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Quick Butter Chicken
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Ingredients
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Step by step
Method
5 steps
- 1
Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté 1 finely chopped medium onion and 1 minced garlic clove until soft and lightly golden, 4–5 minutes — sweet onion smell, not browned bitter.
- 2
In a bowl, toss 1¼–1½ lb bite-size boneless chicken with 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt until evenly coated.
- 3
Push onion to the side (or park briefly on a plate). Add chicken and cook, turning, until golden on the outside, 5–6 minutes — still a little underdone in the center is fine.
- 4
Stir onion back in. Add ¾ cup tomato paste and ¾–1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half); stir until smooth and orange-pink. Cover and simmer medium-low about 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through (165°F) and the sauce is thick and glossy. If it looks tight, splash in a spoon of water; if thin, uncover 2 minutes.
- 5
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon garam masala, taste for salt, and serve over basmati or with naan. You want tender chicken in a glossy, lightly sweet tomato-butter sauce — not dry chicken or a thin watery tomato cream.