Chicken
Tandoori Chicken Kachumber Salad
Tandoori chicken kachumber salad combines warmly spiced cooked chicken with a crisp tomato-cucumber-onion mixture. The yogurt marinade supplies the coating, while fresh lemon and…
Chicken
Butter Chicken
Butter chicken centres on a smooth tomato sauce enriched with butter and cream. The marinated chicken contributes roasted flavour, while dried fenugreek gives the finish a distinctive aroma. The sauce should remain tomato-led and gently spiced, with richness that supports rather than hides the chicken.
v2.0
Home Cook View
Follow the measured ingredients, numbered method, substitutions, safety notes and cooking mode below.
Professional Kitchen View
Standard Yield4 servings
Professional Chef Notes
Use passata for a smooth base and plain yogurt for the marinade. Crush kasuri methi between your palms and add it gradually. Sugar is optional because tomato acidity varies; taste the cooked sauce before deciding whether any is needed.
Brown the marinated chicken separately and cook the tomato base until its raw sharpness softens. Add butter and cream with controlled heat, then finish the chicken in the sauce to 74°C. Taste after the fenugreek has warmed through before adding more.
Too much dried fenugreek can make the finish bitter. A greasy-looking sauce may have boiled too hard after enrichment; lower the heat and loosen gently if needed. Extra cream can dilute flavour, so correct reduction and seasoning before increasing richness.
About This Recipe
Butter chicken centres on a smooth tomato sauce enriched with butter and cream. The marinated chicken contributes roasted flavour, while dried fenugreek gives the finish a distinctive aroma. The sauce should remain tomato-led and gently spiced, with richness that supports rather than hides the chicken.
Before You Start
1. Read firstRead every step once before switching on the cooker.
2. MeasureWeigh and prepare all ingredients in the order listed.
3. Control heatLow means a gentle bubble, medium cooks steadily, and high is for quick browning.
4. Check donenessUse the texture, timing and safe-temperature checks written in the method.
Equipment
- ✓ Mixing bowl
- ✓ Baking tray
- ✓ Saucepan
- ✓ Food thermometer
Ingredients
- For the Chicken Marinade
- For the Butter Chicken Sauce
- To Finish
Easy Step-by-Step Method
Complete one numbered step before moving to the next. Keep the heat and timing exactly as written.
Marinate the Chicken
- Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, garam masala, Kashmiri chilli or paprika, cumin and salt. Fold in the chicken until every piece is coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For deeper flavour, marinate for up to 8 hours, but keep the chicken refrigerated throughout.
Heat the Oven and Prepare the Chicken
- Heat the oven to 230°C conventional / 210°C fan. Line a tray and place the chicken pieces in a single layer, leaving space between them. Let excess marinade drip off; do not pour the raw marinade over the tray.
- Drizzle with the neutral oil. Roast for 14–18 minutes, turning once, until the edges are browned and lightly charred. The chicken will finish cooking in the sauce, so avoid drying it out at this stage. Discard leftover raw marinade.
Start the Tomato-Butter Base
- Melt 25 g of the butter with the 10 ml oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 60–90 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
- Add ground coriander, cumin and Kashmiri chilli or paprika. Stir for 20 seconds.
Cook the Tomato Sauce Properly
- Add the passata, hot water and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly.
- The sauce is ready for enrichment when the raw tomato sharpness has softened, the colour has deepened slightly and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Do not use sugar to hide an undercooked tomato base.
Finish the Chicken in the Sauce
- Add the roasted chicken and any fully cooked tray juices to the sauce. Simmer gently for 5–7 minutes. Check the centre of the largest chicken piece with a clean thermometer; it must reach at least 74°C.
Add the Butter, Cream and Fenugreek
- Turn the heat to low. Stir in the cream, remaining 25 g butter, garam masala and crushed kasuri methi. Warm gently for 2–3 minutes without allowing the sauce to boil hard.
- Taste for salt, tomato acidity and richness. Add the optional sugar only if the fully cooked tomato sauce remains unusually sharp; add it in small amounts.
Rest and Serve
- Switch off the heat and rest for 5 minutes. The sauce should be silky and pourable, not thick like paste and not greasy on the surface.
- Finish with coriander and the optional final butter. Serve with basmati rice, naan or another flatbread.
Chef Notes & Tips
Butter chicken should taste tomato-led first, then buttery and creamy, with the perfume of kasuri methi arriving at the end. Richness is part of the dish, but cream should not erase the roasted chicken or tomato flavour.
Chicken control: Thigh meat is forgiving, but the pieces still dry out if fully cooked hard in the oven and then simmered too long. Roast for colour, then finish gently in the sauce to at least 74°C.
Sauce control: The most important stage is cooking the tomato base until the raw acidic edge disappears. Butter and cream are finishing ingredients, not shortcuts for an undercooked sauce. Once cream is added, keep the heat low.
Kasuri methi: Crush the dried leaves between your palms just before adding them. Start with the measured amount; too much can make the sauce medicinal or bitter. Do not substitute fenugreek seeds directly because their flavour behaves very differently.
If something goes wrong: If the sauce looks greasy, lower the heat and stir in a small splash of hot water rather than more cream. If it tastes sharply tomato-like, simmer the tomato base longer before enriching it. If it is too rich, correct salt and acidity first rather than adding more tomato or sugar blindly. If the chicken is dry, shorten the final simmer next time.
Ingredient Substitutions
- ↔ Chicken thigh → chicken breast, checking doneness earlier
- ↔ Double cream → cooking cream
- ↔ Dried fenugreek → omit rather than substituting fenugreek seeds
Food Safety & Doneness
Keep raw poultry separate from ready-to-eat food and do not wash it. Check the thickest flesh and any stuffing reach at least 74°C with a food thermometer; colour and timing alone are not reliable.
Serving & Plating
Serve in a warm bowl with rice or flatbread. Spoon sauce over the chicken and use a small cream garnish only if it complements the stated portion.
Storage
Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers at 4°C or below and use within 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed to at least 74°C throughout. Discard food left unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C.
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