Butter Chicken

Have you ever had a dish that you've longed to recreate well and just haven't quite been able to get it? Butter chicken (chicken makhani) is that dish for me.

Since I was fairly young butter chicken has been my favorite dish. Seriously, I could eat it forever. Still could. I remember going to Victoria, BC when I was 11 or 12 years old and going to this Indian restaurant with my parents and a friend. I had the butter chicken and it was divine! To this day I can recall that creamy, rich butter chicken. It was just perfect.

Over the years I have attempted butter chicken many times. Sometimes with my Mom and sometimes on my own. There always seemed to be something missing. The flavor was good but never quite right. The gravy didn't have that thick, creamy consistency even when we put in an ungodly amount of butter and cream.

I finally got the secret down to the gravy consistency and flavor. They key is to use tomato paste. Many recipes call for canned tomatoes, tomato puree, or tomato sauce. These don't quite work because they water down the sauce.

Many recipes call for lots of butter and heavy cream. This is why they taste so good in the restaurant. As good as it tastes I didn't want my dish to be a nutritional nightmare, especially since I'm serving it over white rice which is not a healthy home run.

I prefer chicken thighs to breasts because they tend to be juicier and more flavorful. An added bonus -thighs are usually cheaper than chicken breasts.

Remember to use what you have on hand and don't be afraid to adjust the seasonings to your preferences. Add more chili powder if you like heat and spice.

Butter Chicken
Serves 6

Ingredients

-5-6 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces (I used bone-on, skin-on and cut the meat away from the bones)
-2 medium onions, chopped (I used yellow)
-garlic (I used 3 cloves, use whatever amount you prefer), minced
-butter (approx 1/2 stick, 4-6 T)
-half and half (approx 1/2 cup)
-6 oz. tomato paste
-cumin, chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, cardamom, tumeric, salt and pepper

Instructions

Cook onion in 2 T. butter or vegetable oil in a heavy pan. I used my trusty Le Creuset which I adore. Cook onion over medium/ medium low heat until onion is soft. Add garlic and cook a minute or two more.

Add the spices. Now I don't measure spices. I tend to add to taste and increase increments based on what I think the dish needs. If you don't feel comfortable with this don't let this intimidate you.

Start with 1/2 teaspoon of each spice and add to the onions as they are cooking (medium low). Increase spice for flavor. If you want more heat add more chili powder.

Curry and garam masala are both mixtures of individual spices. Garam masala can be made at home if desired. It's a mixture of cardamom, cloves. cumin, cinnamom, coriander typically. The mixture can change based on region, traditions, and preferences.

Curries also vary by region but can include cumin, coriander, tumeric, ginger, and mustard powder.

Using garam masala and curry and all the other spices may have been a bit redundant because some of the spices are already in the garam masala and curry but the outcome was delicious. If you don't have some of the spices listed just use what you have. That's fine.

After the spices get a chance to cook in with the onion and garlic and the mixture starts getting fragrant add the chicken pieces. Cook over medium heat stirring every now and then to cook evenly. Add tomato paste.

After chicken is partially cooked, after 5 minutes or so add 2-4 T butter and let butter melt in the pan around the chicken. Add half and half. Stir mixture to incorporate the butter and half and half.

Cook over medium low for another 20 minutes or so. Keep an eye on the dish. You don't want the sauce getting too hot or simmering because this will make the chicken tough. I cooked it uncovered and only put the lid on the pan after it was cooked to keep the food warm.

Serve over rice. I believe in serving curries and the like with either rice or naan, not both. You really don't need two starchy items in a meal but it is a nice splurge sometimes.

For the rice I cooked 1 cup basmati rice in the rice cooker with 1 1/2 cups water and a T. of butter. The ratio of rice to water for basmati is 1 to 1.5. It turned out perfectly.  When the rice was done I fluffed it with a fork. I think using a rice cooker is the easiest way to make rice but you can certainly make it on the stovetop in a pan, as well.

Enjoy!