Indian Butter Chicken
I went out to lunch the other day with a couple of Indian friends from work and we went to an Indian restaurant called Tabla. Pleasanton is amazing in that I have easy access to incredible resturants serving Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French, Spanish, Mexican, and more… When I was growing up, Mexican was about as exotic as we got. But now, in the SF Bay Area, you can’t keep track of the various “ethnic” restaurants. Indian… I can’t remember the first time. But I loved it. It’s fun to go out to lunch together and have some of them order food since they will order things that I would be hesitate to try like extra spicy.
That is how I was introduced to a wonderful entree called Indian Butter Chicken (Makhani Chicken). I have never had such a smooth and savory dish like Butter Chicken. Like many Indian dishes, it’s served with hot indian bread called Naan. I have to laugh because our waiter confused me because when he was taking our order he asked me if I wanted “rice or none” and I asked if I could have some Indian Bread and he said “none” and I said no, that I really did want some. I know, goofy…
Anyways… I found the basics for this terrific recipe in Cooking Light magazine. I hope that my wife will give it a try since I really want to share with my family something with some different flavors. Here is the recipe for you to try also:
Indian Butter Chicken
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1 Tbs oil
2 Tsp garam masala (or see note below)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4″ chunks
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste
1/4 cup butter
steamed rice
In a large saucepan, heat the oil and cook the onion and ginger, stirring often until the onion is lightly browned. Stir in the garam masala*, then put it all in a blender, add the tomato paste and chicken broth, and whir until smooth.
Put back into the pan, add the half and half, and simmer, stirring often, about 5 minutes until reduced to about 3 cups. Pour sauce into a bowl and set aside. Rinse the pan and reuse for the chicken.
Heat 1 Tbs of the butter over medium-high heat and add the chicken, cooking a few minutes until the outside is no longer pink, 2-3 minutes. Pour the sauce back in and bring to a simmer. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. (Take a piece out and cut in half to make sure.) Cut the remaining 3 Tbs of butter into chunks and stir in until melted. Serve over steamed rice. If you like, sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Be sure to get the Indian bread called Naan so that you can soak up and consume every last smidgen of the fantastic sauce. It is a bit like a thick mexican tortilla, but oh so much more delicious. We kept ordering more and more of it during our lunch. You can find it already prepared and ready to heat up in any good sized Indian Grocery store or a Trader Joes store. Enjoy!
Tags: Butter Chicken, Indian Food, Naan, Recipe
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