Meat Main Courses Recipes

Butter Chicken

The ultimate crowd pleaser. Not super spicy, but with enough kick to make it satisfying for those who like heat. The meat and potato crowd love it, but the sauce is complex enough to satisfy those with more discerning palates. I make this for my Grandad every time I visit him and he consistently declares it “the best meal in town.”

Don’t skip the salad – the rich, creamy sauce is begging for a refreshing, crunchy, juicy moment on the side.

Serves 6, if you make naan breads. 4 without.

Ingredients

Chicken :

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

150g full fat plain yoghurt

1 tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Curry Sauce :

2 tbsp neutral oil

2 small white onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, minced

1 fresh red chili, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp fenugreek leaves

1 tsp fennel

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 x 400g tins tomatoes, blended

250ml cream

100g butter

Salad :

1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced

1 mango, sliced into cubes

1/2 cucumber, deseeded and finely sliced

handful radishes, finely sliced into rounds

1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped

Directions

Chicken. Mix the yoghurt with the ginger, garlic, salt and spices and pour over the chicken. Cover, and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

Curry sauce. In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan heat the oil, and sauté the onions for several minutes, until softened. Add the ginger and garlic, followed by the spices. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly and then add the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes, Leave to simmer for about an hour, stirring frequently, until it has reduced and darkened in colour. Remove from the heat and add the cream.

Remove the chicken from the fridge at least half an hour before you are ready to cook it. Place under a broiler and allow the skin to darken, this will take between 10 – 15 minutes. It doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through, it will finish cooking in the curry sauce – you just want to start the cooking process here and add some nice charred flavour. Remove from the broiler, slice into bitesized pieces and add to the sauce. Turn the heat back on, simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until cooked. Add the butter and stir through the sauce before serving.

Serve with rice, salad and naan breads.