Start your year off with a Spice Meat Shop recipe – from our kitchen to yours!
Butter chicken, called Murgh Makhani in Hindi, has been around my whole life. I grew up smelling the wonderful aromas from our family kitchen. It’s combination of mild spice, creamy, savoury flavours makes this delicious and appealing to almost every palate.
Butter chicken originated –by chance– in Delhi, India, sometime in the 1950’s by 3 Indian restaurateurs. A man named Kundan Lal Gurjal operated a restaurant called Moti Mahal, which is where the magic started.
The cooks of the Moti Mahal would mix leftover marinade juices with butter and tomato and then stew the tandoor-cooked chicken into it. The way the story is told; the cooks had no idea what they were about to create. It’s true that some of the best things are created quite by accident.
This delectable dish quickly grew from that little Delhi restaurant to the rest of the world where it has become a favourite of many. Some restaurants cook it to perfection, others not so much. But remember, the longer you marinate the chicken, the better it will be!
Spice Meat Shop already has the chicken marinating. We also have the ready-to-warm butter chicken sauce, if you’d like to save a bit of time.
CHICKEN MARINADE:
- 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons tandoori masala Available at local Indian grocery stores
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ginger paste and garlic paste
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon oil
In a bowl mix together all the ingredients listed in the Chicken Marinade above. Marinade chicken and cover for an hour.
BUTTER CHICKEN SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon EACH: ginger paste and garlic paste
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- Salt as per taste
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala Available at local Indian grocery stores
- 1/4 teaspoon kasuri methi
- 3-4 coriander leaves
Heat and brush the grill pan with butter. Grill the chicken pieces on high heat for 2-3 minutes from both sides and keep it aside (do not discard the marinade – keep it for later)
In another pan, heat butter. Add onions and fry until slightly golden brown.
Add tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste and sauté on high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring in-between.
Add leftover marinade, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder, salt and sauté for another minute.
Add grilled chicken pieces and a cup of warm water, cover and cook till chicken is done.
Finally add the cream, kasuri methi, mix and cook for another 2 minutes.
Dish out, garnish with cream, blob of butter, and coriander leaves.
Enjoy hot with naan or rice.
We hope you enjoy this delightful recipe and if you’d like to tell us about it, leave a comment on Facebook