Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
One of my brother Joe’s favorite dishes that I used to make for him, this Spicy Indian Butter Chicken is such a perfect comfort food! Served over basmati rice, spicy but not too spicy, and topped with green onions and cilantro, it is the very definition of YUM in a bowl! If you think you don’t like Indian food, hang on! My husband EJ insists he hates Indian food, yet each time I make this dish he literally cleans his plate. And goes back for seconds. ALWAYS. My kids love it as well.
Adapted from a recipe I found a year or so ago on the Half Baked Harvest website (I absolutely love everything Teighan Gerard creates, by the way), I toned down some of the spices–and spiciness–from the original. This was initially to make sure my brother would be able to enjoy it when he was sick. When making food for loved ones, I try to be very mindful about too much spiciness or exotic flavors. I personally LOVE all things hot and spicy, but not everyone does! In general it is good to keep that in mind when bringing food to people.
Spicy Indian Butter Chicken is delicious served over basmati rice, such as my Simply Perfect Oven Rice. Alongside it I will just take some naan bread, drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle a little garlic salt on top and warm in the oven for about 5 minutes. That perfectly rounds out such a comforting and delicious dish!
Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenders cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 6 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger I use the frozen ginger cubes from Trader Joe's
- 2 tsp + 1 Tbsp garam masala [divided]
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 + 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper [divided]
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 onion chopped fine
- 1 tube tomato paste [1/2 cup]
- 1 14 ounce can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, place the chicken pieces along with the yogurt, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger, 2 teaspoons garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir well and set aside to sit for about 10 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon butter and toss to coat the chicken. Transfer the chicken out of the skillet onto a plate and set aside.
- To the skillet, now add the chopped onion and saute until soft. Add 2 Tablespoons butter, the remaining 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 Tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook about 3 more minutes.
- Reduce heat to low/medium low. Add 1 cup of water and the canned coconut milk. Stir well and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook about 5 minutes while the sauce thickens some. Stir in last 1 Tablespoon of butter.
- Now add the chicken and any juices from the plate back into the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Taste and season with salt and additional pepper if desired.
- Serve over basmati rice, garnished with the green onions and additional cilantro. Warm naan bread on the side makes it a meal! Enjoy!