Ah, Butter Chicken – a dish that’s as much a legend as it is a recipe! It all began in the colorful streets of Delhi, where the air is rich with spices and life moves like a lively Bollywood dance.
Introduction to Butter Chicken
Picture this: it’s the 1950s, and the chefs at the famous Moti Mahal restaurant are facing a dilemma. They’ve got leftover tandoori chicken hanging around, wondering what their fate will be. Enter: a stroke of genius! These culinary maestros decide to simmer the chicken in a creamy tomato sauce, and voilà – Butter Chicken is born!
This dish quickly became the talk of the town, and for a good reason. It’s the perfect harmony of rich, creamy flavors with a gentle kiss of spices, making it a hit not just among spice enthusiasts but also those new to the world of Indian cuisine. It’s like the Shah Rukh Khan of curries – charming, approachable, and loved by all!
“Cracking the Code of Butter Chicken: The CG Way!”
Alright, folks, it’s time to spill the beans (or in this case, the spices) on how to make Butter Chicken that’ll knock your socks off. This isn’t just any recipe – this is Butter Chicken the CurryGuru (CG) way, and let me tell you, we’re diving deep into the secret vault of culinary tricks that chefs guard like the Crown Jewels. Ready? Let’s break this down into three pivotal acts, just like a classic Bollywood drama.
Act 1: The Marination Double-Twist
First up, marination – and not just any marination, but a double-layered flavor extravaganza. We’re talking a yogurt base, mingling with spices, and a splash of lemon for that zesty kick. But here’s the twist: marinate once, let it rest, then go for a second round of marination. This double-dipping isn’t just for fun; it’s what gets the chicken ready for its star performance.
Act 2: The Tomato Sauce Saga
The second secret? Your tomatoes. Forget canned stuff; fresh, ripe tomatoes are the heart and soul of your sauce. The trick is patience – simmer these beauties slowly until they transform into a rich, velvety sauce that’s the backbone of your dish. This step isn’t a quickie; it’s a labor of love and the secret to that deep, robust flavor.
Act 3: The Tandoori Twist
Finally, the pièce de résistance – cooking the chicken. Sure, a traditional tandoor oven would be ideal, but let’s be real, not everyone has one of those lying around. Here’s where you get crafty – recreate that tandoor magic in your regular oven! The goal is to get that smoky, charred goodness that only a tandoor can impart. Think of it as giving your chicken a smoky spa treatment before it dives into that luscious sauce.
So there you have it – the CG-style Butter Chicken recipe, decoded. It’s all about the marination mambo, the patience in perfecting the sauce, and faking the tandoor in your home kitchen. Get ready to bask in the glory of your culinary masterpiece. Trust me, your taste buds will be doing the bhangra! 🍛💃🔥
Once-in-a-while indulgence that makes every bite a celebration of life.
Act 4: True confessions
Now, here’s where I lay it all out on the table. After meticulously following the recipe steps, you might notice your Butter Chicken doesn’t quite hit that overwhelming dhaba-style mark. Often, it’s the sweetness level that’s the key differentiator from the authentic taste. This is your crossroads moment: to add or not to add more sugar?
It’s a tough call, and I’ll leave that decision in your capable hands. But just between us, my most successful renditions of this dish involved being quite generous with the sugar. So, if you’re feeling bold and want to edge closer to that dhaba authenticity, don’t be shy with the sweet stuff. After all, sometimes it’s the little tweaks that make a world of difference in cooking!
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Ingredients
First Marination
- 1 kg chicken thighs
- 0,5 pcs lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilly powder
- 2 tbsp musterd oil
Second Marination
- 0,5 tsp turmeric powder
- 0,5 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 0,5 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp tandoori mix powder
- 1 tsp fenugreek powder
- 0,5 tsp black salt
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp greek yoghurt
Butter Chicken sauce (1st stage)
- 1 kg tomatoes Use fresh and ripe tomatoes.
- 1 pcs cinnamon stick
- 1 pcs bay leaf
- 6 pcs cardamom pods
- 4 pcs cloves
- 50 gr butter
Butter Chicken sauce (2nd stage)
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 100 gr butter
- 2 tsp fenugreek leafs dried Kashuri Methi
- 8 pcs cashews Made into a paste
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chat masala
- 4 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Marination
- Grab a big bowl and combine all the ingredients for the initial marination. When it's all mixed up, throw in the chicken and give it a good toss to make sure it's completely covered in the marinade.
- Cover the bowl and and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the ingredients for the second marination to the chicken and mix thoroughly.
- Wrap the chicken in plastic and let it marinate in a fridge for at least 30 minutes, or even up to a whole day for more flavour.
Sauce (step 1)
- In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Toss in the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and cloves, letting them infuse their flavors into the butter for about a minute
- Carefully add the tomatoes, followed by half a cup of water. Be prepared to cover the pot with a lid promptly to prevent any splattering.
- Allow it to simmer for 30-45 minutes, ensuring the tomatoes completely dissolve and transform into a luscious sauce.
- Remove the bay leaf and blend the mixture until it reaches a silky, thick consistency.
- Strain the blended sauce to remove any remaining pulp and set it aside.
Grilling
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it sit out until it reaches room temperature.
- Place the chicken in a pre-heated oven and dry grill at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, flip the chicken pieces over and continue grilling for an additional 5 minutes.
- After grilling, set the chicken aside to rest. Once it's cool enough to handle, cut it into 1-inch pieces.
Sauce (2nd stage) Putting it together
- Take a piece of charcoal and heat it until it's red-hot.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 50 grams of butter to the pan and then pour in the sauce.
- Add the tomato puree, cashew paste and cook for 5 minutes until the fat starts to separate.
- Add the grilled chicken pieces to the sauce.Stir to coat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes, until the fat begins to separate again.
- Add the dried fenugreek leafs, coconut milk, honey, sugar and cook. Keep stirring gently.
- Infuse the dish with a smoky flavour by placing a red-hot charcoal in a heatproof bowl or aluminium foil, drizzling oil over it, covering with a lid, and allowing it to smoke for 2-3 minutes.
- Gradually pour in the heavy cream while stirring. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce becomes thick and creamy. This is the perfect time to taste the sauce and make any necessary spice, sugar adjustments
- Complete the dish by adding the dried fenugreek leaves and sprinkling the chaat masala on top.
