My kids are avid fans of butter chicken. Their friends all love it too and I always get requested to make some for them especially for play dates and sleepovers.
This is a mild dish that kids always love, but if you would like to have the dish a bit spicier then, one can always add more chili powder,
I have used lots of short quick tips to make this process a lot faster, without compromising on the flavor.
Ingredients:
1 kilo boneless chicken breasts
2 tsps of ginger garlic paste
1 tsp of garam masala
1/2 tsp of pepper powder
2 tsps of kasuri methi (dried methi/fenugreek leaves)
1 tbsp of oil
1/2 tsp of salt (or to taste)
Pinch of sugar
2 tsps of ghee (clarified butter)
2 small packets of tomato paste (135gms each)
2 tsps of kashmiri chili powder
2 cups of yogurt
pinch of red or orange food color powder
2 tbsp of Maggi Hot and Sweet Sauce or any mild chili ketchup
1/2 cup of thick cream
Method:
Chop the chicken into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
In a separate bowl, prepare the marinade.
Add the yogurt, along with the ginger garlic paste, salt, kasuri methi, tomato paste and powdered spices (pepper powder, chili powder, garam masala). Add in a sprinkling of food colour. I have used the powder version here. You can get it easily in any of the indian grocery stores. You can either use orange or red color for this recipe. I have used red food color here. Give it all a good mix.
NOTE: Kashmiri chili powder is a mild Indian chili powder that is known more for its vibrant red color rather than its heat.
Add in a few tsps ONLY of the marinade into the chicken and coat it nicely.
Heat the oil in a pan. Add in the ghee. Ghee is clarified butter. If you cannot find ghee, butter is a good substitute.
Add in the chicken next and cook till the chicken is nice and tender.
Next add in the remaining marinade. Cook for another 5 to 10 mins, then add in the Hot and sweet sauce. I really love the Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce, which is available in any of the Adil supermarkets if you are in Dubai. If you cannot find it, any chili ketchup sauce will do as well.
Add the cream and a pinch of sugar and give it a good stir. The sugar helps balance out the sourness from the tomatoes so do not skip it. A few more minutes of cooking and your butter chicken is ready.
Butter chicken tastes great with either hot fresh rice or with some nice naans or chapatis.
It is a great dish that can also be made ahead of time and will stay nicely in the fridge for a few days.
Comments