Butter Chicken in a Silky Sauce
Alison Mollenhauer was right on when she named the recipe she submitted for the Primal Blueprint Reader-Created Cookbook Contest “Butter Chicken” instead of simply “Chicken Curry”. Yes, the recipe has spices like garam marsala, cumin and cardamom. Yes, the air in your kitchen will be heavy with the enticing aroma of curry. But it’s the silky, rich, lick-the-back-of-your-spoon texture that really stands out in this dish. The credit goes to a generous amount of butter and the addition of cream or coconut milk, mellowing the spices and turning this fairly simple dish into something luxurious. The moist, tender meat of chicken thighs can take some credit too, as the chicken practically melts in your mouth with each bite.
For this recipe, Alison uses a marinating technique that makes the chicken as tender and flavorful as possible and you can too if you “do” dairy. Marinating meat in Greek-style yogurt (or other acidic dairy products like buttermilk) breaks down the enzymes in meat and tenderizes the protein. A yogurt marinade is especially great with meat that leans towards dry or tough, like chicken breast or lamb. In the case of chicken thighs the marinade adds additional flavor and tenderness, but since dark meat tends to be tender anyway those of you who don’t love dairy can skip the yogurt and still end up with a really tasty meal.
As the sauce bubbles on your stove, lean in and inhale. Even with all the spices milling around you might be able to detect the distinct aroma of the cardamom pods. Although cardamom is part of the ginger family, it will probably remind you of cinnamon or nutmeg, as they share the same sweet-spicy aroma. Inside each pod are dozens of little seeds that will flavor the dish; the pods will pretty much dissolve as they cook so there is no need to remove them at the end. (If you buy ground cardamom seeds instead of the pods, use it sparingly in this recipe. A little goes a long way.)
Alison’s recipe feeds her family of five with leftovers remaining, and we can’t think of a good reason to cut the recipe in half even if you’re not feeding that many. Butter Chicken is the perfect dish to make in large quantities and eat over the course of several days. The flavors will just keep getting richer and that buttery, creamy texture even more irresistible.
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds chicken thighs, chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 3 teaspoons ground coriander
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 cup Greek-style (thick) yogurt
- 7 tablespoons butter, chopped1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 6 cardamom pods (crush pods slightly to release seeds and more flavor)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 cup cream or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
Instructions:
Combine chicken, garlic, spices and yogurt in a covered container. Refrigerate for an hour or two.
Melt butter in a deep pan. Add vinegar, tomato paste, tomatoes, cardamom and cinnamon. Boil rapidly, stirring until sauce is thick (approximately 20 minutes).
Reduce heat to a simmer and add chicken. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through. Add cream or coconut milk, simmer a few minutes more, and garnish with chopped cilantro.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
This recipe is delicious! My usually picky boys, ages 5 and 3, ate it right up. They especially liked that I told them it was ‘caveman’ chicken and would make them strong and mighty
The whole family liked it so much that no one missed the grains. I served it with cauliflower and peas.
My husband and son both loved this dish, I have not really cooked much before (my husband has always cooked) so I was anxious about trying to make all these “primal” meals. I am very glad to say the pictures, directions and ingredients on each of the recipes I have tried from MDA have all turned out great (also made primal tex-mex tortillas, pot roast, shepard pie, meatloaf) I have not had enough leftovers to make a second meal out of anything yet! Thanks Mark for posting all the free recipes as well as the great advice, it is much appreciated!
Gorgeous! I bought all the ingredients and left husband to cook it. Turned out great and tasted even better!
I can’t believe I have never seen this recipe on your site! My whole family LOVES Butter Chicken and I cannot wait to try your recipe! Also intrigued by the sweet potato option, sounds delish.
I made this today (without tomato paste, sadly). I instead of only coconut milk, I added half coconut/half homemade yogurt to the sauce.
The chicken was entire legs that are pastured, so very high quality. I marinated it in whey and salt for 24 hours (by accident), then broiled it in the oven until the skin became crispy. I let it cool down, then shredded the meat off the bones.
I do not know if this is the quality of the meat, or if it was the 24 hour marination in kefir whey or the crazy good sauce of this recipe….but the entire thing still turned out… Delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds and looks so yummy
Went to whole foods today to buy all of the ingredients…Cheers to My first primal homecooked dinner…dosnt look or sound like a bad choice!!!
attempting to make this right now and can’t figure out if I am supposed to put the chicken and yogurt mixture into the sauce or rinse the chicken first.
Can I freeze the uneaten portions for future lunch or dinners?
If yes, how can I do that?
this was not as good as my own recipe for indian butter chicken that i use cashew butter to thicken… also – there is no salt in it – so no matter how many spices there are in it – it’s just bland… i guess i just need my salt!
How will you eat it because we in India and Pakistan eat with whole wheat flat bread or rice? Now as we are not allowed both of them, how can we eat curry then?
Najam: Just with a spoon; no need for rice or bread with it. If you feel like you need something to sop it up with, you can try making cauliflower “rice.” The recipe may not be authentic, but it’s delicious!
I am new to all of this and indian has never been a favorite of mine, athough I am willing to try the receipes. I do however love thai.are there any thai recipes that I could try paleo style??
Another thought for vegeterians, replace the chicken with uncooked sweet potato cubes it is fabulous.
Thanks for the thought. I think I will add sweet potato the next time around!