Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken)

I went to Peru last week.  It was really great.  The country is beautiful, the people are kind and helpful, and the food was incredible.  I went this my parents and cousin.  

My dad and cousin speak spanish, and I speak passable Spanish.  I think we tried to practice speaking Spanish every chance we could.   It drove my mother crazy.  It was fun to speak it again, because I rarely speak Spanish in my daily life. 

Everything went much smoother than I anticipated.  We found all the sites and hotels with relative ease.  We caught all our plains, trains, and buses.  It was a wonderful way to start the summer.

When I got back to the US I made this butter chicken and have been eating it all week.  I just finished it today.  It's been delicious and flavorful.  The recipe came from AllRecipes.

This dish is traditional cooked in a tandoor.  In India the chicken is served on the bone.  Sometimes the chicken is marinated overnight in yogurt.

The ingredients are 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1 shallot, 1/4 white onion, 2 tablespoon butter, 2 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon chile powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup half and half, 1 cup tomato puree, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch pepper, 1 teaspoon peanut oil, 1 pound skinless and boneless chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon garam masala, and 1 pinch cayenne pepper. Whew!

I began my cooking the shallot and onion in the hot tablespoon on peanut oil.  I cooked the onion and shallot until they were soft.  

While they were cooking I measured out the spices.  I added one teaspoon of garam masala, chile powder, cumin, the bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.

When the onions and shallots were translucent I added the ginger, garlic, lemon juice, butter, and all the spices.  I cooked this for a minute.

After one minute I added the tomato paste and continued to cook the mixture for two more minutes.  I stirred the entire time.

Then I added the cream and yogurt.

I lowered the heat and let the mixture simmer for ten minutes.

I added another tablespoon of peanut oil to a skillet and cooked the cubed chicken thighs.  I added another teaspoon of garam masala and a pinch of cayenne to the chicken.  The chicken browned for about ten minutes.

After ten minutes I added a few spoons of the sauce and cooked it until most of the liquid had evaporated.  The chicken was completely cooked at this point.

I sprinkled salt and pepper into the sauce before adding the cooked chicken.

I combined the chicken and sauce and cooked it for five to ten minutes.

I ate this with basmati rice.  The sauce is aromatic and mouthwatering.  It's rich and creamy.

It tasted comparable to butter chicken I have eaten in restaurants, though it's not a traditional recipe.