Topic: Murgh Makhani - Butter Chicken (as close to restaurant as i can make it)

[fstr n u]

Many of our local East Indian Restaurants serve Butter Chicken with a very liquid (non textured sauce) which led me to wonder how they get their sauce the way they do.  After much trial and error, the family and I are more than satisfied with the results.  Here's what i did for those who enjoy this dish:

1. Marinade:
5 chicken breasts cubed; 2 Tbsp Tandoori Masala pdr; 1 tsp ginger/1 tsp garlic paste; 1 tsp curry pdr; 1 tsp garam masala pdr; 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice; 2 Heaping Tbsp Greek Plain Yogurt:
(a) mix ingredients into cubed chicken, cover and marinade for as long as you can (up to 24 hours)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Butter Chicken Sauce:
2 Tbsp Ghee/Oil
1 Lg Onion chopped fine
1-1/2 tsp garlic & 1-1/2 tsp ginger paste;
2 Cans Tomato Soup Soup (approx 600 mls in total) &  1 can Tomato Paste (small)
60 mls (2 oz) chicken stock
6 cloves ground into pdr
1/4 tsp cinnamon pdr & 3/4 tsp Cardamom pdr
1 tsp Paprika pdr & 1 tsp Kashmiri pdr
1 Tbsp Butter& 100 ml Heavy Cream;
3 Heaping Tbsp Greek Plain Yogurt
1 Tbsp Coriander pdr & 1-1/2 tsp Cumin pdr
Optional: 1/4 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 Tbsp Fenugreek Leaves ground (Methi) & 2 tsp Garam Masala pdr
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Pan fry marinated chicken until cooked or bake in cooking ware (375 degrees F x 20-25 minutes); once cooked set aside until Step 5
2. Add Ghee/oil to pan; saute onions x 15 minutes add garlic/ginger pst and cook x 3 minutes  medium heat; add chicken stock or water & 2 cans Tomato Soup
3. Allow to cool slightly, then blenderize contents of pan until smooth (once done blending, you can pass contents through sifter/sieve to remove seeds/skins)
4. Put blenderized sauce back into pan and continue cooking at medium heat; add 1 small can Tomato Paste and all spices EXCEPT for Garam Masala and Fenugreek Leaves
5. Cook blenderized sauce and spices for 5-10 minutes, add butter and small amount water if needed to get sauce consistency to your liking; then add cooked chicken to pan, stir and continue cooking x 3 minutes
6. Add Garam Masala, Fenugreek Leaves and Heavy Cream...continue cooking x 5 minutes
7. Taste sauce...add salt/sugar/water as needed to get taste and consistency to your
8. Serve with Naan Bread/chick peas/rice and enjoy
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before anyone critiques this recipe, please try it out.  I had several people sample this dish and they all really enjoyed the butter chicken.

Ryan