Try this Indian Butter Chicken recipe.
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- lemon juice
- ground cumin
- garlic
- 1
- tablespoon
- 1/2
- chopped
- teaspoons
- 3
- 2
- cup
- toasted slivered almonds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6
- 4
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- bay leaves
- for garnish
- 3/4
- tablespoons
- teaspoon
- ginger
- tomato paste
- chopped fresh cilantro
- cloves
- fine sea salt
- 2 1/2
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- pounds
- boneless skinless chicken thighs
- tomato puree
- for serving
- shallots
- yellow onion
- minced
- main ingredient butter cashews, chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted g
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted g
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted g
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews
- whole raw cashews
- 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted grass-fed butter
- ghee or unsalted grass-fed butter
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat an
- trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 2 shallots chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 3/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed
- freshly squeezed
- 6 green cardamom pods bruised with the butt of a kni
- green cardamom pods
- bruised with the butt of a knife
- cinnamon stick
- 3 tablespoons ginger peeled and minced
- peeled and minced
- 2 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
- garam masala
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- fenugreek seeds
- toasted slivered almonds for garnish
- chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
- garlic naan for serving
- garlic naan
- main ingredient butter cashews, chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted g
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted g
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted g
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews
- whole raw cashews
- 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted grass-fed butter
- ghee or unsalted grass-fed butter
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat an
- trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 2 shallots chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 3/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed
- freshly squeezed
- 6 green cardamom pods bruised with the butt of a kni
- green cardamom pods
- bruised with the butt of a knife
- cinnamon stick
- 3 tablespoons ginger peeled and minced
- peeled and minced
- 2 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
- garam masala
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- fenugreek seeds
- toasted slivered almonds for garnish
- chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
- garlic naan for serving
- garlic naan
- Carbohydrate 358.859054009864 g
- Cholesterol 1156.55 mg
- Fat 328.375501938472 g
- Fiber 95.4973944789893 g
- Protein 136.102684996429 g
- Saturated Fat 173.214722794747 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (5389g)
- Sodium 49640.1818068535 mg
- Sugar 263.361659530875 g
- Trans Fat 22.6641555105906 g
- Calories 4586 calories
Step-by-step
- Gather all ingredients.
- Prepare the chicken thighs by trimming fat and cutting into 2-inch cubes.
- Mince the garlic, ginger, shallots, and yellow onion.
- Blend or soak the whole raw cashews as needed.
- Melt the ghee or unsalted grass-fed butter in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Brown the chicken pieces in batches and set aside.
- Sauté the chopped yellow onion, shallots, garlic, and ginger until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste, tomato puree, and lemon juice, stirring well.
- Add the spices including bay leaves, ground cumin, cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, ground turmeric, garam masala, fine sea salt, and fenugreek seeds.
- Return the chicken to the pot and simmer until cooked through and tender.
- Stir in the cashew mixture to thicken the sauce.
- Garnish with toasted slivered almonds and chopped fresh cilantro.
- Serve hot with garlic naan.
Tomato paste operates as the structural backbone of this sauce, providing both deep umami and natural pectin to thicken the base without relying exclusively on heavy cream. Understanding how each component behaves under heat prevents common culinary errors.
- Bruising green cardamom pods by striking them with the flat side of a knife splits the outer hull, releasing essential oils directly into the cooking fat rather than trapping them inside an intact shell.
- Swapping ghee for standard supermarket butter introduces excess water content that will steam the aromatics instead of browning them, altering the final emulsification.
- Toasting whole raw cashews before blending them into the sauce guarantees a completely smooth texture and prevents grittiness in the finished gravy.
- Simmering chicken thighs cut into uniform two-inch cubes ensures even heat penetration, requiring roughly 15 to 20 minutes of simmering to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit without drying out the meat.
Traditional versions of this dish originated in Delhi restaurants as a method for softening leftover tandoori chicken in a rich, spiced tomato sauce. Controlling moisture levels throughout the reduction process guarantees proper sauce adherence to the meat.
