Indian Butter Chicken

Have I got a chicken recipe for you.



It all started last Sunday, when I met Amman, a very cool guy I was working on a freelance project with. Amman casually throws around phrases like “Search Engine Optimization” and “Blog content.” He has a few things to teach me about the powers of the Internet as they relate to writers from the stone age, who still keep a box of sharpened number two pencils at their desks (writers like me). But I have to say, the most important lesson Amman imparted at our meeting was how to make a proper Indian Butter Chicken. In fact, all talks of web design went out the window when he told me about this recipe and the wonderfully eccentric chef behind it, who you can check out here

I have a thing for Indian food. I love how the spices give a dish as simple as chicken in tomato sauce a jolt of exoticism. As if to say, “let’s make some magic.” I also have a thing for yoga, Jhumpa Lahiri and cows who walk around the streets undisturbed. I could have been Indian in another life (I also have a thing for reincarnation).

I know a fair share of you loathe Indian food, and I think that’s because you haven’t ordered the right things - or you're too afraid of curry. I admit, curry throws me off, too. Butter Chicken is very much like my favorite dish, Chicken Tikka Masala (which has no curry). If you like Indian food, Chicken Tikka Masala is probably your favorite dish, too. It's the Chicken and Broccoli of Indian food.

Amman's Butter Chicken replaces curry with cumin, coriander, ginger garlic paste and garam masala – the sorts of ingredients you need to go a special store to obtain. One that plays foreign music and has bundles of house-made tea and food you can’t pronounce. After Amman and I discussed blogging basics, he took me to a hole-in-the wall Indian spice store in the East Village who boasted the world’s hottest chili pepper. Amman bought one for a dollar, but I was too afraid. I hope he fared OK.

There was a big to-do when I got home, as I laid all my spices on the counter. David and I marveled at the bags, wondering what each spice smelled like and what we were going to do with it all. I have since learned that Fenugreek leaves do not keep well, so sadly, you'll probably have to throw out whatever you don't use here.

I have never fathomed making Indian food myself, for fear that I have no knack whatsoever at working with cumin seeds and masala powder. But this recipe is so simple and clear it its directives, it’s pretty impossible to screw up. And the final product is impressive. Like, "Damn this is delicious and I can't believe I actually made it" impressive. My Butter Chicken looked exactly like something I would get in an Indian restaurant, and I dare say, tasted better than some of the best Masala I've ever had. Maybe it was the house-blend garam masala from the secret spice store with the world's hottest chili. Or perhaps it was the Western addition of ketchup. Who knows. There was so much goodness going on here, I couldn’t pinpoint the deliciousness to one particular ingredient. All I know is, this dish is good. So, so good. And I am very glad I met Amman.




Indian Butter Chicken
Adapted from Sanjay Thumma

Note: It seems Indian chefs don't believe in measurements. They're of the "a handful of this" a "pinch of that" variety. For those of us afraid of overdoing the cumin and coriander, Amman has graciously provided measurements. Follow this recipe exactly, and you will have one fine Butter Chicken.

Ingredients
1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into two-inch strips
1 large, white onion, roughly chopped
3 Tbs olive oil (vegetable or canola will work, too)
2 Tbs ginger-garlic paste, divided PLUS an additional 2 tsp, divided
1 Tbs red chili powder PLUS an additional tsp, divided
1 Tbs coriander powder PLUS an additional tsp, divided
1 tsp cumin seeds
A handful of dried Fenugreek leaves
1 14.5 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes
half a stick of unsalted butter
1/2 c heavy cream
2 Tbs ketchup
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs salt, divided
1 tsp garam masala

Place chicken in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste, 1 Tbs red chili powder, 1 Tbs coriander powder and 1 Tbs salt. Mix together and set aside. Heat oil in sauce pan or Dutch oven on Medium-High heat. Once hot, add chicken. Cook chicken in pan for 3-5 minutes, making sure it does not cook all the way through. It will cook fully once it’s submerged in the sauce. Remove the chicken from the pan without taking the oil out. This is important, because the leftover oil flavors the sauce immensely. Place chicken on a plate to the side. The oil remaining in the pan should be a rich brown in color – if it’s not, add more coriander powder. With the oil and spices still in the pan, add cumin seeds, onions, 2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste and 4-6 oz water to thin the sauce a bit. Stir for five minutes, then add 1 tsp coriander powder and 1 tsp red chili powder. Take Fenugreek leaves and rub them in your hands over the pot, so they form a powder. Finally, add the tomatoes. Cover sauce and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove the cover, and let sit for at least 10 minutes. This is critical, because hot liquids expand in blenders, and you’ll end up with a huge, steamy mess if you don’t let the sauce cool substantially before blending it. Once the sauce is moderately cool, pour it into the blender and run on high for a minute or two. You can also leave the sauce in the pan and use an immersion blender – just pour it into a bowl when you’re done. Add half a stick of butter to the empty pan, over medium-low heat. Take the chicken that has been sitting on the plate and drain the water/oil back into the pan. Add the sauce back into the pan. Add 2-4 more oz of water to the sauce to give it a silky, medium consistency. Add remaining Tbs salt, sugar, ketchup and heavy cream. Finally add the chicken back in to the pan, and sprinkle And add garam masala into the sauce. Stir and cook, covered for 10-15 minutes.