Indian Butter Chicken

I shared my love of Indian food on the blog earlier this summer with my Grilled Tandoori-Style Chicken, but as the cooler weather sets in I’ve been craving a hearty bowl of my favourite butter chicken.  The creamy tomato sauce and perfect blend of Indian spices make it a delicious comfort food dish. We had ours with basmati rice and a side of roasted veggies.

Over the weekend we has company over for dinner and when I went to reach for my favourite butter chicken seasoning mix at the grocery store, I was in dismay to learn that it’s been discontinued. As sad as I was in the spice aisle, it gave me the courage to learn how to make butter chicken from scratch. It turns out it’s way easier than I anticipated and I’m happy to be able to share it with you today!

As the pot simmered with all the fragrant spices I was still worried that it wouldn’t hold up to the mix I’d used for so long, but thankfully it turned out great. Both Garrett and I agreed it was even better than the mix and now I have everything in my pantry and fridge to make it anytime we want.

Butter Chicken

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 10 mins

 

This recipe can be doubled. I like to freeze the extras in dinner size portions for easy weeknight meals.

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 onion diced
• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp ginger powder
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 cup half-and-half (5%) cream (or 1 14oz can light coconut milk)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes or until onions become translucent. Add chicken and continue to cook for until chicken is no longer pink.
2. In a small bowl, mix flour and spices. Toss with chicken in pot to coat, cooking for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Stir in cream and tomato sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours. Stir frequently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve over basmati rice with cilantro leaves on top.

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In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes or until onions become translucent. Add chicken and continue to cook for until chicken is no longer pink. In a small bowl, mix flour and spices. Toss with chicken in pot to coat, cooking for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Stir in cream and tomato sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours. Stir frequently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 Serve over basmati rice and roasted vegetables with cilantro leaves on top.