Easy Butter Chicken

This recipe is one of my all-time favourites, and a major crowd-pleaser. I’ve made it for dinner parties and without fail it is a hit every time! It also helps that it is simple and uses ingredients found in any supermarket.

To add some fiber and healthy fats, instead of heavy cream I use homemade cashew cream. The cashew cream makes the recipe rich and creamy without any heavy cream. This is a great recipe if you are sensitive to lactose, because the lack of heavy cream brings the lactose content way down. Unfermented dairy products like milk and cream are high in lactose. Butter has very little lactose content and therefore I use butter in this recipe, but it can easily be subbed out with ghee. Ghee is clarified butter, meaning all the milk solids have been removed and there are is no lactose left.

Blending the onions, garlic, and ginger into a paste gives you a smooth, silky sauce. It’s also very quick so you can save time chopping!

Using whole cumin seeds adds a little texture without compromising the smoothness of the sauce. The oils found in whole spices add a richness that is unmatched by ground, so when a recipe calls for whole spices it is always a good idea to try your best to stick to it!

Toasted coconut rice is the perfect accompaniment to this butter chicken, find the recipe here.

*makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 large yellow onion or 1 small one

6 cloves garlic

1 1/2 inches ginger

2 tbsp neutral oil

6 tbsp butter (or ghee if lactose free)

2 large chicken breasts or 6 chicken thighs

1 jalapeño or serrano pepper

1/4 tsp red chili powder (cayenne, kashmiri)

2 1/2 tbsp garam masala

2 tsp cumin seed (or 1 tsp ground cumin)

1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups tomato passata/ crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups homemade cashew cream (1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked + 1 cup water)

1 tsp sugar (white, brown, coconut, honey, whatever!)

Salt & pepper to taste

Fresh cilantro for serving

Coconut rice for serving (recipe here)

Directions:

Blend the onion, garlic cloves, ginger and 2 tbsp oil into a paste and set aside.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pot or saucepan on medium heat. cut the chicken breasts into 3/4-inch cubes and add to pot. Brown the chicken cubes in the butter for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, transferring to a plate or bowl. The chicken does not have to be 100% cooked through yet.

Add 2 more tbsp butter to the pot along with onion, ginger and garlic paste. Pierce the hot pepper with a knife and add to the pot. Sauté on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add cumin, paprika, chili powder, garam masala and tomato paste, cooking for another minute.

Add tomato passata and stir until homogenous. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the cashew cream and coconut sugar. Stir the sauce until completely mixed and adjust seasonings to your preference.

Add chicken and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 tbsp butter.

Serve on a bed of your favourite rice topped with fresh cilantro.