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Butter Chicken offers 1-pot meal with Indian flair
Easy to turn up the heat by kicking in more spices
The Indian meal Butter Chicken is known for its rich flavors and for being well-balanced thanks to its combination of heavy cream, tomatoes, spices and butter.
You can easily make it suitable for all taste buds by preparing it on a scale from totally mild to super spicy and anywhere in between. So, it is no surprise that this delicious meal, which originated in the 1950s in Delhi, India, is very popular. It is broadly enjoyed not just by fans of Indian cuisine but also by those who are giving this delicious cuisine a try.
With this article, I’ll introduce you to my take on this recipe and share with you all you need to know to be able to prepare it in the comfort of your home. Additionally, you’ll get tips for how to modify this meal for vegetarians. You will be surprised how easy it is to reach authentic Indian flavors; the accessibility of the ingredients; and how fast it is to prepare.
The entire meal is prepared in one pan or pot. Basically speaking, any pan with higher edges or any pot would work. Whatever you choose, it needs to have higher edges to allow your kitchen to stay clean and work effectively. I always prefer to use a stir fry pan (wok) or saute pan, but it can also be done in a regular pot or saucepan.
Everything starts with the preparation of the seasoning mixture. Here, most other recipes start with using garam masala, which I prefer to avoid, and instead mix my own seasoning from scratch. This allows me to use spices that I already have at home and provides the flexibility to adjust the seasoning as I desire. You may notice that garam masala tastes different based on the manufacturer, so making it at home also allows you to reach consistent flavors. Garam masala is often less cost-effective than individual spices, so it saves some money, too. And lastly, even with garam masala, you need to add other spices, so using garam masala does not save much time.
Recipes
Butter Chicken
4 servings
Active Time: 30 min./Total Time: 60 min.
Level of Advancement: 1/5
Butter chicken is a popular Indian recipe. This recipe will show you how to prepare this meal with the minimum amount of steps while still reaching perfect results.
While the butter sauce is very close to the Tikka Masala sauce, the taste and texture are different.
With this recipe, you do not need the Garam Masala seasoning mixture, which is commonly used. You are going to prepare the seasoning mixture on your own. This will give you better control over the flavor and help you save some money.
Ingredients, seasoning mix:
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (or grate freshly ½ of the whole nutmeg)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or regular sugar)
Protein preparation:
1-½ pounds (about 3 or 4 pieces) chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
¾ cup plain white yogurt
Other ingredients:
4 tablespoon frying oil, adjust if needed
2 cups tomato, pureed or crushed (fresh or canned)
1 cup water, adjust if needed
2 cups heavy cream
4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated (or minced)
Optional: 2 (about 3 to 4 ounces) chili peppers — finely chopped (spicy) *
4 tablespoon butter, cut into a few pieces
* Option: Or substitute other spicy peppers, such as jalapenos or pimentos.
Directions: Seasoning mix
Place into a medium mixing bowl: ground turmeric, ground cinnamon, ground pepper, chili powder, ground cardamom, ground mustard, ground coriander, ground cloves, nutmeg, ground cumin, ground ginger, salt, brown sugar
Stir with a whisk until fully mixed (about 30 seconds). Then, put about half of the seasoning into a small food container and set aside for the later step. Leave the remaining half in a mixing bowl for the following step.
Chicken preparation:
Make sure that the chicken breasts are properly rinsed under cold water and that the unwanted parts are removed. Cut chicken breasts into large pieces (about six from each breast). Add chicken into the medium mixing bowl with the seasoning mix. Add ¾ cup of plain white yogurt. Thoroughly fold all together with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes on the countertop (or preferably overnight in the refrigerator).
Cook:
Preheat a stir fry pan on medium-high heat with 4 tablespoons of frying oil and add chicken from the previous step (leave the extra yogurt with spices in the bowl for the next step). Saute until a nice surface color is reached, but the chicken is not fully cooked yet (about 2 to 4 minutes).
Add 2 cups tomato puree, 1 cup water, 2 cups heavy cream, extra yogurt with spices, extra spices in the small food container from step 1, 4 cloves garlic (grated), 4 tablespoons butter cut into a few pieces. Optional: 2 chili peppers, finely chopped
Briefly stir. Bring to a simmer (about 190°F) with occasional stirring. Lower heat to medium and let simmer until the chicken gets fully cooked and the sauce thickens (usually about 15 to 20 minutes). Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Note: If the sauce thickens too much during any cooking phase, consider adding water followed by vigorous stirring until fully combined (¼ cup at a time).
Serve over rice, Indian flavored rice, and optionally with garlic naan.
Source: Tom Slepicka
Indian Flavored Rice
4 servings
Active Time: 20 min./Total Time: 20 min.
Level of Advancement: 1/5
This Indian-flavored rice will be a delicious and easy-to-make side to any Indian or other meal. Just a few ingredients and you change it from ordinary to extraordinary.
Ingredients:
2 cups white basmati rice (or other kinds of rice)
4 tablespoons of butter, cut into a few pieces
Drizzle of olive oil
1 tablespoon dried cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
Directions:
Place 2 cups of white basmati rice into a strainer and thoroughly rinse under cold water. Then add to the rice cooker or pot. Add 4 cups water, briefly stir, cover with a lid, and cook until done.
