I am finally posting an Indian dish – yay!!  This one is probably one of the most popular Indian dishes you will see in an Indian restaurant and it is therefore not unique by any means, but I did make it and thought I might as well post the recipe.  This dish did not originate in my homestate, Andhra Pradesh, but don’t you worry, I’ll be posting dishes from my homestate very soon!  This dish is a popular North Indian dish and I believe it originated in Delhi, India.  Here is the recipe – enjoy:)

chicken makhani

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 pound boneless/skinless chicken breast cut into large chunks
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 small tomatoes chopped and de-seeded (we used tomatoes but I would recommend using tomato puree or tomato paste). 
• 1 shallot chopped
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• Salt/Pepper
• Chopped fresh coriander leaves
• Corn Starch

Instructions:

Chicken:

1. Heat frying pan with oil
2. Add chicken and stir-fry for 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way on both sides

Sauce:

1. Heat sautee pan with oil
2. Sautee onions and shallots for 5 minutes or until golden brown
3. Add ginger, garlic, lemon juice, and all spices – sautee for 5 minutes
4. Add tomatoes and sautee for 5 minutes
5. Add yogurt, heavy cream, and corn starch and simmer for 5 minutes
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and cooked chicken
7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

We had this with parathas, jeera rice, and red wine and it was just DE-LISH.  Couple of  notes I would like to make:

1. ***Important***If you use tomatoes please be sure to take out the seeds and as much tomato juice as possible – we did not do this and the sauce did not come out as thick as I would have liked it to come out.  The key to the sauce is to be as buttery and thick with consistency as possible .

2. Please be liberal with the amount of butter you add – it is BUTTER chicken afterall and hence butter is one of the key ingredients so don’t think about your weight or health or anything of that matter – don’t feel bashful and just add the entire stick of butter – hellz add 2 sticks!

3. Corn Starch is also key to consistency in sauce.

Please let me know if you decide to make the dish!!  and Bon App!!!