Butter Chicken (Indian Recipe: Chicken pieces in a creamy buttery gravy)

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

Today I was thinking of all the dishes I have learnt in the last 3 years and I thought, if I have to pick one as my signature dish which one should it be? My signature dish should be something special yet it should not be too technical or difficult and above all it should reflect my personality. I think when we talk about food we immediately visualize in our minds the appearance of the dish and form an opinion about its taste. I think this is one of the reasons why the chefs work so hard on the presentation of the dish. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words right? So, if you see the above picture what will you say about the taste of the dish? Can you guess what this is?

Well, anyone who knows me will agree that I love colors and bold flavors, so for my signature dish I selected something very special with a rich vibrant color and a creamy buttery hot taste. Foodies I present to you – Butter Chicken.

I don’t think I have ever met an Indian who has never had a bowl of Butter Chicken. This dish is widely popular and is served in many restaurants around the world and every chef tries to add something different in it. I have read many different recipes of Butter Chicken online but the recipe I am posting here is very similar to the one used by the vendors and restaurants in North India and believe me although it uses just a handful of ingredients it tastes every bit like an authentic Punjabi Butter Chicken. 

So how did I find this amazing recipe? well, it was right after we moved to Montgomery. Debarshi had just joined his new office and we wanted to celebrate by cooking something new. I was trying a lot of different recipes at that time and somehow I found this recipe. Now traditionally, to prepare Butter Chicken, chicken pieces are marinated with yogurt and spices and cooked in a Tandoor (clay oven) which obviously I didn’t have. But I thought let's give it a try, it's butter and chicken what could go wrong? The original recipe said to marinate the chicken and bake it in the oven but I opted for a simpler Indian technique which I continue to use. I prepare Butter Chicken as a one pot dish and the best part about my recipe is, it can be prepared very easily on a short notice. Now the name calls for butter so be generous with it. My tip to you, follow the recipe as is the first time and then improvise it as per your palate.

Yes! improvisation is the best quality of this dish. Since the gravy is prepared with Heavy Cream and Tomato Sauce, it is basically very mild. The flavors start developing when we add the chicken pieces fried with the aromatic Tandoori Masala in the sauce. Personally I love this dish hot so I add Green and Red Chili in it. The most important part of this dish is the cooking time. You have to keep cooking and reducing the sauce till the butter starts separating. At this time, the gravy will look thick, buttery and creamy. This means the dish is ready. This slow cooking will also ensure that the chicken pieces are cooked through while absorbing all the beautiful flavor and fat from the gravy. I make my own homemade Garam Masala which enhances the taste of the gravy even more. I also add a little Kasuri Methi which helps cut down any extra sweetness from the heavy cream.

Since this dish is high in fat, this also makes a perfect LCHF diet. As I have mentioned quite a few times, Debarshi and I were doing this Low Carb High Fat diet a couple months ago and this was one of our go to dishes. This not only satisfied our craving for an authentic Indian gravy but also tasted really good with the low carb breads (made with Almond or Coconut Flour).

Butter Chicken is the most loved and demanded dish I have ever prepared and hence this is a must for the get together parties at our home. Since the dish is slow cooked, I utilize that time to clean up and arrange everything. Butter Chicken goes best with Naan or Pulao and although I prefer to prepare everything from scratch at home, there are times when its best to buy these readymade. Remember home cooked meal has its own charm but you should never let it overwhelm you specially when you are entertaining guests. 

So, this weekend, surprise everyone by cooking this restaurant style Indian gravy at home.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients for frying the Chicken:

• Butter – 3 tablespoons
• Chicken – 2- 2 ½ pounds, skinless, add whatever pieces you like (Breast or Leg), boneless or with ribs, cut into bite sized pieces
• Salt – to taste (about 1/3 teaspoon) 
• Tandoori Masala – 2-3 tablespoons

Ingredients for making the gravy:

• Butter – 3 tablespoons
• Dried Red Pepper – 2-3, broken in halves
• Cloves – 3-4
• Green Cardamoms – 4
• Bay Leaves – 1-2
• Red Onion – ½ of a big onion, minced
• Garlic - 2, minced
• Tomato – 3 big, pureed 
• Heavy Cream - 1 cup 
• Salt – to taste (about ½ teaspoon) 
• Red Chili Powder – ½ teaspoon
• Garam Masala – ¼ teaspoon 
• Green Chili – 3, slit in half lengthwise
• Kasuri Methi – 2 tablespoons

Directions for frying the Chicken:

• Heat a wok on high heat.
• Add the Butter (3 tablespoons) in it.
• Pat dry the chicken pieces and carefully start adding them in the wok. Make sure you are not burning the butter.
• We want a nice sear on the chicken pieces so make sure to fry them till they are golden red in color.
• Add the Salt with the Tandoori Masala and mix well.
• Keep frying for another 10 minutes. 
• Switch off the heat and transfer the chicken pieces to a microwave safe bowl.
• Now let’s prepare the gravy.