Cooking in rice cooker: Do not stir the rice during cooking. Do not open the rice cooker during cooking. Most rice cookers will turn off automatically after you are done (follow the manual).
Cooking in a pot on a stove: Cook covered with a lid on medium heat with occasional stirring until all liquid is absorbed. The water should not boil but only simmer during cooking (temperature about 195 degrees). When all liquid is absorbed, make sure that the rice is cooked by tasting it. If the rice needs more time, add a little more water, and keep cooking for a little longer.
Note: Brown rice will be more nutritious but will require a longer cooking time. Most rice cookers will automatically preset the necessary cooking time.
Final phase: Remove the pot from the stove or disconnect the rice cooker and add: butter, drizzle of olive oil, dried cilantro, ground cumin, salt, ground pepper. Thoroughly mix with a silicone spatula. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Source: Tom Slepicka
Place turmeric, cinnamon, ground pepper, chili powder, cardamom, ground mustard, ground coriander, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground cumin, ground ginger, salt, and brown sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir until fully combined. With that, the seasoning mixture for this delicious meal is created. Place about half in a small food container while leaving the other half in the mixing bowl.
For this meal, you will need about 1½ pounds of chicken breast (usually about 3 to 4 pieces). Simply rinse the chicken breast under cold water and then cut into large pieces (about 6 per breast). Place into the medium mixing bowl with half of the seasoning mixture and add ¾ cup of plain white yogurt (or Greek yogurt). Stir until fully combined. Then cover with food wrap and let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to marinate. If time allows place in the refrigerator to let marinate overnight for the best results. If refrigerated, remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking, and let the chicken warm to partial room temperature — this will provide you with even more tender chicken in the end.
Or, you can substitute chicken with cauliflower florets in similar amounts (about 1-½ pounds to up to 2 pounds). If using cauliflower, you will leave all seasoning mixture in the mixing bowl, and simply place the florets into the bowl and gently stir until evenly coated. With this vegetarian version, you will avoid using yogurt and will not need to marinate, which will speed up the whole preparation process.
When the chicken is marinated, it is time to cook. Preheat the stir fry pan with frying oil and add chicken. The chicken will, of course, have some residue of the yogurt and spices, which is OK to leave while placing into the pan. Set the bowl with yogurt and spice residue aside for a later step. Then saute the chicken until a nice surface color is reached, but the chicken is not fully cooked yet — about 2 to 4 minutes. If you selected the cauliflower option, work the same way while leaving the residue of the seasoning mixture in the mixing bowl for later steps.
When your chicken reaches a nice color, add all remaining ingredients. Add in the tomato puree, a little bit of water, heavy cream, the extra yogurt with spices after the chicken (or the extra spices after the cauliflower), garlic (grated or minced), and butter. And if you are making a mild version, that is it.
If you would like to spice up this meal, also add finely chopped chili pepper or other spicy peppers to reach the spice level of your liking. You also can use whole dried chili pepper or even cayenne pepper to make this meal spicy. How much you use depends on the strength of the ingredients and, most importantly, how spicy you want this meal to be. So if you are not certain, incorporate this ingredient gradually.
Tomato puree can be used canned or even fresh — simply process fresh tomatoes in the blender; prior peeling is not necessary. I also often use canned crushed tomatoes, which works great for this meal. You can use other kinds of canned tomatoes, but you will have to process them in the blender before cooking.
Bring the meal to a simmer (to a temperature of about 190°F), then lower the heat to medium and cook with occasional stirring until the sauce thickens and the chicken gets fully cooked, which usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The time is the same for the cauliflower version, but with this vegetarian option, you will strictly focus on the thickness of the sauce since the cauliflower becomes nice and soft within a short time frame. The bottom line is that when the sauce has the thickness and texture you desire, you can finish cooking. If the liquid evaporates too fast and you need to extend the cooking time for the chicken, add water.
Do not forget to taste and add salt and pepper right before serving, if needed. Serve with rice of any kind and garlic naan bread. Optionally serve with Indian flavored rice (the recipe is included, as well).
You can find more of my recipes at cookinghub.com
Good to know:
If you buy spices in bulk, you can save significant money. Spices should always be stored in sealed containers, protected from direct sunlight and moisture. Even after opening, spices stored this way will last several months without losing flavor and aromas. To prevent the risk of growing mold and bacteria, do not store spices in the refrigerator.
When marinating chicken, the yogurt will nicely tenderize your chicken while providing you with juicier and more delicious results.
Rice is not just the perfect side to Indian meals but also is a very nutritious food. As you might expect, brown rice has more flavor benefits than white rice.
Basmati rice is one of the most common kind of rice in India, and for that reason, it is also the most common kind in Indian restaurants in the United States. But regular white rice is common in India, too. I make it simple in our household, by enjoying Indian meals with any kind of rice that we have available.
Tom Slepicka is the founder of www.cookinghub.com, and is a recipe creator, culinary instructor, chef, and a consultant. You can reach him at tom@cookinghub.com.
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