Butter Chicken

Ingredients

• 700 g boneless chicken thighs, in large chunks
• 150 g natural yoghurt
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 30 g ginger, grated
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 80 g butter
• 400 g tinned tomatoes
• 150 ml double cream
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• a handful of coriander

Method

1. Marinate

   Mix the chicken with the yoghurt, spices, ginger and garlic and leave for at least half an hour, or overnight in the fridge. The yoghurt's acidity is doing the tenderising.

   30 min

2. Char the chicken

   Grill or fry the chicken in a very hot pan until the edges blacken in places. You are after char, not doneness — it finishes in the sauce.

   10 min

3. Start the sauce

   Melt the butter in a wide pan over a medium heat, keeping it foaming rather than browning.

4. Simmer the tomatoes

   Add the tomatoes and cinnamon and cook down until thick and the butter separates out. Blend smooth with a stick blender for the texture this dish is known for.

   15 min

5. Enrich

   Stir in the cream and return the chicken with any resting juices. Simmer gently until cooked through — boiling now will split the sauce.

   10 min

6. Serve

   Check for salt, scatter with coriander, and serve with naan or rice.