Butter chicken

Cook it at home: Old Delhi butter chicken (murgh makhani)

Two stages: chicken marinated and charred like tandoori, then a smooth sauce of tomatoes, butter and cream. Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) are the flavor people can't place.

Pans and tools

• Rimmed baking sheet with rack
• Heavy saucepan or skillet
• Blender
• Fine-mesh sieve

You’ll need

• 2 lb (900 g) boneless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
• Marinade: 1/2 cup (120 g) full-fat yogurt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp oil
• For the sauce: 4 tbsp (55 g) butter, divided, plus 2 tbsp to finish
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 green cardamom pods and 4 cloves, lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 lb (900 g) ripe tomatoes, chopped (or a 28 oz / 800 g can whole peeled tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup (35 g) raw cashews, soaked in hot water 15 minutes
• 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp salt and 1 to 2 tsp sugar or honey, to taste
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between your palms
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Naan or basmati rice, to serve

Steps

1. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the chicken, coat well and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
2. Heat the oven broiler on high with a rack 4 inches from the heat. Spread the chicken on a foil-lined sheet with a rack. Broil 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until charred in spots and just cooked through (165F / 74C). Set aside.
3. For the sauce, melt 2 tbsp butter with the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the cardamom and cloves and sizzle 30 seconds, then the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, drained cashews, chili powder and salt. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the tomatoes collapse completely.
5. Pick out the cardamom pods and cloves. Blend the sauce until very smooth, then pass it through a sieve back into the pan, pressing hard. This is what makes it silky.
6. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stir in 2 tbsp butter and the sugar, and cook 5 minutes until it thickens slightly and turns glossy.
7. Add the chicken and any juices and simmer 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the cream, kasuri methi and garam masala and warm through without boiling. Taste: it should be tangy, buttery and gently sweet. Add salt or sugar if needed.
9. Swirl in the last 2 tbsp butter and serve with naan or rice.

Contains: Milk, tree nuts (cashews).