Butter chicken

• Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes Minimum meat marinating time: 1 hour
• Number of servings: min. 1600 g of dish (without rice) Per 100 g of dish:
• Energy value 157 kcal
• Carbohydrates 5 g
• Including sugars 2 g
• Protein 14 g
• Fat 9 g
• Diet: low-sugar, low-carbohydrate, high-protein.
• 1 very large chicken breast - up to 800 g
• 170 g of creamy natural yogurt - half a cup
• 2 cloves of garlic - about 10 g
• about 2 cm of ginger root or 1 teaspoon of dried powder
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil or other frying oil - about 20 ml
• spices: 1 flat tablespoon of garam masala; 1/4 teaspoon each of cumin and salt; a large pinch of chili and turmeric
• 1 large onion - up to 250 g
• 250 g peeled chopped tomatoes - canned is fine
• 150 ml of 30% whipping cream - about 3/5 cup
• 5 cloves of garlic - about 25 g
• 2 tablespoons of clarified butter - up to 40 g
• spices: 1 flat tablespoon of garam masala; a flat teaspoon each of ginger, salt, sugar, cumin; half a flat teaspoon each of chili and ground coriander

Butter chicken

Before preparing the dish, I encourage you to read the entire post first. It includes many interesting tips on ingredients and their substitutes.

Remove any veins or cartilage from a very large chicken breast, then cut into pieces no smaller than 2 cm (0.8 inch). Add about half a cup of creamy plain yogurt and two garlic cloves (peeled and pressed through a garlic press or finely chopped) to the bowl with the chicken. Prepare the chicken breast in the same way, adding about 2 cm (0.8 inch) of ginger root (you can substitute with a teaspoon of dried ginger). Add 1 level tablespoon of garam masala spice mix, 1/4 teaspoon each of cumin and salt, and a generous pinch of chili powder and turmeric. Mix thoroughly and set aside on the counter for an hour. If you plan to prepare the dish later, keep the bowl covered in the refrigerator—even overnight.

Remove the bowl from the refrigerator in advance to allow the meat to reach room temperature. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Add two tablespoons of olive oil or other frying oil. Place the chicken pieces in the pan (with the marinade) and fry for a few minutes until golden brown. The meat may brown more intensely. Remove the cooked chicken to a bowl and set aside. Remove any leftovers from the pan and use it to prepare the sauce (do not wash).

Add two generous tablespoons of clarified butter to the pan where the meat was cooked. Peel and dice or thinly slice the onion and add it to the pan. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. It may brown slightly. Then add 5 peeled, pressed, or chopped garlic cloves. Mix everything together and add the spices: 1 level tablespoon of garam masala; a level teaspoon each of ginger, salt, sugar, and cumin; half a level teaspoon each of chili powder and ground coriander. Immediately add 250 grams of peeled, chopped tomatoes (canned). Stir the sauce. Reduce the heat to just slightly shimmering and simmer in the pan, uncovered, for at least 10-15 minutes. The sauce should thicken.

Tip: If you have dried fenugreek, you can add a pinch along with the other spices. Be careful when adding chili powder to the dish. The strength of the chili powder used varies greatly. It's better to use less and, if necessary, add it towards the end of cooking the butter chicken.

Place all the hot sauce in a food processor and blend until smooth. You can also use a hand blender, such as a giraffe. Do not wash the pan.

Return the blended sauce to the pan. Pour in 150 ml of 30% heavy cream (about 3/5 cup). Remove all the browned meat from the bowl (along with any sauce that has collected at the bottom of the bowl). Stir in the butter chicken and simmer over a low heat for about 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken further and coat the meat. Check the taste of the finished dish and add more spices if necessary.

Enjoy your meal.