Butter chicken was my #1 order at my favorite Indian restaurant in DC, Indigo.
It’s a creamy tomato based sauce cooked with tender pieces of chicken, that they say was created at the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi in the 1950s.
Indigo always served their butter chicken with heaping amounts of rice and some naan, which I took as an invitation to use as a vehicle to soak up every droplet of sauce. And, FYI, heaping amount of rice and bread served along saucy meals is my love language #sauceybitch
When I think of Indigo, my heart swoons. It’s the coziest, most unpretentious place with the nicest *literal* family preparing the food with true love. Like there are cute pictures of the husband and wife on the wall (they are in-love and want you to know it!) and you can usually see their daughter running around. And they’re so nice that back in the day they used to let you pour your own beer, wine, and liquor and then *tell them later how much you drank before charging you*. For obvious reasons, this did not last long. But god love them for trying.
So when I moved to NYC aka far away from my Indigo, I had to learn how to make this dish. Yes, it’s f*cking delicious, but I wanted to capture that ooey gooeyness in my heart. It wasn’t an option to order this at another restaurant. Don’t we all have a place like this from our hometowns?
I love this recipe because it’s an easy weeknight dinner that takes about 30 mins to make and it only uses one pot. And holy cow, is there anything better than making a dope meal and then only having to clean 1 pot and a couple dishes after? Okay, maybe there are “better””” things - but there is probably nothing better within the square footage of my kitchen.
This dish is both super comforting for a cold winter night, but also really good for you! It’s full of anti-inflammatory Indian spices… and … for all of you out there crossing your fingers and hoping … I MADE IT LACTOSE-FREE AND GLUTEN-FREE 💅 (dreams do come true!) I use ghee and coconut milk instead of butter and heavy cream - and I swear you actually do get all of the same butteriness and creaminess - which is a lot for me to say as someone who fucking lives and breathes butter.
What is ghee, you ask? It’s actually a clarified butter (which is why I call this recipe “butter-ish chicken”). Technically, ghee is not dairy-free because it's butterfat. However, it is lactose-free because all of the milk solids are completely removed during production. So if your tummy hurts when you eat dairy - ghee is an exxxcellent butter substitution.
I acknowledge that I am NOT Indian (a shocking fact to actually many people, and many an Indian man who’s tried to court me) so this is by no means a traditional recipe. But it’s yummy, easy to make, and only one pot (did I mention that already?) and I hope you like it as much as I do : )
Butter-ish Chicken
Gluten-Free and Lactose-Free
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp ghee
3/4 cup chicken stock
8 oz (one little can) tomato paste
2 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in to cubes
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
Fresh cilantro or green onions, as a garnish
Make it!
Chop up your onions, garlic, and grate your fresh ginger and put into a large fitted pot.
Add a drizzle of olive oil and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft, about 2 mins.
Add in the ghee, chicken stock, tomato paste, cinnamon, salt, cumin, garam masala and turmeric. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Add the chicken and stir until coated. Don’t worry, the chicken will fully cook in your sauce! Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the coconut milk and the lemon juice. Return to a simmer and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Serve over rice (see Sobremesa 06. for my fool-proof stove-top rice recipe!) and top with either fresh cilantro or green onions as a garnish.
or just eat it out of the pot
Happy cooking.
Love ya mucho.
Tessa
The Indigo shout-out— absolute 🔥 can’t wait to try this butter-ish chicken!