Step 1 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
To make the marinade: Scrape peel from the ginger with a spoon, then finely grate ginger and mince the garlic. Squeeze the juice from the lemon.
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Step 2 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Put the ginger, garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, coriander, olive oil, Kashmiri chili powder, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.
PRO TIP Tomatoes and Kashmiri chilies give this version of Butter Chicken a beautiful color, but if you're looking for a brighter red as you might see at Indian restaurants, add 1 drop of red food coloring.
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Step 3 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Trim and discard any fat from the chicken and cut meat into bite-size pieces. Add to marinade and stir to coat well. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Meanwhile, continue with recipe.
PRO TIP The longer you marinate the chicken the more flavorful it will be.
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Step 4 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
To make the masala sauce: Place almonds and cashews in a small bowl and add enough water to cover. Set aside for 1 hour to soak.
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Step 5 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Scrape peel from the ginger with a spoon, then finely grate the ginger and mince the garlic.
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Step 6 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium-high heat.
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Step 7 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Add the ginger and garlic and stir briefly. Add the coriander and cook, stirring, for 20-25 seconds. Add the tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium and cook masala sauce uncovered, stirring often, until excess liquid has cooked off, 5-8 minutes.
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Step 8 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Stir in the brown sugar, salt, and garam masala and cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat and let masala cool for 5-10 minutes.
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Step 9 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Drain the soaked nuts, and reserve the liquid. Grind the nuts in a blender or food processor to make a smooth paste, adding small amounts of soaking liquid if needed. Discard any remaining soaking liquid. Transfer the cooled masala to the blender with the fresh water and blend into a smooth paste. Scrape pureed masala into a Dutch oven and set aside (refrigerate up 1 day if making ahead).
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Step 10 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Remove chicken from the marinade and thread onto skewers (omit skewers if cooking chicken in a skillet). Discard marinade. Preheat a grill pan or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken, turning once, until browned and almost cooked through, 5-8 minutes. (Or cook chicken in skillet, adding oil if needed to prevent sticking.) Transfer chicken to a plate.
PRO TIP If using wooden skewers instead of metal, soak them in water 30 minutes before using.
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Step 11 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Set the Dutch oven of masala over medium heat. Stir in as much water as you like, depending on how thick you want the sauce to be. As the sauce begins to boil, add the grilled chicken and cream and stir well. Cover the pan and simmer about 5 minutes to blend flavors and cook chicken through.
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Step 12 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Remove Dutch oven from heat. If using fenugreek, sprinkle it on top of the butter chicken, cover the pot, and let rest for 10 minutes.
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Step 13 of 13
Indian Butter Chicken
Stir the butter chicken well in the pot, then transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with cream if you like, and serve with naan and/or basmati rice.