Butter Chicken
Here's how to make a classic butter chicken at home! This curry is rich, creamy, mildly spiced & packed full of tender chunks of marinated chicken thighs.
Servings: 6 People
Equipment
- Digital Food Probe
- Mixing Bowl
- Large Saucepan
- Microplane/Grater
- Juicer
- Jug Blender
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 800 g Skinless Chicken Thighs (See Notes)
Marinade
- 200 g Greek Yoghurt
- 3 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- A 2" Piece Of Fresh Ginger (Grated)
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ tsp Chilli Powder
Curry Sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 White Onions (Sliced)
- 4 Garlic Cloves (Sliced)
- A 2" Piece Of Fresh Ginger (Grated)
- 75 g Cashews
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Ground Fenugreek
- ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Chilli Powder
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 400 g Chopped Tomatoes (Tinned Tomatoes)
- 150 g Double Cream (Plus Extra To Serve)
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
To Finish
- 100 g Unsalted Butter
- Chopped Coriander
Instructions
Marinade
- Add all of the marinade ingredients into a mixing bowl & stir together.
- Next, lightly score the top of each chicken thigh with a sharp knife then add into the marinade. Mix to combine then cover & refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
Curry Sauce
- Preheat an oven to 220°c/200°c fan (428°f/392°).
- Set a large saucepan over a medium heat then add in the veg oil & butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the sliced onions & a good pinch of salt then cook until soft & browned. This will take around 15 minutes.Make sure to stir the onions regularly, to prevent them catching on the bottom of the pan!
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, cashews, garam masala, paprika, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, cinnamon & chilli powder. Cook this out for a minute, stirring frequently.
- Next, stir in the tomato paste, cook out for another minute then add in the chopped tomatoes & 250 ml of water (use this to rinse out the empty tomato tin).
- Reduce the heat to low & cook the curry sauce for 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly until it has thickened & the spices have cooked out.You'll know when the spices have cooked out when the sauce doesn't taste gritty. If your sauce gets too thick, thin it out with a splash of water. The tomatoes should have reduced by roughly ¾.
- Whilst the sauce is cooking, take the chicken out of the marinade, place onto a lined baking tray then bake in the preheated oven until well seared & just cooked through. This will take 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, let the chicken rest for 10 minutes or so, whilst you finish the sauce.The internal temperature of the chicken should be 75°c/167°f once cooked.
- Next, transfer the sauce into a jug blender then blend briefly to break up the onions & cashews. Add in the double cream & lemon juice then continue blending until the sauce is smooth.A stick blender will also work!
- Season the sauce to taste with salt then pass through a sieve, back into the saucepan. Passing the sauce is optional!
To Finish
- Set the saucepan over a low heat then once the sauce is hot, stir in the butter a small piece at a time. Make sure to let each piece of butter melt completely before adding more.
- Next, cut the chicken into bitesize pieces, discarding any bones. Stir the meat into the sauce then leave to warm through on the stove for a minute or two.
- To serve, top the curry with a drizzle of double cream & a sprinkle of chopped coriander.
Notes
1. To Cook On An Aga – Cook the onions for the butter chicken sauce on the boiling plate then move over to the simmering plate when you add in the tomatoes. Cook the chicken thighs in the roasting oven, on the second from top set of runners.
2. Chicken - We're using bone in chicken thighs for this recipe, with the skin removed. Boneless chicken thighs can be used as well & will cook slightly quicker than bone in ones. I like to score my chicken thighs, as this helps the marinade flavour & tenderise the meat.
3. Tomatoes - For the sauce, you'll need tomato paste & a tin of chopped tomatoes.
4. Garam Masala – This is an Indian spice blend & is available to buy in most supermarkets.
5. Storage – Any leftover curry should be stored in the fridge & eaten within 3 days of being made. Curry can be reheated on the stove or in a microwave. Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 75°c/167°f.