Lusciously Creamy Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani)
Author: 
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 2 to 3 pax
 
Ingredients
Tandoori Masala Spice (yield 1 cup - remaining can be store in airtight container in a cool and dry place for up to 6 months)
  • 20g whole dried red chiles
  • 20g coriander seeds
  • 25g cumin seeds
  • 15g whole black peppercorn
  • 10g whole cloves
  • 1 tablespoon green cardamon pods
  • ½ tablespoon ajwain (carom seeds)
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • ½ tablespoon ginger powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 25g paprika
Marinade for Chicken
  • 1 5-cm ginger (peeled)
  • 5 cloves garlic (peeled) or 2 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 235 ml plain, unsweetened yogurt
  • ½ tablespoon Tandoori Masala (from the above recipe or can opt for store-bought version)
  • 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder
  • ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • 5g kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 400g boneless chicken legs (2 pieces), cut into big cubes
Butter Gravy
  • 35g walnuts or cashews
  • 1 medium yellow onions, cut into quarter
  • 1 5-cm ginger, peeled
  • 5 cloves garlic (peeled) or 2 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 150ml canned tomato puree
  • 2 pieces bird eye chiles
  • 20g butter + 30g butter (to add into the gravy after the heat is turned off)
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 2 black cardamom pod
  • 2 green cardamom pod
  • ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • ½ tablespoon Garam Masala
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2.5g kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 150ml heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon sugar
Naans, roti or prata to dip with gravy
Instructions
Tandoori Masala
  1. Grind all the ingredients in a blender/grinder for dry ingredients
  2. *this recipe will yield 1 cup of tandoori masala but only require ½ tablespoon. The rest can be store in airtight container in a cool and dry place for up to 6 months)
Marinade for Chicken
  1. Grind the ginger and garlic in a blender/grinder until smooth paste
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add in the garlic-ginger paste, yogurt, tandoori masala, amchur, black pepper, salt, kasoori methi and lemon juice. Whisk until well combined and add in the chicken.
  3. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, or overnight
  4. Before grilling the chicken, preheat the broiler/oven at 250 degree celcius for about 10 mins
  5. Place the chicken in the broiler/oven and grill for about 10 - 15 mins, or until cooked and slightly charred.
Butter Gravy
  1. Add all the ingredients for the gravy (except for salt, cream, sugar and 30g butter) into a blender and blend until it forms a very thick paste.
  2. Melt 20g butter in a heated pot over medium heat.
  3. Add in the blended paste into the pot after the butter melted and fry till fragrance
  4. Add in cream, salt, sugar and bring to boil.
  5. Turn off the heat, and stir in the remaining 30g of butter.
  6. Add in grilled chicken, stir and transfer to a serving plate (*optional - stir in half of the grilled chicken into gravy as butter chicken and the other half to serve as grilled chicken on its own)
  7. Serve hot with naan, roti, prata or rice.
Recipe by eckitchensg at http://eckitchensg.com/2015/09/lusciously-creamy-butter-chicken/