Last night The Vegemite Kid floored me…..He asked for seconds! Seconds? “Sure sweetie….Seconds of what?” His answer? “Butter Chicken”! The child who lives on Jatz, vanilla yoghurt and Vegemite Sandwiches was asking for more Butter Chicken? I was ecstatic. Finally my persistence had paid off. Unfortunately there was no Butter Chicken left, but I now have another protein dish my little man will eat, and he has asked me to make it again because it is “Yummy”. And it is yummy, it has enough flavour to keep the adults happy, and mild enough for even my 3 year old who isn’t served any slivered almonds on her plate. And if you keep a good supply of herbs and spices in your pantry, it actually works out to be quite an economical meal.
Butter Chicken
60g butter
750g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, quartered (I use skinless chicken breasts)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
1 cup tomato puree
½ cup thickened cream
1/3 cup thick natural yoghurt
¼ cup toasted flaked almonds, coriander leaves, rice, warm roti, to serve
Directions:
- Heat oil and half the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan on high. Cook chicken in 3 batches, for 3-4 minutes each, until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add remaining butter. Sauté onion, ginger and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, garam masala and chilli powder and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Blend in tomato puree and season to taste. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, until slightly reduced. Turn heat to low.
- Return chicken to saucepan with cream and yoghurt. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with almonds and coriander. Serve with rice and naan.