Butter chicken is the comfort food most Indians truly rely on. It is one of the most popular curries and you can easily find them in any Indian restaurant in Vancouver. People love how juicy chicken pieces are dunked in aromatic golden creamy curry sauce, butter chicken is the best Indian dish you will ever try! Although it is the tastiest and one of the common dishes you will find on the menu card of Indian restaurants it is also easy to prepare in the comfort of your home.
The dish is best served with naan, an Indian bread type, people also like to savour it with basmati rice.
Making butter chicken is ridiculously easy even when we know, for a fact, that the curry sauce tastes out of this world. Nothing in this world beats sitting on aromatic, scrumptious chicken curry to finish off a chaotic day. The aroma of the dish alone carries you to a whole different world.
A win-win situation of preparing this dish at home is the ingredient list, they are very easy to find from any grocery store or supermarket.
However, before you begin to prepare it, here are some facts about the dish you should know.
Why is it called butter chicken?
Not many know that butter chicken originated in Delhi, India during the 1950s by a man named Kundan Lal Gujral. You will also notice butter chicken under the name of Murgh Makhni in authentic Indian restaurants in Vancouver.
Now let us learn how to make a homemade scrumptious dish of butter chicken.
People often attach the word spicy to Indian food, however, you get to choose how much spice you want to add to your dish. Especially when it comes to butter chicken, a milder curry tastes better than the spicier version.
A juicy, tender, and flavour-infused chicken by marinating it with yogurt from scratch: add plain yogurt, fresh garlic, and ginger, along with easy-to-find spices while marinating. You can choose boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts.
- Begin with mixing your yogurt and marinating together.
- Marinate the chicken for about 20 minutes or leave it overnight if time allows as the longer it is marinated the gentler your chicken will be.
- Saute your chicken in a pan or skillet, leave the charred bits on the pan itself to make your sauce. If you find too many burnt pieces stuck in your pan, you can choose to remove some if you wish.
- Then, start preparing your curry sauce in the same skillet or pan you used for searing chicken.
Spices that go in butter chicken
The very common easy to find spices make it to the dish without a doubt, these include Cumin, Red chili powder, Turmeric, Garam masala, and Salt. These are a must in your curry sauce to make it great.
What exactly goes into making a scrumptious quick butter chicken curry sauce?
You might be surprised to know that the authentic butter chicken demands your basic ingredients like onion, a can of crushed tomatoes, ginger, and garlic, and some added spices for the aromatic flavours in the sauce.
The right skill to make a great sauce hides in letting the tomatoes cook off for at least 10-15 minutes, letting them almost dry on your pan. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of water if it dries up too early. Then, blend until it is smooth and add your cream— you can choose either heavy whipping cream or thickened cream as per your preference— even evaporated milk is also a low-calorie option available for use. Make the sauce richer and more delectable by adding a couple of tablespoons of butter or ghee right at the end and allow it to melt within the curry before you serve it.
The great thing about butter chicken curry is that you can even prepare it prior to the time you will need it. If need be, let it cool completely and store it in an airtight glass jar and you can also refrigerate for up to 48 hours. And it is believed the curry actually tastes better the next day as those deep flavours get plenty of time to develop and shine through before meeting the chicken. However, that is absolutely up to your personal choice. By trying Indian style butter chicken recipe you will genuinely have the best chicken you will ever have.
If you want something easy to dip into the wonderful curry gravy/sauce, serve over basmati rice and our garlic naan bread.
