Warm Yourself with a Bowl of Butter Chicken

Butter chicken: possibly the most commonly ordered Indian dish in the western world. And with a name like that, I'm not surprised.

There is a common misconception, which I almost bought into until I went to the library to do some reading, that ghee, also known as 'clarified butter', is used widely in cooking throughout India. It is not. 

Clarified butter is known as usli ghee. It is made by gently heating unsalted butter until it liquifies. The whitish bits also known as 'milk solids' are carefully strained with cheesecloth leaving behind the golden liquid which is the usli ghee. This "real ghee", is considered a luxury and is most commonly used in cooking in the Punjab region where dairy products feature more prominently in diet.

Usli ghee is also used as a digestion aid, used to relieve rashes and burns and also as used a moisturizer. 

The second type of ghee, which is more frequently used, can be likened to vegetable shortening. It is usually purchased in bulk and contains various vegetable oils which makes it more economical than usli ghee.

Types of cooking oils vary from region to region with the use of coconut oil in the south, mustard oil in the north east and peanut or sesame oil in the north.

Back to the butter chicken. Since I didn't have any usli ghee handy, I simply used a tablespoon of unsalted butter.

I have to say that it was one delicious meal. So delicious in fact that I considered making it two nights in a row and have been having daydreaming about it ever since. Next week I'm going to try the same recipe with prawns.

Butter Chicken Recipe

6 skinless, boneless free-range chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
150ml natural yogurt
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3 bay leaves
4 green cardamom pods
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp of grated ginger
2 garlic gloves, crushed
400g can of tomatoes
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs of butter 
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 tbs of chopped cilantro
1/4 cup of cream
1 cup of water
Steamed basmati rice to serve

Method:

1. Place the yoghurt, chili powder, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, garam masala, cardamom pods and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and then add the chicken. Coat the chicken well and set aside.
2. Heat the butter over a moderate heat in a medium pot. Add the onions and fry until translucent but do not burn. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the yoghurt covered chicken to the pot and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, roughly chop the canned tomatoes and add the to the chicken.  Add about 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce from the can and a cup of water. Stir well and bring to the boil.
5. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and add 1 tbs of cilantro. Stir well and then cover. Gently simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cook the rice in a steamer or on the stove. The ratio is 1 cup of rice to scant 2 cups of water.
7. Just before serving, stir 1/4 cup of cream into the curry. Garnish with remaining 1 tsp cilantro.

Comments

[Laurie Constantino]

You can tell how much I know about Indian food when I tell you I've never heard of butter chicken before! But even without hearing of it, I can tell from the recipe that it has wonderful flavor and that I'm bound to like it. Thanks for the education about a new dish (and about usli ghee - I always thought ghee was always clarified butter, so I learned that too). I'm curious - is cream often used in Indian cooking?

[Stephanie]

sounds fabulous...can't wait to try it ...

[candyce]

omg, yum! of all foods i have eaten thus far in life, i can easily say that i could eat this meal everyday if i had to. delicious! it's so hard to duplicate at home for me, so i'm gonna give your recipe a try!
thanks!

[dp]

Your chicken looks great. Butter chicken and saag paneer are my two favorite Indian dishes. I have a good saag recipe, but I've yet to find a butter chicken recipe so I will definitely give this a try.

I have an Indian coworker who said he only uses milk-derived ghee on toast or brushed on breads so it did sound more like a luxury item. I often use mustard oil when I cook Indian food, even when the recipe doesn't call for it because I love the flavor it imparts.

[michelle @ TNS]

whoa, that looks good. plus, butter!

i've never heard of butter chicken before. is it like tikka masala?

[Valerie]

Very good research on the ghee.
I make this dish with Kashmir red chili powder. You can but them whole and grind them as needed. Though this chili powder is not hot, it imparts a very good red color to the dish.
And also, chili powder is simply ground dried chili pepper and not the chili powder used in American meat chili.
Let me know if you want to try making ghee at home.

[Angela]

I love butter chicken and have been wanting to make it for a while. Thanks for the great recipe and the interesting info about ghee. Im inspired!

[Kevin]

That butter chicken looks tasty!

[Marc @ NoRecipes]

This dish has such a cool name! I've only had it a few times, but remember liking it. Your version looks delicious and prawns sound like a fantastic idea.

