Butter Chicken

Description

The dish, which is also called Murgh Makhani in Hindi, is without question the most popular dish to emerge from India; it may even be one of the most popular dishes in the world. If you are just going to an Indian restaurant for the first time, your friends will likely recommend it as a starting place. Its mildly spicy, creamy, savoury flavour makes it more than just delicious, but accessible to almost every palate.

Butter chicken originated in Delhi, the capital territory of India, sometime during the 1950s. During this time, a man named Kundan Lal Gurjal operated a restaurant in the city, called Moti Mahal. Kundan had settled here and started his business after fleeing from political upheaval in another region of India. Moti Mahal was a success, serving many delightful tandoori dishes (a tandoor is a circular clay oven, and can be found in any Indian restaurant worth its salt).

Ingredients (Serving size :4)

• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons tandoori masala powder
• 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 cup half-and-half
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• ⅓ cup cashews
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed

Directions

1. Mix garam masala, tandoori masala, curry, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl to make spice mixture.
2. Place chicken in a large bowl and add 1/2 the spice mixture; turn to coat evenly.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in remainder of the spice mixture, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger; cook and stir until combined, about 1 minute.
5. Stir tomato puree into onion mixture and cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Pour in half-and-half and yogurt. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Blend cashews in a blender until finely ground. Add sauce to the blender; puree until smooth.
7. Pour blended sauce over chicken in the skillet. Simmer until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.