Butter chicken is just so YUM! Trader Joe's has a good frozen version that tastes pretty authentic, but I wanted to make this from scratch. I used to wonder if butter chicken was British in origin like Tikka Masala because of the inclusion of butter. But then butter in the form of ghee (clarified butter) happens to be a common ingredient in Indian cuisine.
From Wiki: The curry was developed in the 1950s by Kundan Lal Jaggi, the founder of the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, India. The curry was made "by chance" by mixing leftover tandoori chicken in a tomato gravy, rich in butter and cream. In 1974, a recipe was published for "Murgh Makhani (Tandoori chicken cooked in butter and tomato sauce)". In 1975, the English phrase "butter chicken" curry first appeared in print, as a specialty of the house at Gaylord Indian restaurant in Manhattan. In Toronto it is eaten as a roti filling, and in Australia and New Zealand, it is also eaten as a pie filling. The curry is common in India and many other countries.
After watching an episode on America's Test Kitchen on PBS featuring Murgh Makhani, I adapted their recipe and the end result was soooo delicious! The sauce is very easy to make and can be made ahead of time up to four days before serving. I changed up the recipe a little by marinating the chicken thighs in yogurt along with a ginger-garlic paste for at least an hour - up to overnight - before broiling (original recipe only required mixing the chicken with salt and yogurt with no extended marination time). The yogurt will help to tenderize the chicken. I also revised some of the ingredient proportions. Broiling the yogurt-marinated chicken thighs is a way to simulate the charring achieved by grilling in a tandoor oven.
2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 10 thighs)
8-oz. (1 cup) plain 2% Greek yogurt (I like to use Fage brand)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. grated ginger
1 clove garlic, grated
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
1 Serrano chile, seeded, stemmed, and finely chopped
1 tbsp. garam masala
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cups water
8 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Steamed basmati rice
1. Melt 2 tbsp. oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chopped Serrano pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to brown, about 8-10 minutes.
2, Add the garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin, and black pepper. Stir frequently, about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add the water and tomato paste and stir/whisk until the tomato paste is smooth (no clumps). Add the sugar and salt and bring to a boil.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Using an immersion blender or blender, process the mixture until smooth. NOTE: I poured the sauce into a smaller and deeper saucepan, which I tilted before blending with an immersion blender - this minimized the amount of splatter during the blending process.
5. Return the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and whisk in 2 tbsp. butter. Cover the sauce and set aside (sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated up to four days before using).
6. In the meantime, trim the chicken thighs of any excess fat, pat dry, and place into a large bowl. Add the yogurt, 2 tsp. salt, and the grated ginger & garlic; massage the yogurt mixture into the chicken with your hands (I wear disposable gloves to do this). Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour up to overnight.
7. Place an oven rack 6" from the top of your oven and preheat to 450F or to broil.
8. Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place the marinated chicken thighs over the top in a single layer. Broil the chicken for 15 minutes, then turn the pieces over with tongs and cook another 15 minutes or until both sides are lightly charred. Chicken is done when the internal temperature registers 175F.
9. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove to a chopping board and chop into 1" pieces.
10. Bring the sauce back up to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Stir in 2 tbsp. of chopped cilantro and adjust salt as needed.
11. Plate and garnish with the remaining cilantro; serve with steamed basmati rice.
Chopped onion, minced garlic, ginger and Serrano chile.
Saute the onion, garlic, ginger and cilantro in 2 tbsp. oil over medium heat.
Saute the mixture for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions start to brown.
Add the spices and stir frequently until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add water and tomato paste and stir until smooth.
Add sugar and 1 tsp. salt.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Use an immersion blender (or place sauce in a blender) and blend until smooth).
Return sauce to medium heat and bring to a simmer; whisk in 2 tbsp. butter. Turn off heat, cover and set aside.
Preheat oven to broil and place the marinated chicken thighs on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet.
After chicken has broiled about 15 minutes, remove from oven and turn the thighs over with tongs; return to the oven and broil another 15 minutes or until lightly charred and internal temp is 175F.
Bring the sauce back up to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro.
After the chicken has rested 5 minutes, remove to a chopping board and cut into 1" pieces.
Add the chicken pieces to the simmering sauce.
Plate the chicken into individual serving bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with steamed basmati rice on the side.
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