Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) Recipe

butterchicken.txt

MAKES 3-4 SERVINGS.

Marinated chicken:

* 800g - 1KG of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
* 75g of natural/greek yoghurt (full fat)
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2cm ginger, finely chopped/grated
* Juice of half a lemon
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp hot chilli powder
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp garam masala
* 1/2 tsp turmeric

Sauce base:

* 2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
* 1 large onion, sliced
* 800g - 1KG of tomatoes, approx. 10-12 medium
* 2 tbsp tomato puree
* 1 tsp chilli powder
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 to 1 cup of water

Final dish:

* Marinated chicken
* Sauce base
* 2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
* 2 cardamom pods, lightly crused
* 1/2 tsp chilli powder
* 1 tsp ground corinader
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp turmeric
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp garam masala
* Juice of half a lemon
* 100g unsalted butter
* 1/2 can of coconut milk
* 100ml double cream
* Fresh coriander leaf, roughly chopped

Directions: 

For the chicken:

1. Chop the chicken into large bite-sized pieces and add to a bowl.

2. Add to the chicken the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, salt, lemon juice and spices and mix together.

3. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour - several hours is better.

For the sauce base:

1. Melt the ghee in a deep saucepan and add the sliced onion.

2. Add the garlic and ginger to the onion and cook until the onion starts to soften. Keep the heat on low to medium as you do not want to add any colour to the onions or garlic.

3. Roughly chop the tomatoes (quarters is fine) and add to the onions. Add the chilli powder and tomato puree.

4. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy and the onions are very soft and translucent - about 10 minutes. Add between 1/2 to 1 cup of water and simmer for another 5 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

6. Using either a hand-held blender or food processor, blend the entire mixture into a smooth sauce. If you don't have a hand-held blender you may need to do this in batches. Transfer the blended mixture to a bowl and set aside. Depending on the quality and ripeness of your tomatoes, you should have a reddy/orangey sauce.

For the final dish:

1. Fry the marinated chicken over a moderate heat in batches for a couple of minutes on each side, to add some colour and cook out the spices in the marinade. Set to one side.

2. Melt the ghee in a deep saucepan over a moderate heat. Once melted, add all of the spices except the garam masala. Cook the spices for a couple of minutes until they start to smell fragrant, being sure not to burn them.

3. Add the base sauce to the saucepan and stir thoroughly to mix with the ghee and cooked spices. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

4. Add the coconut milk, lemon juice and partly-fried chicken to the pan and stir through, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

5. To finish, add the 100g butter (chopped into smaller blocks) and stir through until melted. Stir in the cream and garam masala (add more to taste). Optionally stir through the coriander or use simply to garnish.