Coriander, Ginger, and Chile Butter Chicken
This was the first time I made butter chicken at home from scratch. I had tried VH Butter Chicken Sauce in the past, but wasn’t a fan. While I was perusing Gordon Ramsay’s Cookbook for a new recipe, I came across this one for Butter Chicken (Page 190; all credit goes to Ramsay of course), and I knew I had to try it.
We love this cookbook. I have made the Spicy Sausage Rice about one billion times (I made it for dinner the night before this recipe in fact), so I was excited to try something new.
A few steps and ingredients were altered from his original recipe. They were replaced with time saving alternatives, but it was very easy to make!
Note: I was able to marinade the chicken the night before, which is a rare occurrence for me. If you don’t have the time to have it marinate overnight, be sure to have it marinate for at least 2 hours before cooking.
Ingredients
1.5 kg chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cubed
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 inches of ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp crushed tomatoes (or tomato puree)
Olive Oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of chili powder (optional)
Small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
For the Marinade
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 inches of ginger, peeled and grated
2 tbsp red pepper chilli flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup plain yogurt
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
To prep ahead:
In a large bowl, mix the coriander, cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, lemon juice, yogurt and salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the marinade, and make sure to mix until each piece of chicken is well covered. Cover, and refrigerate for at least two hours (or better yet, overnight).
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add a glug of olive oil. When the pan is hot, saute the onion with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until lightly golden, then add the ginger and cooking for a further minute.
Add the ground coriander, garam masala, turmeric and if you’re using it, the chili powder. Stir all of the spices into the onions over medium heat.
Add the crushed tomatoes (or puree) and stir for 30 seconds. Add the butter and allow to melt before stirring it through.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, (leave excess marinade in bowl to the side for now), and place the chicken pieces into the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, turning now and again, until cooked through.
Lower the heat, add the remaining marinade to the pan and cook gently for 5 minutes until quite hot. Gordon notes to be careful not to let the sauce boil as this will cause it to split.
Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. You can serve this butter chicken atop a bed of basmati rice, or accompanied by Naan bread.
What else do you serve with butter chicken? What are your favorite combinations?