This recipe is not recreating the wheel. Most butter chicken recipes follow the same pattern. You just need to take your time when adding the cream, butter and honey to balance the dish to your preference.
Serves: 4-5
Time: 10 minutes the day before and 45 minutes on the day
Difficulty: Take your time
Chicken Tikka
8 Chicken Thighs (deboned & Skin off)
200-300ml of Yogurt
1 tablespoon of Kashmiri Chilli powder (or Cayenne)
1 Onion
Gravy (Sauce)
500ml Chicken Stock
3 tablespoons of Tomato Puree
1 Onion
1 thumb sized piece of Ginger
2 cloves of Garlic
1 teaspoon of Garam Masala
1 teaspoon of ground Tumeric
1 teaspoon of ground Cumin
1 teaspoon of ground Coriander
1 teaspoon of Kashmiri Chilli powder (or Cayenne)
2 tablespoons of Honey
100ml Single Cream
2 tablespoon of Butter
Salt & Pepper
The Night Before
1. Grate the onion and add to the yogurt. Mix in the chilli powder.
2. Cut the chicken into bite size chunks and mix into the yogurt mixture. Refrigerate over night.
On the Day
1. Skewer the chicken that has been marinading over night and place under a grill on medium high until the yogurt marinade has blackened in parts.
2. Meanwhile, slice the onion finely and add to a large pot with a little oil and sweat for 2 minutes. Then finely dice the garlic and ginger before adding to the pan for 1 minute.
3. Add the spices and tomato puree to the pot and cook for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Optional at this point – use a hand blender to smooth out the gravy so far.
5. Add the cream, honey and the butter. Add the chicken to the sauce and heat through. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Serve, salt and pepper to taste.
Recipes from my kitchen, Edinburgh, Scotland 