texture and for me, the thicker and creamier the better. It’s a flavourful, aromatic curry with a butter and tomato base – wonderfully creamy and tastes out of this world. My children absolutely love this beautiful dish. I make this often and serve it with Basmati Rice (see page 136). My husband loves Butter Chicken too and makes it using this recipe – I’ve got to say it’s pretty good! Forget going out to dinner – make this and have a night in. You can thank me later!

Serves: 2-3
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook TIme: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4–5 tablespoons oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 500g chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon butter chicken masala or tandoori masala
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 fresh tomato, chopped
• 250g tomato passata
• 100–150ml water
• 125ml milk
• 150ml single or double cream
• 30g butter
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

Method:
 
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a low heat, add the bay leaves and onion and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown. Add the chicken, ginger paste and garlic paste and cook for 25 minutes until only a little moisture is left from the chicken.

2. Add the chilli powder, chilli flakes, Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, butter chicken masala or tandoori masala, salt, pepper and dried fenugreek and stir well. Add the fresh tomato and passata, cook for 1 minute, then pour in the water, milk and cream and stir well. Simmer for 8–10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

3. Add the butter, letting it melt through the sauce, then add the lemon juice and serve sprinkled with chopped coriander.