Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken)

Is this not insanely tasty-looking, my flock? Well, rest assured that it's one of the best curries I've ever made, and I've probably made over 3,000 in my lifetime. This is the ULTIMATE Butter Chicken!

Here's how it went down: I was heavily inspired after being at Devi yesterday so I arbitrarily decided to make Butter Chicken. Good move!

I found a base recipe that looked pretty good and I modified it, as I am Wont To Do.

Here's a shot of the recipe and my chicken scratch alterations:



I basically just upped everything up a notch but kept the framework intact. You'll need an immersion blender or a standing blender for the sauce. N.B.: BRINE THE CHICKEN, always brine the chicken!

Then proceed as follows. The ingredient list may look long but at most the whole thing will take about two hours:

Ingredients

Chicken
2 teaspoons grated ginger
4 teaspoons minced or pureed garlic
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, brined for 30 minutes, patted dry and cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup crème fraîche
1 tablespoon Garam Masala

Sauce
4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
4 teaspoons grated ginger
4 teaspoons minced garlic
4 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup (about 2 heaping tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, diced
4 teaspoons. grated ginger
1/3 cup whipping cream

To Finish
2 tsp. Garam Masala
4 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Whipped cream

Method

Chicken
Combine ginger, garlic, salt, cayenne and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let chicken marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature. Add yogurt and Garam Masala and let marinate for 20 minutes longer.

Preheat oven to 450. Place chicken on a rack over a roasting pan (or baking pan) and roast for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Reserve.

Sauce
Combine tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and chicken stock in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes or until tomatoes have completely broken down. Remove whole spices. Puree in a blender (or use an immersion blender).

Bring sauce to a boil. Add cayenne and simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in butter. Add the chicken and any juice and simmer for 5 minutes. Add (1 tsp.) ginger and cream and simmer another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust spiciness by adding up to 3/4 tsp. more cayenne. Stir in Garam Masala and sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

With spoon, drizzle whipped cream in swirls over each portion, garnish with cilantro, and serve over rice or naan bread.