Your Secret Recipe To The Perfect Silky Smooth Butter Chicken

 Have you ever planned a get together where you wondered what's that one recipe that will win hearts and found yourself perplexed because all you could think about is biryani which is again the same usual main course recipe that every other person makes. Unlike others, I'm not a die-hard fan of briyawni or whatever whitewashed tone you use to call it. Matter of fact I don't even understand the hype. anyways biryani isn't a big deal either if you are a Hyderabadi like me. So this is where the butter chicken comes into picture. 

Butter chicken is one of the latest introductions to the Indian cuisine, must be some decades old and not more. The idea initially started when someone decided to add their leftover chicken tikka from last night to a simple yet freshly prepared gravy of onions and tomatoes. Its sweet as well as tangy taste of onions and tomatoes, the burnt aroma of grilled chicken and the richness of cashews and cream. A perfect blend of all the goodness. Its super easy if you carefully follow the recipe. An absolutely irresistible and a no-fail recipe. 

Ingredients

🟧For Chicken Tikka

🧡Chicken boneless – 400gm

🧡Salt – to taste

🧡Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp

🧡Lemon juice – 2 tbsp

🧡Mustard oil – 4 tbsp

🧡Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 1/2 tbsp

🧡Hung curd – 1 cup 

🟧For Curry

🧡Water – 2 cups

🧡Tomato diced – 500gms 

🧡Onion sliced – 50 gms

🧡Bay leaf – 1

🧡Cinnamon – 1 stick

🧡Black peppercorns – 6-7

🧡Cardamom – 3

🧡Garlic cloves – 8 

🧡Ginger – 1 small piece

🧡Kashmiri chili powder – 1 tbsp

🧡Butter – 2 tbsp

🧡Cashew nuts – 8

🟧On Pan

🧡Butter – 2 tbsp

🧡Fenugreek leaves – 1/2 tsp

🧡Sugar – 1/2 tsp

🧡Cream – 2 tbsp

🟠In a large bowl combine salt ginger garlic paste lemon juice mustard oil Kashmiri chili powder and hung curd. Add the chicken pieces and mix. Let it marinate for an hour or two. 

🟠In a wok, incorporate Tomatoes, Onion, Bay leaf , Cinnamon, Black peppercorns, Cardamom, Garlic Cloves, Ginger, Kashmiri chili powder , Butter, and Cashew nuts. Add water, stir and let it cook on low flame until the Tomatoes are tender and mushy. 

🟠On a grill pan, add oil and grill the chicken pieces. 10 mins on each side until the chicken is well done. Optionally, you can even smoke the chicken pieces. 

🟠Once the curry contents have cooled down, transfer it into a mixer jar and grind into a paste. Strain the paste so that the paste is smooth and lump-free.

🟠Next, take some butter in a wok, add dried Fenugreek leaves then add the curry paste. Stir and then add some sugar and cream. Transfer the chicken into the curry. Cover with lid and let it simmer on low flame for a few minutes. 

🟠In the end add a lil cream and garnish with fresh coriander.