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Butter Chicken – Your First Curry From Scratch!

This is the first Indian curry that we made from scratch!

And boy, were we impressed with the results 😉

In Seoul, a bowl of Indian curry costs around $15. Add a few pieces of (garlic) naan and a meat dish – and your bill will happily run over $30-40.

After all, there’s a big premium on foreign foods here in Korea.

So, when I tried this butter chicken recipe at home – and it had that restaurant taste – I was ecstatic!

I knew it would become a go-to recipe in our home – and we wanted to get you dancing in the kitchen as well.

Now, the original recipe is from Nagi at RecipeTinEats – but we slightly adjusted it based on the ingredients we have available here in Korea.

Key cooking tips for Butter Chicken:

I highly recommend using skinless chicken thigh – that thigh meat is juicy and tender (much better than chicken breast)

Make sure to give the chicken some time to marinate – preferably overnight. Or a minimum of 3 hours.

In our recipe, we used paprika powder – but it can be substituted with cayenne powder.

You’ll also want to get your hands on Garam Masala. This provides the base flavor for our chicken marinade.

It’s a mixture of ground spices like cumin, coriander, black cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leave and peppercorns. You can find at most supermarkets!

For the tomato puree, simply use a can of tomatoes – and give it a blitz in the blender.

When the curry begins to boil, the color will be on the lighter side (as you just added heavy cream). But don’t worry…

Give it a full 20 minutes of boiling and the color will turn into an appetizing vibrant orange.

If you need a naan recipe, try out this one - we found success with it.

If you try it at home, tag us on IG and show us your delicious curry!

We love flipping through pics of your creations in the morning 😉

-Daniel out 🕺

(P.s. If you’re cooking alone, don’t get bored. Consider listening to our latest podcast episode while you cook!)

Butter Chicken - Easy, Make it on the Weekend!

4.72 from 7 votes

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Ingredients

Marinating Chicken

700-800 gram Skinless, Chicken Thigh
½ Cup Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon(!) Turmeric
2 teaspoons(!) Garam Marsala
½ teaspoon(!) Paprika Powder (or Cayenne Powder)
1 teaspoon(!) Cumin
1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger
2 cloves Garlic

Make Butter Curry

2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Tomato Puree
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1.25 teaspoons (!) Salt

To Serve

1 Cup Basmati Rice (Or Jasmine Rice)
A sprinkle Cilantro

Instructions

Prep & Marinade Chicken

Cut skinless, chicken thighs (700-800g) into rough chunks.
Take out a mixing bowl. Then mix Mix Greek Yogurt (½ cup), Lemon Juice (1 Tablespoon), Turmeric (1 teaspoon!), Garam Masala (2 teaspoons!), Paprika Powder (½ teaspoon!), Cumin (1 teaspoon!), Minced Ginger (1 Tablespoon) and then mince-in 2 cloves of garlic.
Add the chicken thigh pieces and coat evenly in the marinade.
Place in the refrigerator - for a minimum of 3 hours or preferably, over night.

Prep Curry Ingredients

After 3 hours of marinating (... or overnight), proceed to the next steps.
Open a can of peeled tomatoes. Place into a blender and blend into a smooth puree. Set aside 1 cup's worth.
Then set aside 2 Tablespoons of Butter. As well as 1 cup of Heavy Cream.

Make Curry

Place 2 Tablespoons of Butter into a large pot (or wok). When the butter melts, carefully add the marinated chicken pieces.
Let the chicken pieces cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they turn white.
Now add-in: Tomato Puree (1 cup), Heavy Cream (1 cup), Sugar (1 Tablespoon), Salt (1.25 teaspoons!). Give it a mix.
Now reduce the heat to a low heat. Let the mixture simmer away for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, the curry is done! Garnish with a few pinches of cilantro - and serve with rice or naan.
Bon Appetit ya'll!

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