Indian Food 101~Butter Chicken

This chicken dish was my first attempt at Indian cooking and it fast became a family favorite. Additionally, it fits all my requirements for a great dish: easy to fix, healthy (mostly), economical, and delicious. It includes a couple of spices you may not have on hand (green cardamon pods and garam masala) but once you secure these you will have enough to make many delicious batches of Butter Chicken. This recipe came to me from two friends: I received it from one friend who received it from a mutual British friend who grew up in India.

Marinate 2 lbs. of cut up chicken breasts in the following mixture for 1-2 hours:

2/3 cup yogurt
1/2 cup ground blanched almonds (I grind them in my blender)
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 bay leaves
1/4 ground cloves
1 tsp. garam masala
4 green cardamon pods
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. can chopped or pureed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Melt in large cooking pot:
6 Tsp. butter
1 Tsp. oil

Add:
2 large onions, sliced and fry until lightly browned

Add:
chicken mixture (chicken + marinade)

Simmer until chicken is cooked through and stir in:
4 Tsp. cream

(Remove the bay leaves and the cardamon pods, if you can find them)

I serve this with brown or white basmati rice. Serves about 6. I double this for a great company dish.