Directions for making the gravy:

• Heat a wok on medium high heat. If you are using the same wok, wash it lightly with water and clean with a paper towel.
• Add the Butter (3 tablespoons) in it. As soon as the butter starts to melt, add the Onion and Garlic in it. If you are adding Green Chilies, add them as well.
• Start adding the whole spices (Dried Red Pepper, Cloves, Green Cardamoms and Bay Leaves) in it.
• Keep frying the Onion till it caramelizes to a dark brown color. It will take about 5-10 minutes.
• Carefully add the Tomato Sauce in it and reduce the heat to medium. Mix well and cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Add the Heavy Cream in it. Mix well and cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Now add the Salt and Red Chili Powder. Mix well and cover and cook for 5 minutes. 
• Carefully start adding the chicken pieces. The gravy will be hot and boiling so you can use a tong. The bowl will have some butter and Tandoori Masala from the cooked chicken pieces, use a spatula to transfer it in the wok as well.
• Mix well then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the Garam Masala. Mix well and cover and cook for another 10 minutes. This will help to reduce the sauce and develop the creamy consistency. This will also make the dish aromatic and add flavor.
• At this stage you will see the butter separating from the gravy, this means the dish is ready. It is very important to let the gravy cook till this stage otherwise it will taste very different.
• Switch off the heat and add the Kasuri Methi. Mix well and serve hot with Naan or Pulao.

Tips:

• While choosing the Chicken pieces for this dish consider the people whom you will be serving. If they like to eat with their hands, then don’t be afraid to include some pieces with ribs.  On the other hand, if they like eating only with forks, keep all the pieces boneless. Also, if you know any piece preference (breast or leg), try to include them. Bite size pieces ensure an even cooking and also are more convenient to eat.
• I use my chopper to cut the onion and garlic and Nutri bullet to make the tomato puree.
• Cooking time is the essence of this dish. If you do not cook the gravy enough, it will be watery and very light like a curry. Remember every stove top heats differently so give it proper time to develop the gravy. Once the butter starts to separate this means the gravy is ready. 
• When cooked properly, the dish will have a layer of butter on top of the gravy. See the photos? It will look very rich with a deep orange color.
• Butter Chicken is like Chocolate Cake, tastes even better the next day so you can even prepare this a day before your party, cool it completely and keep it in the fridge.

This article has been published in the Kansas City Bengali Association Durga Puja 2018 Magazine.

Recommended Reading:

• Garam Masala
• Tandoori Masala
• Top 10 Spices to keep in your kitchen
• Excited to use new spices? Know more about Methi (Fenugreek)
• Food Chopper and its Importance in Our Kitchen
• Handling Raw Meat with Safety
• Nutri Bullet – now cook gourmet foods whenever you want
• Tandoori Roti
• Indian Salad
• Palak Paneer (Fresh Cheese in Spinach gravy)
• Chicken Masala
• Dhaba Wala Saag Chicken (Chicken in Spinach Curry Rustic Indian Style)
• Egg Drop Soup
• Butter Paneer (Indian Recipe: Fresh Cheese in a creamy buttery gravy)
• Cream of Asparagus Soup
• Mushroom Salad with Fried Eggs
• Easy Homemade Naan
• Make Homemade Butter from Spoiled Cream
• Alu Kulcha (Indian Flat Bread with Potato Filling)
• Debarshi’s Garlic Chicken
• Sausage Tomato Basil Pasta
• Shahi Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese in a creamy gravy)
• Shadi wala Masala Gobhi (Spiced Cauliflower with Potatoes as served in North Indian Weddings)
• Chicken Kosha (Bengali Style Hot Chicken Gravy)
• Dal Makhani (Creamy Urad Dal/ Black Lentils with Rajma/ Kidney Beans)
• Kashmiri Rogan Josh (Slow cooked mutton in red curry)
• Pan Fried Chicken with a Cheesy Mushroom Loaded Gravy
• Spice Up Your Weeknight with Red Hot Baked Chicken

Doing Low Carb Diet? Try this delicious gravy with the following:

• Yummy Almond Flour Bread with Ghee and Spices
• Avocado Strawberry Smoothie
• Guacamole with Goat Cheese and Bacon
• Keto Pizza with grilled Chicken and Shrimp
• Chocolate Ganache - Keto Dessert
• Keto Pizza with Pepperoni, Parmesan and Basil
• Keto Garlic Naan
• Low Carb Ajwain Paratha with Coconut Flour