Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken breast fillets cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons baking soda

For the chicken marinade:

• 3 loaded spoons of plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Note: Garam masala is the combination of cumin seeds (जीरा) powder, corainder (धनिया), big cardamom (बड़ी इलायची) and cinnamo (दालचीनी)

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 large onion cut in half
• 1 tablespoons garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon butter chicken paste/masala
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 500 g Leggo tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder (preference)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1 cup of thickened cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kasoori methi (or dried fenugreek leaves)

Note: If leggo paste is not available the you can use another way (method 2) to make the butter chicken , that will require 5 tomatoes, whole ginger and garlic , along with previous contents.

Instructions:

1. Cut the meat in small cubes (1x1x1 inch). Make baking soda solution by mixing 3 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 litre of water. Soak meat pieces in bowl of baking soda solution for 15 minutes.
2. Then take out the chicken pieces and mix them with all the ingredients for the chicken marinade. let it marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
3. Boil onions in pressure cooker till one whistle. Let the onions cool down for 30 minutes. Take out these onions from the pressure cooker and make its paste using food processor. Put it in a bowl and keep it aside.
4. Heat butter or ghee in a pan and pour the Leggo tomato paste in and cook for 3 minutes. (Note: if you do not have Leggo tomato paste then see the Leggo tomato paste replacement method below). Now add the thickened cream and sugar and cook for another 3 minutes. Keep stiring while cooking. Put it in a bowl and keep it aside.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in another pan. Add garlic and ginger, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant, then add coriander powder, cumin powder, butter chicken masala, chili powder and salt. Let it cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
6. Add onion paste and bring it to boil then add tomatoes paste. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour. Put the crushed kasoori methi (or fenugreek leaves).
7. Cook meat pieces in a pressure cooker till three whistle (Wait till the pressure of the cooker release naturally.)
8. Add the chicken into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
9. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with fresh, hot basmati rice.

Leggo tomato paster replacement
If you do not have lego paste then, cut onion, garlic, ginger in big pieces and cook them for 5 minutes in olive oil. Make its puree after cooling it down. Cook again in another spoon full of olive oil for another 7 minutes then add 200 grams thickened cream and 1 spoon sugar. Add one cup water, mix well and cook again for 3 minutes while stirring.