Butter Chicken

Have you ever had a dream of something that happened in the past and it feels like you transported back in time? That’s what happened to me last night and I’m going to tell you why it made me hungry. I had a dream last night that I was back working at Simply Thai, and it was Indian day. Every Saturday one of us would make a family meal since we were going to be busy all night and wouldn’t have time to eat if not. When it came time for Indian day, I was a little worried because most of the guys I worked with really like spicy food and he was the one cooking. I didn’t want to get labeled as the girl that can’t handle her spices so I’m going to show you a trick to counter if you go to spicy.

Now the guy making dinner this night was from Indiana, but our chef was originally from Thailand, so we didn’t want to disappoint him on the spicy flavor from the region so what I did was add extra coconut milk if it gets too spicy. I would have to use the same trick a few years later when I made butter chickens close friend tiki marsala for the kids at school. They loved curry chicken and tiki marsala.

I’ve heard 2 schools of thought on how to make butter chicken. Some say you marinade the yogurt spices and chicken then make the sauce then I heard you make the curry then cook the chicken. I landed somewhere in the middle. I make the curry paste and cook the chicken in it and then finish the sauce but either way will be delicious.

So tonight, feeling nostalgic I think I’m making some butter chicken. Here’s how I make mine. Sweat down a chopped-up onion with grama marsala, curry powder, turmeric, chili powder, garlic, and ginger and cook into a paste on a low heat. Brown chicken thigh or breast pieces on both sides, should take like 5 minutes on each side. Add tomato paste and a half cup of yogurt stir to pull up browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add 2 small coconut milk cans stir to remove all the clumps and distribute all the flavors. Cook on low until the sauce is a thick consistency and the chicken is cooked all the way through. I top mine with cilantro and limes and cook some basmati rice and naan bread to go with mine, but you eat yours however your heart desires.

As always if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or by commenting below. Be Blessed!!