From the road · India

Slow-Simmered Butter Chicken

Name: Slow-Simmered Butter Chicken
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts (Chicken Marinade); 2 tbsp plain yogurt (Chicken Marinade); 2 tsp lemon juice (Chicken Marinade); 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (Chicken Marinade); 1 tsp red chili powder (Chicken Marinade); ½ tsp garam masala (Chicken Marinade); ½ tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed (Chicken Marinade); ¾ tsp salt (Chicken Marinade); 2 tbsp butter (Butter Chicken Gravy); 1 small onion, sliced (Butter Chicken Gravy); 4 cloves garlic, chopped (Butter Chicken Gravy); 1 tbsp grated ginger (Butter Chicken Gravy); 1½ cups tomato purée (Butter Chicken Gravy); 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (Butter Chicken Gravy); 1 tsp garam masala (Butter Chicken Gravy); 1 tsp sugar or honey (Butter Chicken Gravy); ¾ tsp salt (Butter Chicken Gravy); ¼–½ cup heavy cream (Butter Chicken Gravy); ¼–½ cup water as needed (Butter Chicken Gravy)

From Prassad

Kashmiri chili powder gives the sauce its deep red color without too much heat.

Not rated yet·0 notes

Total40 min

LevelEasy

AheadYes

30min+ marinate (ideally overnight)

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Ingredients

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Scale−×1+

Units

455 g boneless chicken thighs or breasts, Chicken Marinade
30 ml plain yogurt, Chicken Marinade
10 ml lemon juice, Chicken Marinade
5 ml ginger-garlic paste, Chicken Marinade
5 ml red chili powder, Chicken Marinade
2.5 ml garam masala, Chicken Marinade
2.5 ml kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed, Chicken Marinade
3.75 ml salt, Chicken Marinade
30 ml butter, Butter Chicken Gravy
1 small onion, sliced, Butter Chicken Gravy
4 cloves garlic, chopped, Butter Chicken Gravy
15 ml grated ginger, Butter Chicken Gravy
360 ml tomato purée, Butter Chicken Gravy
5 ml Kashmiri chili powder, Butter Chicken Gravy
5 ml garam masala, Butter Chicken Gravy
5 ml sugar or honey, Butter Chicken Gravy
3.75 ml salt, Butter Chicken Gravy
¼–½ cup heavy cream, Butter Chicken Gravy
¼–½ cup water as needed, Butter Chicken Gravy

Shopping list →Tools

Large skillet with lidMixing bowlTongs

Method

1
Marinate chicken. Mix yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, garam masala, kasuri methi, and salt. Coat chicken well. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight.
2
Build the gravy. Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until soft and lightly golden.
3
Add tomatoes and spices. Stir in tomato purée, chili powder, garam masala, sugar, and salt. Simmer 10–15 minutes until thickened and glossy. Blend until smooth if desired.
4
Finish gravy. Return to heat and stir in cream. Adjust seasoning and consistency with water.
5
Cook chicken. Heat a little butter or oil in a pan. Cook chicken until fully done with light charring on edges.
6
Combine and simmer. Add chicken to gravy. Cover and simmer on low for 7–10 minutes.
7
Finish and serve. Stir in a knob of butter and crushed kasuri methi. Taste and adjust salt. Serve with steamed basmati rice or warm naan.