One of my favourite dishes of all time..... I could eat this dish, day in day out, with a bit of naan, roti or some rice, as long as it is cooked right, it is the best. No doubt I have tried it in many plush 5 star hotels and small little dabba's across India, the best I've eaten, is mostly defiantly the latter.
The sauce of the Butter Chicken is key here. Spicy, buttery, silky and full of aroma that, captures every essence of what a Butter Chicken should be. Hearty Indian food, whether served with naan bread or rice it should take you to heaven and beyond with its abundance of velvetiness. The best I’ve eaten is at a beach restaurant called Drupadi on Palelom Beach, Goa. The succulent sauce and the tenderness of the chicken blew me away, that I had to thank the chef personally.
So being a curry man, what I'm looking for is a rich buttery spicy sauce which has the right balance of spices, herbs and good quality poultry. The sauce should be silky, creamy and not too harsh on the palate and there should always be a little heat as well.
I have made this dish for many years, trying to get the perfect balance of richness which is associated with a Butter Chicken Dish that I would be proud of and serve to my nearest and dearest.
Here it is....enjoy.
Ingredients
1kg boneless chicken chunks (breast or thigh)
3 medium Bombay Onions, finely chopped
1tbsp garlic paste
1tbsp ginger paste
2/3 fresh green chillies to garnish
6 medium fresh tomatoes, skin peeled and blended
1½ tsp salt
1tsp chilli powder
2tsp ground coriander
1½tsp garam masala
½tsp ground mace
2tbsp almond powder
100ml single cream
75gm butter
Serves 4
Cooking Instructions
Heat the butter up in large pan on a medium heat, once melted add the onions and saute for around 15 minutes.
Add the garlic/ginger paste and saute further for 2 minutes before adding in the chicken.
Stir fry the chicken until all the pieces have turned white.
Pour in the tomatoes, stir, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
Sprinkle in all the dried spices and almond powder, stir well and cook further for 15 minutes with the lid off.
Pour in the single cream, stir in well.
Best served with Indian Bread and Plain Basmati Rice.