Indian Butter Chicken

What happens when I am feeling crazy adventurous and its the middle of winter with no mountains to climb nearby? Well, on this particular day, I went to the store and bought Indian spices. And RAW chicken. We're not talking the pre-cleaned, pre-trimmed and pre-seasoned chicken breasts I slap onto my George Foreman, but kind that you actually have to prep yourself. Granted, my wonderful mom cleaned and cut the chicken for me, but that was only in the interest of saving time. Well let's pretend that was the reason anyway, there is only so much adventure one can take in a day.

But back to the fact that I just made Indian food, from scratch, and it was amazing. Butter chicken is the perfect starter Indian dish. It's insanely delicious and not horrendously complicated. The most genius part of this recipe is that is makes an unbelievable amount of sauce, and while it initially looks like your chicken is just swimming in a pool of orangey, browny, deliciously smelling smooth and silky sauce, you will promptly mop it up in its entirety with your (homemade) Naan.

This dish can be a little expensive if you don't have these spices on hand, but I highly recommend investing in them for the long run: you will want to make this again and again (and again). The Garam Masala is the key spice in this dish. My cooking has seriously been missing out on the incredibly aromatic spices and flavors of the world. Who knew you could season a dish with something other than basil? (#collegecookingproblems)

Recipe Adapted from {http://notcrocker.com/2012/08/04/homemade-butter-chicken-and-naan/}

Butter Chicken Ingredients

For the Chicken:
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the rest of the Sauce:
3 tomatoes, cut into small pieces
1 large red onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ginger paste
2 green chilis, diced
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (I omitted these to save a little money)
1/2 cup heavy or light cream
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup cashew nuts
salt to taste
1 tbsp garam masala
1/4 cup parsley, chopped for garnish
2 – 4 cups water

(I highly recommend preparing and chopping all your ingredients first, it will make everything run so much smoother. Also prepare your Naan dough before you begin the chicken, as it requires an hour to rise)

Mix together the first section of ingredients, the chicken, garlic, ginger, chili powder, coriander, and salt. Make sure the chicken is well coated.

Heat up the oil in a large skillet, add the chicken and cook for about 7 minutes; remove from skillet.

In the same skillet, add the cumin seeds, onion, and remaining garlic and ginger and sauté for a couple minutes, until the onion is slightly translucent. Add a two cups of water and stir.

Add the cashew nuts, coriander powder, chili powder, (fenugreek seeds), chopped chilis, and tomatoes, stir well.

Cook the sauce over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, start your Basamati rice.

Pour the sauce in a blender (or use an immersion blender right in the pot) and blend it until it’s nice and smooth. Pour the sauce back in the skillet.

Add another cup of water and the butter (I found my sauce was just a little too watery, start by adding only 1/2 a cup, and taste test to see if you need more).  Add the brown sugar and salt to taste.

Add the cream and the chicken to the sauce. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, heat up your frying pan and start cooking the Naan!

Add the garam masala and stir well. Taste for salt, add as needed. Garnish with fresh parsley.


~Serves 3-4 people, best with Basamati Rice and Naan



 Why yes, I did use an ice-cream scooper to make that perfect ball of rice

Naan Ingredients

2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water. Mix well and let sit for about 10 min until frothy on top.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, oil, and egg and whisk well. Pour in the yeast mixture and whisk to combine.

Mix the salt into your first cup of flour. Add this first cup to your wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Continue by adding the flour, half a cup at a time, until you can’t stir it with the spoon any longer. 

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead, adding flour until the dough no longer sticks. It is likely that you will use the full 3 cups. The dough should be nice and soft but not sticky.
 
Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel, letting it rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

After it rises, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each piece into a small ball.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Roll out one ball at a time until it’s about 1/4 inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the bottom side is golden brown and you should see large bubbles forming on the surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until it’s golden. Butter them as they come off the skillet.