Indian Butter Chicken

Ingredients:
For marinade:
Note: You will need to marinate chicken at least 30 minutes up to max 6 hours.
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp sambhar masala
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup plain yogurt
1 & 1/2 – 2 lb chicken thighs cut into 1in cubes

For the sauce:
1 & 1/2 tbsp dried chopped fenugreek leaves soaked in about 1 cup of warm water
1 cup canned tomato sauce mixed with 1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp of ghee (substitute butter or canola oil)

Directions:
For marinating chicken:
1. In a bowl add in the chicken thighs that were cut into 1 inch cubes. Add in the ¼ cup of fresh cilantro. Add in the 4 tsp of ginger garlic paste. Add in 4 tsp of garam masala and 2 tsp of sambhar masala. Add in 2 tsp of ground turmeric. Finish by adding in the 1 cup of yogurt and mix together until everything is coated. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Once chicken has marinated:
1. Place deep sauté pan on medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of ghee and let it melt. Pour the chicken mixture into the pan and brown the chicken completely (no pink left). Stir to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of pan as it comes to a simmer, this should take 10-15 minutes. Chicken should now be white and firm to the touch.

2. With the chicken still simmering, add the mixture of 1 cup canned tomato sauce mixed with 1 cup heavy cream. Skim out about 1 - 1 ½ tablespoons of the fenugreek leaves from the soaked warm and add to the chicken. Mix everything in the pan together until well incorporated and nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

3. Let it simmer 20 – 25 minutes longer, until it is a gravy like consistency. Remember to stir every 3-5 minutes during the 20-25 minutes to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. This is important to avoid any burning. To test, dip a spoon into the sauce and if the sauce sticks to the back of the spoon, it is ready. Spoon out into a serving platter, and serve with steamed basmati rice and mango chutney.

Enjoy!