I remember the precise moment that I first tried this saucy minx of a dish. I was on the road with my band, thoroughly enjoying an evening off in Old Montreal. My bandmate Marc and I headed out on the town for some deliciously exciting, non-Maritime cuisine and stumbled into a completely unassuming Indian restaurant. The smell: intoxicating. The food: to die for. An explosion of flavor! Entirely life-changing. From that day onward I’ve been romanced by the bold flavors of India. So damn good. This recipe requires a little extra prep time and an overnight marinade, essential in developing those rich, full-bodied curry flavors that we love so much. Plan ahead, get prepped, enter a world of next-level tastiness.
Ingredients
4–6 servings
Chicken:
Curry:
To serve:
Preparation
Make the chicken:
Step 1
Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks and toss them with the lemon juice and chile powder. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Step 2
In a small dish, combine the yogurt, turmeric, garam masala, garlic, ginger, sunflower oil, and salt. Stir well. Massage the chicken with the yogurt marinade, cover the container, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 12 hours. Dream about delicious curry all night long.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Soak 10 to 12 bamboo skewers in cold water for about 20 minutes.
Step 4
Thread the chicken onto the skewers and transfer to a rack set on a baking sheet. Bake the chicken skewers, turning halfway through, for 12 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through. Brush the chicken all over with the melted butter and set aside.
While the chicken is baking, crack on with the curry:
Step 5
In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the garlic, ginger, fenugreek seeds, chiles, and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the tomatoes and chile powder and cook, stirring often to keep the sauce from sticking to the pot, for 20 minutes.
Step 6
Turn off the heat and purée the sauce directly in the pot with an immersion blender. (Alternatively, carefully transfer the sauce to a regular blender and purée—be careful when blending hot liquids.) Turn the heat to medium and stir in the stock and sea salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has started to thicken beautifully.
Step 7
Remove the chicken pieces from the skewers and stir them into the curry, along with the maple syrup and dried fenugreek leaves. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Turn the heat to medium- low and stir in the cream and garam masala. Simmer the sauce for a final 5 minutes.
Step 8
Top each bowl of curry with a drizzle of cream, fresh cilantro, and sliced red chiles, if you like it spicy. Serve with rice or naan. Immediately enter comfort food heaven.
Leave a Review
Reviews (10)
Back to TopI loved this recipe so much, I bought the cookbook that goes with it. Husband and kids also raved about it, which is a win in my book.
Lisa E
Seattle ish
1/5/2023
I love it and have made it many times as it is written here. Here's what I do differently now: A food processor is a great substitute for the immersion blender. The other option is to use a deep pot. I switched to powdered fenugreek because it is easier to find and easier to blend. I take the cinnamon stick out before blending but I do leave it in the crockpot all day. I use more cardamom than suggested. About twice as much. 12-15 pods total. I omit the maple syrup because I rarely use it for anything else so I never have it. I use coconut milk instead of the heavy cream. I do the chicken overnight as written. Saute a white onion in a pan for 4-5 minutes at medium, add chicken and switch heat to medium-low for another 8-10 minutes. Toss in the crockpot. Make sauce more or less as written. Toss in the crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. The curry tastes so much better after a long simmer.
Lydia B.
Bentonville, AR
10/20/2021
I had never cooked an Indian dish but bought the spices for it so that I could make it for a friend's birthday dinner. I followed the recipe precisely and the sauce was delicious but the chicken was dry and tough. The recipe is not intended for someone who is new to Indian cooking, as I had to research a couple of issues that came up while cooking it, such as whether to remove the whole spices.
mbbeatley
Alexandria Va
6/3/2019
Great recipe
olaugh95
Richmond, VA
5/6/2019
Note: Turmeric stains EVERYTHING! Blending everything just made a mess for me. Will trying using powder next time, or just skip the blending. This is a labour of love, I salute all the moms out there who have made this for their families. And on that note, it is delicious and worth every minute.
Anonymous
Toronto
4/16/2018
Made a few changes to save time 1. Mixed all the ingredients for the chicken and marinaded for 3 hours 2. Cook the chicken for 20mn in oven and let it cook in the curry at low heat for a couple of hours 3. Made the curry as is which is easy! It came out wonderful.
desquestions
Wa
2/12/2018
A food processor, I’ve found, is the best method for making the sauce smooth and well puréed.
Anonymous
1/25/2018
This was by far the most delicious butter chicken I’ve ever made! It was definitely worth the effort. However, I would add that the serving yield was WAY more than 4-6. I was able to serve twelve people a very normal and filling serving with this recipe.
davidtrent13830
Midland, MI
1/17/2018
I'm eating this right now-- good but not really worth the effort. The immersion blender does nothing to the cardamom pods, much less the stick cinnamon, and doesn't really make the curry smooth. Without making this again, I can't say if all the "simmer for X minutes and then add something and simmer for Z minutes" is worthwhile.
suzwil
Arizona
12/8/2017
OK this is perfectly delicious. With some adjustments. I think the recipe makes too much sauce. I kind of have some of the volumes of the tomatoes and the stock and then I make sure it’s well reduced. I keep the space is about 2/3 main thing is to reduce it to a point where it makes a nice substantial sauce, I’ve also started substituting some of the sweetener with. Dates and just a splash of maple syrup to make it a bit healthier. I’ve been making it for several years. It’s everybody’s favorite and tastes very authentic.
Perfectly delicious
Dallas tx
7/3/2023
See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
53 Chicken Breast Recipes for Flavorful, Juicy (Yes, Juicy) Dinners
Reinvigorate your weeknight dinner routine—and finally use up that pack of poultry in your freezer—with our best recipes for chicken breast.43 Ways to Use a Can of Crushed Tomatoes
Let that can of crushed tomatoes inspire your dinner tonight.47 Incredible Indian Recipes
Indian food is as vast and varied as the subcontinent itself; these 47 recipes are just a starting point.
