The Ultimate Butter Chicken

Sebastian Bruck @seabass

Courtesy of Jana

Sebastian Bruck @seabass

Courtesy of Jana

Saved

Ingredients

1hr 30m

6 servings

1Large Yellow Onion
3 lbsBoneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 cupPlain Greek Yogurt
2 tbspGinger Garlic Paste
1 packetShan Chicken Tikka Spice Mix
1.33 tbspGaram Masala
2 tspRed Chili Powder
2 tbspGhee (or 1 tbsp Butter + 1 tbsp Oil)
1 tspFennel Seeds
1Whole Clove
1Cinnamon Stick (Broken in Half)
1 tspCardamom Powder
2 cupsCrushed Tomatoes
1.5 cupsHeavy Cream
2 tbspBrown Sugar
1 stickButter

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Steps

1hr 30m

1

Cut chicken into cubes, removing rubbery fat.
2

In a large bowl add 1 cup of yogurt, a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste, 2/3rds packet of Shan spice, 1 tablespoon of garam masala, and optionally add 1 tsp red chili powder for spice. Mix thoroughly. Add cubed chicken and ensure all pieces are coated thoroughly. This should smell very fragrant.
3

Cover and allow to marinate overnight, up to 24 hours.
4

Cut whole onion into slices.
5

In a large wok or a pan with a tall lip add around 2 tablespoons of ghee and set stove to medium high.
6

Once the ghee is melted, add your sliced onion along with fennel seeds, whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick (Broken into two pieces), 1 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon of Shan spice mix, 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder, and 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste.
7

When the onions have turned translucent/brown and the spices have become very fragrant- remove the whole cinnamon sticks and any other whole spices that might be gross to bite into.
8

Keep the heat on medium/high and add the chicken along with any extra marinade in the bowl.
9

Let the chicken just sit for a few minutes to brown and then stir.
10

Continue stirring the chicken and letting it sit until every piece has cooked/gotten some color.
11

When the chicken seems mostly cooked, drop the heat to medium and add around 2 cups of crushed tomatoes.
12

Stir well and allow the tomatoes to cook for 5-7 minutes.
13

Drop heat again to between medium and low and add 1.5 cups of heavy cream.
14

Stir well and continue stirring until the sauce becomes one even color.
15

Allow this to come to a simmer- turn the heat up if necessary to get some bubbles going. Stir often to make sure nothing catches on the pan.
16

Add around 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and continue to stir often for another 10-15 minutes.
17

Now that the sauce has cooked a little bit- add half a stick of butter and stir it in until it is completely melted.
18

Allow the butter chicken to cook down for another 30ish minutes. It should maintain a rolling simmer and be stirred often so it does not catch. You will know you’re ready to move on when the sauce has thickened up and become a milder orange/brown color.
19

After it has cooked down to a thicker consistency turn down the heat to low and add the rest of your butter and stir while it melts in.
20

After the butter is fully combined, taste the chicken and sauce for spice/flavor! If the sauce isn’t flavorful enough - add more of the Shan spice packet and stir in well. If it’s too spicy you can adjust with brown sugar or heavy cream.
21

Just before serving, roughly chop one bunch of parsley and stir it into your dish.
22

Serve with rice or naan and enjoy!