Indian Butter Chicken (My version of it)

This is a classic dish that comes from Northern India where foods there are generously spiced, and usually have creamy sauces.  Butter chicken is a favorite in most Indian restaurants and my own home restaurant ;-). I just love Indian food and it's practically the only cuisine I craved while pregnant with my daughter, so needless to say, she also loves Indian food as well.  Butter chicken is my family's favorite, so it's been a challenge for me to come up with a recipe that's similar to the restaurant style, yet not as "fattening" with the use of all the heavy cream and butter.  There are so many styles of butter chicken out there and no 1 right way to make it as all versions are different in so many ways and it depends on your own tastes as well.  Through many many trials and errors of this dish I have pieced 5 different versions together and took what I believe to be the best of each version I looked at to finally create my own delicious butter chicken which I think you will truly truly enjoy.  Totally restaurant style without a doubt minus the heaviest  fats.   A word in advance though, it is a lot of prep work, but well worth the effort as this is just about restaurant style if not better.  My husband's eyes rolled back as he took the first bite, and our daughter kept asking for more....needless to say, a success!!!  I make my own Naan bread, but you can just buy it at the store as well.  I don't like the store brand because it's not "fresh" off the grill. =) (picky picky me....) However you can quickly grill to warm the store version and brush with melted Ghee or butter and sprinkle with chopped fresh Coriander. (Ghee in short is clarified butter, a process where butter is heated to separate the milk solids and then you end up with the clear "butter"). Anyway, let's get started.


What you need for the marinade:
~1 Cup white wine (not cooking wine)
~2 Individual cups plain yogurt
~1/2 Cup chopped fresh Coriander
~1/4 Cup Garlic/ginger paste (recipe to follow)
~1 1/2 Tsp salt
~1/8 Tsp hot chili pepper powder
~1 Tsp Onion powder
~1 Tbsp Garam Masala powder
~1 Tsp Chili powder
~1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
~1 Tsp Ground Cumin
~1 Tbsp Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves)
~1 Heaping Tbsp honey
~1 Tbsp oil


Let's get to work:
1) Place all ingredients in a bowl and blend together well with a spoon until all incorporated. Add about 4-5lbs cut up into cubes, chicken breasts, thighs or tenders to the bowl and mix to cover the chicken.  Place in plastic bag (I double the bag since it's a lot of liquid and I don't want to risk leakage.) Place in fridge and marinate at least 6 hours, no less, but no more than 24 hours.  Here is what the marinade looks like with the chicken pieces:

Now on to the Ginger/garlic paste...


What you need for the Ginger/garlic paste:
~Food Processor
~130 Grams of fresh ginger washed.  Cut off dried pieces where it was previously cut and discard.  No need to peel the ginger, you can leave the skin on.  Cut into small chunks.
~130 Grams fresh peeled garlic.
~2-3 Tbsp Water


Let's get to work:
1)Place the garlic and ginger in a food processor and blend until the chunks are gone.  
2)Gradually add the water until it starts to come together to form a "paste".  Once you have the right consistency, stop adding the water and it's done.  This holds up well in the fridge covered for a week or longer depending on your storage method.  It's also great to eat a spoonful for a sour stomach or the onset of a cold! =)  Below is a picture of what your paste should look like:

Before you get ready for the sauce, let's get the chicken in the oven baking. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place the chicken in a colander to drain off the marinade. Place the chicken in a baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes.  It's ok if it's not done at this point as it will continue to cook in the sauce later when you add it.

What you need for the sauce:

~1 Jar of tomato sauce (not seasoned as in for pasta, just tomatoes in a puree form)

~1 Cup Cashew paste (recipe to follow)

~1 Tbsp Chili powder

~1 Tbsp Garam Masala

~1 Tbsp Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves) It's hard to find unless you go to an Indian grocer.

~1/2 Tsp Onion powder

~1 Tsp Cumin powder

~1/2 Tsp Tumeric powder

~4 Tbsp garlic/ginger paste

~Squeeze of half lemon

~1 Tbsp white vinegar

~3 Packets Splenda OR 3 Tbsp sugar
~1 Tbsp honey

~1 Tbsp Salt

~1/4 Cup butter (This is not even close to the restaurant amount used!)

~2 Cups Cream (I don't use the heaviest cream, I use the light cream)

Let's get to work:

Yes, it's a lot of ingredients, but so worth it!

1) Add the ingredients except the butter and cream to a large pot and bring to a simmer.  (Do not cover this as  when covered the condensation builds with the heat and adds water to the mixture and ends up changing the flavor and consistency of the curry sauce.

3) Add the cream, butter and chicken to the sauce and continue to simmer for 30 additional minutes.  Do not boil, just simmer. 

Now you are ready to serve!  You can swirl in a little cream and top with fresh cut Coriander.

What you need for the Cashew Paste:

~1 Cup of dry roasted salted cashew nuts

~ 4-5 Tbsp water

Let's get to work:

1)Place the nuts in a food processor and process until the nuts look like crumbs.

2)Gradually add the water until it becomes pasty looking.  Some brand nuts will require more water to paste and other brands require less. So just use your judgement here.  Picture below of what it should look like when done: