Name: Shaun's Butter Chicken
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 800 g boneless and skinless chicken thighs (or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces); ½ cup plain (unsweetened yogurt); 2 tsp Crushed Garlic; ½ tsp Salt; 2 tsp Garam Masala; 2 tsp Butter Chicken Masala; 1 Chilli with seeds removed (very finely chopped); 2 Tbsp Olive Oil; 1 Tbsp Butter; 1 whole brown onion (finely chopped); 2 big cloves of Fresh Garlic (crushed or minced); 1 tsp Ginger (freshly grated); 1 Chilli with seeds removed (very finely chopped); 1 tsp Ground Cumin; 3 tsp Butter Chicken Masala; 1 can crushed & sieved tomatoes [I’m a big fan of Watties crushed & sieved] (400g ); 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp White Vinegar; 2 tsp Brown Sugar; 300-400 ml cream (do this to preference – I usually just eyeball it); 1 ½-2 tsp Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves); 15-25 g butter (again, to preference: more butter = richer and silkier sauce)

Shaun’s Butter Chicken

Shaun Oliver

Shaun thinks his recipe is the best – you be the judge.

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Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 10

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Calories 400 kcal

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

800 g boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
½ cup plain unsweetened yogurt
2 tsp Crushed Garlic
½ tsp Salt
2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Butter Chicken Masala
1 Chilli with seeds removed very finely chopped

Butter Chicken Sauce

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
1 whole brown onion finely chopped
2 big cloves of Fresh Garlic crushed or minced
1 tsp Ginger freshly grated
1 Chilli with seeds removed very finely chopped
1 tsp Ground Cumin
3 tsp Butter Chicken Masala
1 can crushed & sieved tomatoes [I’m a big fan of Watties crushed & sieved] 400g
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp White Vinegar
2 tsp Brown Sugar
300-400 ml cream do this to preference – I usually just eyeball it
1 ½-2 tsp Kasoori Methi Dried Fenugreek Leaves
15-25 g butter again, to preference: more butter = richer and silkier sauce

Instructions

Prepare to have your mind f****n blown.
In a bowl, combine chicken with all the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate overnight (if time allows), alternatively let marinade for 30 minutes to an hour.
Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry for 3 minutes on each side (until browned). Set aside and keep warm (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce).
Heat butter + oil (or ghee) in the same pan. Fry the onions for around 6 minutes until they start to sweat, while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Add the Garlic, Ginger, and Chilli and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add ground Cumin and Butter Chicken Masala. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
Add Crushed & Sieved tomatoes, White Vinegar, and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown-red colour.
Note: when adding the tomatoes, add a small amount of water using the empty can to utilize the left-over tomato.
Remove from heat. Scoop mixture into a blender (I find a superfood nutrition extraction chamber works best; 600W model works fine), blend until smooth and watch the magic happen.
Note: If needed, add a couple tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup) and work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Over a Medium-High heat, stir the cream, brown sugar and crushed kasoori methi (or fenugreek leaves) through the sauce.
Monita’s Tips: when adding the Kasoori Methi, pick up pinches of it at a time and sprinkle it through the sauce, rolling it with your fingers to crush it up.
Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
Cut the butter into thin cubes and stir in as it melts through the sauce. (add as much or as little as you please, depending on how rich you prefer your sauce to be).
And BOOM, you’re done baby. Now, you’ve just done all this hard work creating a dish for your dinner guests that is absolutely worthy of a CRISP high-five. To top it off, nuke some cheap and easy, store-bought Naan bread (or if you’re really feeling yourself, make your own at home) and serve with fresh & fluffy Coconut rice.
Note: Ratio for Coconut rice is roughly 75% water + 25% coconut cream (I prefer to use trident coconut cream over Kara in this situation as Kara is much thicker and not as good for rice)
(optional) To garnish, chop up some fresh cilantro / coriander, sprinkle it over your meal, then feel free to go take a long walk off a short pier because you’ve just ruined what was a beautiful masterpiece, you f*****g DoNkEy. For the love of god and all things holy in this world, please Do NOT Garnish with coriander. Please.
Shaun's Tips: I cook the whole meal (apart from the rice) a few hours early and once it is done, set it aside and let it fully cool down. This lets all the flavours really develop and I find it really changes the flavour of the meal. When you're ready to eat, simply chuck it back on the stove and reheat.

Keyword butter chicken, curry