A Day in the Life of the Chef of Enlightenment: Butter Chicken Chicken Makhani Murgh Makhani

Butter Chicken Chicken Makhani Murgh Makhani

There are probably an endless variation of this recipe out there, but this is one I've pieced together myself. With my penchant for studying Indian Food, I wouldn't be surprised if some time in the future you see another version of this recipe.

This turned out very creamy and rich. Everyone loved it, and my kids thought it was the best ever. I was a little more critical because it was so RICH. Something to consider.

One thing I'm doing for the first time here is to use Patak's Curry Paste as an additive in a recipe. I was scouting Youtube for Indian Food videos and I saw someone put a couple tablespoons of a Patak paste into their sauce, and I thought: Wow... that's how you use that. So... for the first time I'm using it this way, in the Marinade. It replaces the 'curry powder' that is often used in this recipe.

MARINADE

INGREDIENTS
4-5 Tablespoon so Yogurt - I used full fat thick cream yogurt
Salt
Red Chili Powder
Paprika
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Lemon lemon juice
2-3 Tablespoons of Patak';s Original Concentrated Curry Paste Mild
2 small packages (about 2-3 lbs) of chicken thighs or chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put the yogurt in a metal blow and add spices as you see fit. A lot of people measure here, but I don't. I just throw in there. If I had to guess, I would say it's about a teaspoon of everything.

2. Pour in some lemon juice, the Patak's Paste (2-3 tablespoons), and mix real well.

3. Then add the chicken, mix real well with your hands, cover and refrigerate! (This picture does not show the pieces cut into bite sized pieces... we forgot on the picture run).

SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
Ghee (You can use vegetable oil or regular butter if you prefer)
1 Onion (chopped)
1 Tablespoon garlic chopped
1 Tablespoon of ginger
1 Teaspoon of Cumin Seeds
1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Cardamom
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cloves
1/4 Teaspoon of Turmeric
1 Teaspoon of Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Amchoor Powder (dried mango)
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon of Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 cup of Heavy Cream
2 Bay Leaves
4 Whole Cloves
2 Green Cardamom Pods
1 Tablespoon of Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)

Get yourself some Ghee, which is clarified butter. I got some from an Indian Grocer once and it was amazing and nutty. This version (SWAD) I got from my local market here in Heber and... I'm not as impressed. Not at all. It doesn't have the nutty flavor I really like from the other stuff. Once I'm done using this I'm not going to ever buy it again. Just my opinion though. It seems more like regular butter than Ghee to me.

Heat the Ghee in a pot!

Add the chopped onion.

Get yourself some garlic and ginger.

Add to the pot!

Add in some Cumin Seeds, and cook it all for 4-6 minutes.

Get yourself a can of Hunts Tomato Sauce. You can also use a can of petite cut tomatoes instead, it doesn't matter.

Add it to the pot!

Add some spices. I added 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom, 1/4 a teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, a dash of chili powder, a dash of amchoor powder (dried mango), 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Cook for 20 minutes on low. Remove from the heat. Let cool.

When it is cool, put it into a blender.

Now blend it up! Reserve to the side.

Put some more ghee in the pot. Heat up and add your two bay leaves, 4 whole cloves, and 2 green cardamom pods. Stir for 10-15 seconds.

Looks fantastic. Might have too much butter in there however. Be careful.

Now add your chicken and marinade. Cook it up until the chicken is well cooked on the outside, 5 minutes.

Add the reserved sauce.

Cover and cook on medium low for 20 minutes.

Get yourself some cream. Remember what I told you above? My version was REALLY rich. My kids thought it was the best ever... but I thought it was too rich. So be careful how much cream you add. 1/2 a cup seems like it would be a fairly good amount. I used 1 full cup and it was too much (in my opinion).