The ever popular butter chicken, a classic chicken curry. Rich, creamy, and packed with flavour, this makes a delicious family dinner and is a recipe I love to cook for friends.
Whilst this recipe uses butter, I have opted for coconut milk rather than cream to make it less rich. See below for tips on making the curry dairy-free.
IMPORTANT - PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR INGREDIENT PACKETS TO ENSURE THEY ARE GLUTEN-FREE
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 750 g chicken thighs cut in to bitesize pieces
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or dairy free alternative
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2½ cm fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriandar
- pinch chilli powder optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
Curry Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or oil if dairy free
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 green or red chilli slit lengthways down the middle
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2½ cm fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 25 g ground almonds
- 360 ml water
- 120 ml coconut milk
To serve
- cooked basmati rice
- fresh coriander
Method
- Mix the yogurt with the ginger, garlic, garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder (if using), salt and lemon juice.
- Add the chopped chicken thighs and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours or overnight (ideally, you can cook it straight away if you don’t have the time.)
- When ready to make the butter chicken, heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium to high heat.
- Add the cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and chilli and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add the marinaded chicken and cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat down slightly if the marinade is starting to catch and brown on the bottom of the pan.
- (It won’t become golden because of the marinade and won’t be fully cooked at this stage.)
- Stir in the dry spices and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Pour in the tomatoes, almonds and water and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
- Add the coconut milk and heat through for 5 minutes.
- Serve straight away spooned over cooked basmati rice and sprinkled with fresh coriander, if using.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
Dairy Free - use a dairy-free yogurt to marinade the chicken in, and cook the chicken and spices in oil rather than butter.
Nutrition
Calories 609kcal | Carbohydrates 13g | Protein 35g | Fat 47g | Saturated Fat 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat 7g | Monounsaturated Fat 15g | Trans Fat 0.4g | Cholesterol 199mg | Sodium 893mg | Potassium 763mg | Fiber 4g | Sugar 4g | Vitamin A 705IU | Vitamin C 29mg | Calcium 118mg | Iron 5mg
Private Notes
IMPORTANT - PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR INGREDIENT PACKETS TO ENSURE THEY ARE GLUTEN-FREE
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 750 g chicken thighs cut in to bitesize pieces
- 1½ tablespoons Greek yogurt or dairy free alternative
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2½ cm fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriandar
- pinch chilli powder optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
Curry Sauce
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter or oil if dairy free
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 green or red chilli slit lengthways down the middle
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2½ cm fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- ¼ c almond meal
- 1½ c water
- ½ c coconut milk
To serve
- cooked basmati rice
- fresh coriander
Method
- Mix the yogurt with the ginger, garlic, garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder (if using), salt and lemon juice.
- Add the chopped chicken thighs and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours or overnight (ideally, you can cook it straight away if you don’t have the time.)
- When ready to make the butter chicken, heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium to high heat.
- Add the cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and chilli and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add the marinaded chicken and cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat down slightly if the marinade is starting to catch and brown on the bottom of the pan.
- (It won’t become golden because of the marinade and won’t be fully cooked at this stage.)
- Stir in the dry spices and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Pour in the tomatoes, almonds and water and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
- Add the coconut milk and heat through for 5 minutes.
- Serve straight away spooned over cooked basmati rice and sprinkled with fresh coriander, if using.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
Dairy Free - use a dairy-free yogurt to marinade the chicken in, and cook the chicken and spices in oil rather than butter.
Nutrition
Calories 609kcal | Carbohydrates 13g | Protein 35g | Fat 47g | Saturated Fat 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat 7g | Monounsaturated Fat 15g | Trans Fat 0.4g | Cholesterol 199mg | Sodium 893mg | Potassium 763mg | Fiber 4g | Sugar 4g | Vitamin A 705IU | Vitamin C 29mg | Calcium 118mg | Iron 5mg
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