Butter Chicken is likely the most recognizable of the many Indian dishes that have become popular in the West. Like so many ethnic foods, this is just one of many recipes. It involves a lot of ingredients, mostly spices, but isn’t as difficult to pull of as it may at first seem. The results are well worth the effort.
The recipe does contain many of the ingredients we recommend to protect the brain, like turmeric, cinnamon, and coriander. We added “a pinch of black pepper” to the original recipe as it increases the benefit of the turmeric.We suggest you use coconut oil as that is one of the foods we recommend, but any good oil will do. We recommend against “vegetable oil”, canola oil, soy oil, corn oil, and cottonseed oil. As always, we recommend you use organic products whenever possible.
The spices in this recipe are not hot spices., except for the chilies, which can be left out if that type of heat is a problem. On the other hand, Butter Chicken has a lot of flavor that may be new to many of you. Many people take some time to get used to unfamiliar spices. If anyone has difficulty with new things, I suggest that you try it initially as one part of a larger meal. But do try it. It is one of my favorite chicken preparations, and I have a lot of them.
Some of these spice might be difficult to find at the grocery store, but all are available at various online stores. We recommend Spicely Organics.
This Butter Chicken recipe conforms with the requirements of both the Paleo and Keto diet.
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INGREDIENTS
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1 ½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt
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2 tablespoons lemon juice
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1 ½ tablespoons ground turmeric
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2 tablespoons garam masala
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2 tablespoons ground cumin
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3 pounds chicken thighs, on the bone
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¼ pound unsalted butter
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4 teaspoons of good oil, like coconut oil
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2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and diced
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4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
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3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely diced
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1 tablespoon cumin seeds
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1 cinnamon stick
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2 medium-size tomatoes, diced
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2 red chiles, like Anaheim, or 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
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Kosher salt to taste
- A pinch of black pepper
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⅔ cup chicken stock, low-sodium or homemade
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1 ½ cups cream
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1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste
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3 tablespoons ground almonds, or finely chopped almonds
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½ bunch cilantro leaves, stems removed.
PROCEDURE
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Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala and cumin in a large bowl. Put the chicken in, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate (for up to a day).
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In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil until it starts to foam. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds, and cook until the onions start to brown.
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Add the cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chiles and salt, and cook until the chiles are soft, about 10 minutes.
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Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes.
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Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
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Add the almonds, cook for an additional 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Garnish with the cilantro leaves.
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