Butter chicken: possible to make at home?

[foodfiend]

I tasted butter chicken for the first time at a little Indian place nearby. It was great. I'm not usually a fan of Indian food, so I'm not at all familiar with their foods. Is it possible to make this at home? I would assume it's not low-fat.

[MiMo]

Lily,

Isn't butter chicken the best? I love it, and I know for a fact that it is very fattening (but worth every calorie if you ask me). A friend and I go out for Indian food once a month and we always get butter chicken as one of the two entrees we share. Yum.

Anyway, I don't have an authentic recipe, but I thought I would share this one with you. I, myself, wouldn't put the peas in (I had no clue butter chicken had peas in it), but I may try it sometime soon.

Butter Chicken (Indian Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce)

Recipe courtesy Carla Fitzgerald Williams, Rotisserie Chickens to the Rescue!, Hyperion Books, 2003

Spice Blend:
1 tablespoon garam masala seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 skinless rotisserie chicken, boned out and pulled into 1 1/2 by 1/2-inch chunks
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas, placed in a colander and run under hot water to thaw
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Hot basmati rice, for serving

Pita bread, warmed according to package directions, for serving

To make the spice blend: Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the pieces just begin to turn gold, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The spices will be fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir will. Add the chicken pieces, spoon the sauce over the top and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and cover to keep warm. Shake any excess water from the peas. Add the peas and cream to the sauce in the pan, stir well and heat through. Do not boil. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice and warmed pita bread.

Variation: If you prefer shreds of chicken to whole pieces, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat into large chunks by hand. Add to the pan along with the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the tomato sauce and continue with the recipe. Serve over basmati rice.

[mrswaz]

I loooooove butter chicken. Here is the recipe I used, tweaked by a food blogger that I enjoy visiting with. This is mouthwatering and nicely spicy. Reduce the cayenne a bit if you're not into the heat factor. From Always In The Kitchen (http://alwaysinthekitchen.blogspot.com/).

Butter Chicken

An Indian favourite - easily made, but with a rather long list of ingredients. Still, it comes together quite quickly, and isn't as much work as it looks to be. If you get clever and use canned pureed tomatoes instead of diced,yoursauce will be much thicker and have a bit of an overly tomato-y taste (you will need to add a little more water). If you like that, go ahead, but the diced tomatoes give a nicer overall texture and flavour to the finished dish. This recipe was adapted from Mamta's Kitchen. This dish freezes very well.

Serves: 4 - 6 as part of a rice based meal
Total prep and cooking time: 45 minutes

4 skinless raw chicken breasts
1 teaspoon tandoori paste
14.5 oz / 398 ml can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 bay leaves
1 inch of ginger root, peeled
3 large cloves of garlic
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons natural cashew butter (unsalted)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
cilantro to garnish optional

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Rub tandoori paste evenly on the skinless chicken pieces and let them rest in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Prepare and measure out all ingredients ahead of time: this is not a chop-as-you-go endeavour. Use little bowls or plates to get organized. Items that are added at the same time can be put in the same bowl.

Ginger, garlic and onions can be finely ground together in a blender or food processor. You want them very finely minced, but not completely pureed. Scrape down the sides as necessary, to ensure a smooth texture. Remove to a bowl, so they're ready to add when needed. Puree the tomatoes separately, and put them in a separate bowl.

Heat the butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the bay leaves, the onion/ginger/garlic paste, and fry until golden brown and all water has evaporated. Stir as needed during the process so it doesn't burn. Add the tomato puree, chile powder, salt and sugar, and fry until the water has all evaporated and the oil separates out into shiny droplets. This can take up to 10 minutes, so be patient and stir a lot. The mixture will be quite thick, almost dry.

Add the cashew paste and continue to fry another few seconds, and then add the milk and water slowly, stirring the whole time, and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. The sauce should be thick and almost custard-y in texture. You can always add more water later, if needed.

When the sauce has come to a boil, turn off the burner. Slide the tandoori-rubbed chicken into the pan, and spoon the sauce over each piece. Cover and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes (boneless) or 45 minutes (for bone-in chicken). Remove the chicken carefully from the sauce. Remove bones if necessary, and chop the chicken meat into large bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken to the pan and stir into the sauce. Over medium heat, add the cream and garam masala, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, if you like.

And here's another recipe that I haven't tried, but from another food blogger who never disappoints. She wanted to create a butter chicken that didn't use any cream, so this is her version. From Hooked on Heat (http://www.hookedonheat.com/).

BUTTER CHICKEN
BONELESS CHICKEN IN A CREAMY SAUCE
Prep time: 15 min, Cooking time: 15 min
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
# 6 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
# 1 large red onion, pureed
# 2-3 large tomatoes, pureed
# 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
# 1 tbsp tomato paste
# 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
# 1/2 tsp coriander powder
# 1 tbsp cashew powder
# 1/4 cup plain yoghurt, beaten
# 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
# 2 tbsp ligh tcooking oil
# salt, to taste

Method:

Heat oil in deep pan and saute onion and ginger-garlic paste till it begins to give out oil. Add tomato puree and cook till it starts to dry and thicken.

Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cashew powder, fenugreek leaves and tomato paste, and fry for a minute or two. Add beaten curd, stirring well to blend in, and allow it to come to a boil.

Stir in salt and add chicken pieces. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, till chicken tenderizes and cooks through.

Serve piping hot with warm, fluffy Naans. Enjoy without the guilt!