Delicious, easy, and impressive
By David Douglas, Contributor
Everyone’s favourite Indian dish is so easy to make at home, even a student could do it on a hot plate if they wanted to!
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (cubed)
1 tomato (diced)
1/2 onion (diced)
1 cup rice
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup cream (can sub with 1 can coconut cream)
4 tbs butter (can sub with margarine)
2 tbs cumin
1 tbs fresh garlic
1 tbs fresh ginger (ground)
1 to 2 tbs chili sauce (based on heat preference)
salt to taste
First, get your favourite rice started in your rice cooker. Use whatever preparation your rice requires. In my case, it is 1 cup dry jasmine rice with 1 and 1/2 cups of water for 45 minutes. If you do not have a rice cooker, you can make stovetop rice, but I would suggest getting a rice cooker in the near future.
Once the rice has started, in a medium saucepan on low heat, combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cream, cumin, chili sauce and half of the butter. Leave to the side and stir frequently. Cover the tomato gravy with a lid. It can get messy once it starts to bubble.
While the tomato gravy simmers, preheat a large skillet on high. If you are using a single burner hotplate, take the gravy off after 30 minutes or so then heat your skillet. Melt the remaining butter into the pan. As soon as the butter is hot or bubbles form, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the pan and begin flipping them about every 5 minutes or when the bottom sides become browned or crispy. After you flip your cubes the first time, drop the diced onions into the pan. After you flip your cubes and onions a second time, drop the garlic and ground ginger into the pan.
One more stir of the chicken mixture and about 5 more minutes should make garlic and ginger-infused chicken which is crispy on most sides… and onions soft and caramelized all drenched in browned butter.
Take the pan off the heat and stir into the tomato gravy. If you are using a hotplate, return the gravy to the burner on low heat again. Allow the butter chicken to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve together with rice and naan bread. Enjoy!
To make this same recipe dairy free, replace the cream with 1 can of coconut cream and the butter with margarine. I actually prefer the recipe when it is modified this way.