Indian Butter Chicken- Murgh Makhani

This was a delicious, flavorful Indian dish.  I love getting the chance to use all of my nice Penzey's spices.  (Although I get my Garam Masala from Vitacost currently and love that version.)  We were having company when I made this, so I doubled the sauce part so that there'd by enough to go around, but I didn't double the butter.  There is a TON of butter in this recipe!  I actually decreased it a bit.  We had this with white rice, roasted cauliflower, and grilled naan bread, of course.  

Indian Butter Chicken- Murgh Makhani

adapted from Food

(can double sauce if needed)

800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3-4cm pieces (about 1.5 lbs)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed
2 cm ginger, peeled and finely grated
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder (can use mild)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
75 ml natural yoghurt (I used about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 -2 tablespoon oil, for brushing

SAUCE
1 1/2 tablespoons ghee or 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 cardamom pod, seeds lightly crushed
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon hot chili powder, to taste (can use mild)
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
275 ml tomato puree (about an 8 oz can)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
40 g unsalted butter (can cut in half)
100 ml double cream
1 tablespoon chopped coriander (cilantro), to garnish

1.  Place the chicken in a bowl with the garlic, ginger, salt, chilli powder and lemon juice. Mix, cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Mix together the yoghurt, garam masala, turmeric and cumin and add to the chicken, making sure that each piece is well coated with the mixture. Cover again and chill for 3-4 hours.

2.  Preheat the oven to 180°C/350 F.  Put the marinated chicken pieces on a grill rack set on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes. Brush the chicken pieces with a little oil and turn them over. Bake for another 10-12 minutes until just cooked through.  (Or- cook the chicken in a skillet and then remove pieces and make sauce in the same skillet.)

3.  For the sauce, heat the ghee or butter in a skillet and add the garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute or so then add the cardamom, cloves, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, fenugreek and chilli powder. Stir well and fry for 1-2 minutes until they give off a lovely aroma.

4.  Stir in the tomato puree and lemon juice and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and stir well to coat. Finally, add the butter and cream and stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sauce is smooth.

5.  Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a warm bowl and serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander (cilantro).

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