Indian Butter Chicken or murgh makhani

Butter chicken (or murgh makhani) is part of the Indian cuisine popular in countries all over the world. Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti , parathas, roomali roti or steamed rice. It is loved for it’s spicy gravy or curry which is pleasant to most palates. Great to taste, it is cooked in restaurants and enjoyed all over the world. It’s curry can be made in a variety of ways to alter the hotness from highly spicy to mild spicy, to suit most of the palates. Butter chicken tastes great with the combination of Kaali Dal(black lentils), Naan and green salad.

Ingredients :  

• Boneless chicken – 1 kg,  skin removed
• Lime juice – of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon or more adjusted to suit your taste
• Cloves – 6
• Peppercorns – 8 to 10
• Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
• Bay leaves – 2
• Almonds – 8 to 10
• Seeds from 3-4 pods of cardamom
• Fresh yoghurt – 1 cup ,must not be sour
• Vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil – 3 tablespoons
• Onions – 2, chopped
• Garlic paste – 2 teaspoons
• Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 2 teaspoons
• Cuminutes powder – 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Tomato sauce – 1 can , about 400g or 14 oz
• Chicken stock – ½ liters
• Kasuri methi – 2 tablespoons  that is, dried fenugreek leaves
• Soft butter – 3 tablespoons, un melted
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

 

Cook Time: 45 minutes 

Prep Time: 1 hour

Servings : 6 person

Preparation:

• Mix the chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a large, non-metallic bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for 1 hour.
• Heat a flat pan or griddle on medium heat and gently roast (stirring frequently) the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly. Cool and add the cardamom seeds. Now grind into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.
• Mix the yoghurt, above whole spice powder (from previous step), coriander, cumin and turmeric powders together and add them to the chicken. Allow to marinate for another hour.
• Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Fry till a pale golden brown in color and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute.
• Add only the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry till sealed (chicken will turn opaque and the flesh will go from pink to whitish in color).
• Now add the tomato paste, chicken stock, kasuri methi and remaining part of the yogurt-spice mix to the chicken.
• Cook till the chicken is tender and the gravy is reduced to half its original volume.
• Melt the butter in another small pan and then pour it over the chicken.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Naan and Kali Daal.