[Syrie]

Thanks Marc! Yes, I can't wait to eat this dish again and I do hope the prawns work well so I can feed it to my 'vegetarian' friends.

Thanks for stopping by Kevin!

Thanks Angela!

Thanks for the great info Valerie. I did see a recipe for making ghee so I will definitely try it out. Thanks for visiting.

Hi Michelle, the flavours are somewhat similar however the butter chicken isn't baked and it's more watery. Thanks for the visit.

Thanks Darlene, I also love saag paneer. I've never tried making it though so I'd love to get your recipe. Interesting about the ghee on toast. I'm going to try making it in the next few weeks. I've never used or even seen mustard oil, so I must try that out as well.

Hi Candyce, I think I'm the same as you and I usually tend to get sick of eating the same thing pretty quickly. Hope you like it!

Thanks Stephanie. Hope you like it too!

Hi Laurie, Thanks for your comments! Cream is used in some parts of India however it is considered a bit of a luxury. I believe buffalo milk is also used frequently in cooking.

[Julia]

Wow, I always thought that butter chicken had a lot more butter in it. I'm surprised at how little is in the recipe. I have to confess that it is one of my favorites and yours looks better than I've ever had. I have never made any Indian food at home before but I just might have to try this one. Thanks for the great post!

[Bellini Valli]

Served on a bed of basmati rice I would be in heaven eating this dish. This is a very popular dish here as well:D

[Hillary]

When I initially read the title "Butter Chicken"...I didn't think I'd be too in love, but that picture and the ingredient list really changed my mind! Mmm!

[Julia]

I made this for dinner and everyone really loved it - even my 12 year old son liked it!

I wasn't sure what to do with the ginger though -- I decided to put it into the pan when I was sauteing the garlic. Also, what type of canned tomatoes should I have used? I used tomato sauce but considered diced...

Overall it was great! Thanks for making Indian food approachable!

[syrie]

Hi Julia,
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe and I'm thrilled that you liked it. I'm sorry I totally left out instructions for the ginger. Yes, you were right to saute it. I've fixed the omission and I've been more specific about the canned tomatoes. I usually use whole La Moliano Roma tomatoes. I roughly chop them and also use a little of the liquid from the can.

Thanks for stooping by Bellini!

Hi Hillary...I know it was very inspired was it. I should have added 'rocks' on the end. Thanks for visiting!

[Rasa Malaysia]

This looks so good Syrie. I can almost taste the milkiness of this curry. :)

[Rasa Malaysia]

And I can't wait for the prawn version. Maybe I should cook up one too using your recipe. Anyway, there is a Malaysian butter prawn dish but very different. It's on my blog and I bet you will like it. :)

[Paula]

Wow, this dish looks wonderful! Found your blog via Kalyn's Kitchen. I love Butter Chicken and have ordered it many times. Now that I have your recipe, I'll have to give it a go at home. Your photos are lovely, too.

[Happy Cook]

Wow that butter chicken looks super delicious.
It is true that we don't use ghee in our everyday cooking.
Actually i use them for special occasions only other wise just use normal veg oil
Came here through Muncher

[[eatingclub vancouver] js]

Thanks for the info re different kinds of ghee.

Did you have problems with curdling of the yogurt when the tomatoes went in?

[Syrie]

Thanks Bee! I'm going to finally get on to the prawn version.

Thanks so much Paula! I hope you liked it.

Thanks for stopping by Happy cook. I usually use vege or canola oil.

Hey eating club! I didn't have any problem with curdling. It all seemed to combine well but i guess it depends on the yoghurt.

[Kitchen M]

I love butter chicken. Yours looks just like my favorite one from a restaurant!

[Eat Smart Age Smart]

Thanks for sharing a new dish. That butter chicken looks delicious. Whenever there’s a dinner at friends, I’m usually the one preparing the chicken dish. I rarely skip a chicken recipe … I’m always collecting them. I'm gonna give your recipe a try over the weekend.

[Nikki ( loves chapati <3 )]

I am really interested in the prawn variation of this recipe. Somehow your infatuation with this dish has been transferred to me just from reading the recipe. It's a little chilly here and I'm sure a plate of butter chicken would warm me up. Thanks for sparking an Indian food craving.

[Maximus]

That looks delicious! Thank you for sharing! =)