Butter Chicken [For One]

Butter Chicken [For One]

Craving a cozy and warm Indian dish but you don’t want to order in and you don’t want to be stuck with 1000 lbs of leftovers? I GOT YOU. I took this amazing recipe from my queen, Chrissy Teigen, and made a few little tweaks and have come up with this absolute masterpiece. If you want to serve more, just double the recipe. This, THIS DISH, is a great one to master and serve as a go-to for dinner to impress people. Because it will taste like it took hours but really, only about 30 minutes. Serve it over a nice warm pillowy bed of rice or with a soft piece of naan.

**WARNING** Chicken needs to marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight

what you need:

Chicken:

  • 1 chicken breast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt regular yogurt works too **THIS CAN BE MADE DAIRY FREE IF YOU SUB IN DAIRY FREE YOGURT**
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp tumeric

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup ghee if you do not have or cannot find ghee, mix equal parts unsalted butter and canola oil
  • 1/2 small white onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

what you need to do:

  • Combine yogurt, garlic, salt, and tumeric in a bowl. Mix in chicken so every piece is coated in the marinade, and put in a plastic bag or airtight container to marinate in the fridge. It needs to marinate for at least 4 hours, but I prefer to do mine overnight.
  • When you are ready to cook, melt HALF of the ghee on medium heat in a large nonstick pan, and then add the onions and cook until soft, about 8 – 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix and cook about 2 – 3 more minutes.
  • Add the pieces of chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side. They will turn a strange yellowish color because of the tumeric in the marinade but that is what it is supposed to look like!
  • After the chicken is seared, add in the tomato sauce, bring to boil, and cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to low, add in the remaining ghee and coconut milk, and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes. Make sure the chicken is coated in the sauce so it can soak it all up and be tender.
  • Add in the cilantro and stir, cook another 1 – 2 minutes.
  • Serve over a bed of rice with a lime wedge!