So, the first story goes like this. Before the partition of India and Pakistan, Kundan Lal Gujral made tandoori chicken in a dhaba in Peshawar in the 1920s. After independence, he flew to Delhi and opened a restaurant, Moti Mahal, in Daryaganj with two partners. Back in those days, the unsold leftovers couldn’t be stored in a fridge. Gujral didn’t want to be wasteful, so he experimented with dried chunks of chicken, added tomatoes, butter, and some masalas to the gravy and thus, gave birth to the famous butter chicken.
Indian Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 llb pounds chicken breast about 2 large breasts cubed Halal!
- 1/2 cup cup plain whole yogurt
- 2 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 tbs fresh garlic minced
- 2 tbs garam masala
- 1 tbs coriander
- 2 tbs cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne powder to taste for spicynes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 tbs ghee
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup double cream
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 prt chopped cilantro and yogurt
Notes
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In a large bowl, add the cubed chicken breast, yogurt, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, garam masala, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, and turmeric. Mix together and optional, allow to marinade for at least an hour or more.
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Add 1 tablespoon of oil or ghee to a pan and cook your chicken over high heat until it has some browning and is cooked through. Do not overcook because it will continue to cook in the sauce. Set aside.
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In a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons oil or ghee over medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 3-4 minutes until it darkens in color.
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Add the tomato sauce, heavy cream, butter, and sugar. Whisk until smooth.
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Now add the chicken into the sauce, mix, and taste. Adjust to your liking.
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Garnish with chopped cilantro and a yogurt drizzle!
Please see the benefits of adding other important ingredients such as ginger.
isithalalorharam is our instagram feed. The story of Indian Butter Chicken below in more details.
So the story goes, the cooks of Moti Mahal would mix leftover marinade juices with butter and tomato, and then stew the tandoor-cooked chicken in it. It’s unlikely that they had even the faintest idea of what they had stumbled upon – that is, an internationally-loved delicacy. But it is an irrefutable truth of the world that often the best things in life are discovered quite by accident.
Kundan’s restaurant quickly became a famous attraction of Delhi, and it wasn’t long before butter chicken proliferated throughout the world, to be enjoyed by people from every walk of life.
What gives the dish its distinctive flavour is its unique blend of spices, perfected over time. Typically, an Indian restaurant will marinate the chicken for hours in yogurt blended with spices like garlic, coriander, garam marsala, ginger, cumin, and others – it may vary from place to place. Then it’s cooked (typically tandoori-style) and simmered in a mild curry sauce rich with butter, and in some cases, almonds and raisins as well.
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