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Clean recipe · cooking.nytimes.com

Butter Chicken

Butter chicken is a great, ever-evolving, cross-continental dish found in Delhi, London, New York, Perth and most points in between. In its purest form, it is yogurt-and-spice-marinated chicken dressed in a velvety red bath comprising butter, onions, ginger and tomatoes scented with garam masala, cumin and turmeric, with a cinnamon tang. This version was adapted from Amandeep Sharma, a young kitchen hand at the restaurant Attica, in Melbourne, Australia, who used to make it for staff meal. It is wildly luxurious. Serve with basmati rice and mango chutney, with papadums or naan if you can find them, with extra rice if you cannot. Sam Sifton

Original recipe: cooking.nytimes.com

Yield:
6 servings
Total:
1 hr 15 min
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Ingredients

  1. 1 ½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt
  2. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  3. 1 ½ tablespoons ground turmeric
  4. 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  5. 1 tablespoon garam masala
  6. 3 pounds chicken thighs, on the bone
  7. ¼ pound unsalted butter
  8. 4 teaspoons neutral oil, like vegetable or canola oil
  9. 2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and diced
  10. 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  11. 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely diced
  12. 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  13. 1 cinnamon stick
  14. 2 medium-size tomatoes, diced
  15. 2 red chiles, like Anaheim, or 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
  16. Kosher salt to taste
  17. ⅔ cup chicken stock, low-sodium or homemade
  18. 1 ½ cups cream
  19. 1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste
  20. 3 tablespoons ground almonds, or finely chopped almonds, optional
  21. ½ bunch cilantro leaves, stems removed.

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, cumin and garam masala in a large bowl. Put the chicken in, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate (for up to a day).
  2. In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil until it starts to foam. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds, and cook until the onions start to brown.
  3. Add the cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chiles and salt, and cook until the chiles are soft, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes.
  5. Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Add the almonds, if using, cook for an additional 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Garnish with the cilantro leaves.