Easy butter chicken
Romy Gill's butter chicken is nut-free, perfect for two and quick to make. It's topped with fragrant cardamom and fenugreek.
Ingredients
- 3–4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2cm/¾in chunks
- 6 green cardamom pods
- pinch dried fenugreek leaves
For the marinade
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp paprika (not smoked)
- ½ tsp flaked sea salt
- ¼ dried flaked chillies
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 15g/½oz fresh root ginger, finely grated
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- pinch dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1½ tbsp tomato purée
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- pinch flaked sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Mix together the marinade ingredients in a small ovenproof dish, ideally cast iron, or a small roasting tin. Add the chicken and coat thoroughly in the marinade. Roast for 10 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Heat the butter in a medium non-stick frying pan and cook the garlic and ginger over a low heat for 1–2 minutes, or until softened but not coloured, stirring constantly. Add the garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric and cook for 30 seconds, stirring.
Sprinkle over the fenugreek and chilli flakes and cook for a few seconds more, then add the caster sugar and tomato purée. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 6 tablespoons cold water and the cream and bring to a simmer. Season with salt, to taste.
Take the chicken out of the oven and stir in the creamy sauce. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and the sauce is bubbling.
Just before the chicken is done, roughly bash the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar and remove the husks. Grind the seeds to a powder. Sprinkle the ground cardamom and remaining fenugreek over the butter chicken just before serving.
Recipe Tips
You can air fry the chicken for 10 minutes at 180C instead of putting the oven on.