Chicken Butter Masala Recipe Swasthi S Recipes

Chicken Butter Masala is a popular Indian dish of grilled chicken simmered in a smooth, silky and creamy onion tomato and cashew gravy. This finger-licking good curried dish is popular on the restaurant menus. Also known as Butter Chicken Masala, this is a modified version of the authentic North Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani). I have eaten versions of this & Chicken Tikka Masala across the country. Some good & a lot bad! In the quest for a delicious homemade butter masala gravy, many years ago I developed my popular Paneer Butter Masala Recipe which has many rave reviews from the readers. I am glad I did it because this actually beats the restaurant versions! This chicken butter masala is adapted from the same butter paneer. Once you make this I am sure you will love to ditch your restaurant because you know how easy this is to make. This recipe takes about 45 to 50 minutes from scratch (plus the resting time) and will surprise you with the amazing results. More Indian Chicken RecipesRestaurant Style Chicken JalfreziChicken KormaChicken BiryaniChicken Curry

How to Make Chicken Butter Masala (Stepwise Photos)

Marinate

Cut 600 grams of boneless chicken to ¾ inch pieces and add them to a bowl. Pat dry with kitchen tissues. Add

⅛ tsp turmeric ½ to 1 tsp red chilli powder 1 teaspoon garam masala 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste ⅓ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice. 1 teaspoon kasuri methi ½ cup Greek yogurt / hung curd 1 tablespoon oil

Marinate and rest covered for a minimum of 60 mins, overnight is best (refrigerated).

Make gravy

Meanwhile slice 1½ cup onions and peel 15 grams of ginger. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon oil and saute until transparent (pink), until they lose the raw flavor. While the onions fry, chop 5 cups tomatoes (5 large tomatoes about 650 grams). Add ginger and 15 grams of garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 mins. Reduce the heat to low and stir in 1½ to 2 tsp red chilli powder. (reduce for kids) Add the chopped tomatoes, 22 to 28 whole cashews (¼ cup) and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook covered on a medium high heat until the tomatoes break down to a mush. Stir in 1½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin powder (optional), 2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ to ¾ teaspoon cardamom powder. (If using store bought start with ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, I use homemade with the skins ground together so I use 1 teaspoon) Turn off and cool down. I usually transfer to a plate and cool it with fan. It is faster that way. Pour 1 cup water to the blender and then transfer the onion tomato masala. Grind to a super smooth puree. If required pour ½ cup more. (Some blenders do the best job with no extra liquid added, while some need only little, so adjust depending on your blender). I add 1 cup first and then half later.

Butter Masala

Wipe down the pan with some tissues and heat it with 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter on a low to medium heat. As the butter begins to melt, stir in 1 green chilli (optional) and ¼ to ½ tsp red chilli powder (optional). Taste test the onion tomato puree and add the chilli powder accordingly. Strain the puree directly to the pan. Make sure your pan is not too hot else your spices will burn. Pour ½ cup hot water and begin to cook the butter masala until it reaches a thick and creamy consistency. While the butter masala simmers, heat a pan/ skillet with 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil becomes hot, layer the chicken pieces on the pan and cook on a high heat. When the chicken turns brown at the bottom, turn them to the other side and cook until golden and slightly charred. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to grill the chicken in batches. When the butter masala turns thick and creamy, pour ½ cup water and 1 tablespoon ghee. You need water a this stage to rehydrate the chicken. The gravy is thick so the chicken won’t soften fast. Add the grilled chicken and let simmer for a 3 to 4 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the butter masala reaches a thick and creamy consistency. Taste test and adjust salt. Add ½ tsp garam masala and 2 teaspoon kasuri methi. Stir in 1/3 cup of chilled cream. Turn off the heat. Mix and let rest for at least 5 mins. Garnish chicken butter masala with a tablespoon cream and fine chopped coriander leaves.