Butter Chicken With Yogurt By The Authentic PunjaBee

What you’ll need:

Recipe serves 6

Marinade:

• 600g chicken fillets or boneless thighs cubed – not too small as will be roasted in air-fryer or the grill/oven, so they need to stay tender
• 3 heaped tbsps of Tims Dairy Greek Style Natural Yogurt
• Ginger and garlic paste – adjust quantity to your taste – Bee uses lots!
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp red chilli powder – or to your own taste
• 1 tsp coriander powder – or to your own taste
• 1 tsp cumin powder – or to your own taste
• 1 heaped tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight for the best flavour
2. Heat the grill to its highest setting
3. Mix all the above ingredients bar the chicken in a large bowl until you have a creamy mixture
4. Add the chicken cubes ensuring all the pieces are coated
5. Cover with cling film or transfer to a zip lock bag and store in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours – the more you keep the meat in the marinade the better the result
6. Transfer the chicken to skewers and place in a pre-heated air-fryer at 190c for 18 minutes – turning mid way through cooking. Alternatively under a hot grill and cook for about 7-8 minutes on each side – until slightly charred on the outside. Slice a piece of chicken in half to ensure it is cooked through
7. If you don’t have a grill stir fry in a little butter or oil in a hot non-stick pan until cooked through and keep aside while you prepare the sauce

Sauce:

What you’ll need:

• 1 tbsp of cooking oil
• 100g of butter
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large onion or 2 small onions diced
• 1 heaped tbsp of garlic paste
• 1 heaped tbsp ginger paste
• 3 green chillies – chopped finely
• 1 tin of plum tomatoes – pureed
• Coriander stalks – chopped finely – optional
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 1 tsp of red chilli powder – optional
• 1 tsp of coriander powder
• 1 tsp of garam masala
• 1 tsp of salt or to taste
• 1 tsp of sugar – optional
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• 1 tsp of dried fenugreek leaves
• 2 heaped tbsps of Tims Dairy Greek Style Natural Yogurt
• Handful of chopped coriander leaves to garnish

How to do it:

1. Heat the oil and butter together in a deep heavy based pan – do not let the butter burn
2. Add the cumin seeds
3. When the seeds start to pop add the diced onions
4. Cook the onions until they start to take on a golden tinge
5. Add the garlic and ginger paste
6. As soon as you smell the garlic cooking add the turmeric powder
7. When the ingredients begin to stick together add the tomatoes, chillies and coriander stalks
8. Stir thoroughly and add the chilli, coriander powder, garam masala, sugar, salt and cardamom pods
9. Take the dried fenugreek leaves between both palms and rub together to release the flavour and add to the pan
10. Cook the base on a medium heat until the oil rises to the top and have a thick paste – loosen this slightly by adding a splash of boiled water
11. Allow to cool for 30 mins then transfer to a blender or use a blending stick – be very careful as the sauce will be hot – and blend until you have a nice silky smooth consistency
12. Return to the pan and reheat for 5 mins
13. Add the yogurt, stirring it in slowly as you do not want it to curdle
14. Add the chicken pieces and coat with the sauce
15. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with roti, naan or rice