Butter Chicken Masala (made of homemade baked chicken)

Butter Chicken Masala (no added food color)

( Lightly seasoned chicken dish enriched with butter and cream. An all - time favorite dish in Indian cuisine)

Serves: 3

For chicken (with tandoori masala):

For the marinade:

500 g chicken pieces

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon thick curd / yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh cream

1 tablespoon thick ginger – garlic paste

1 ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon oil (to grease baking tray)

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a wide bowl. Make a smooth paste. Do not add extra water, left over ginger – garlic paste, curd, lemon juice ….. Marinade (masala) should be thick in consistency).

Method

Wash chicken pieces and drain out water completely. Wipe each piece with a kitchen towel. Apply chicken pieces with marinade ingredients evenly .Cover and keep aside for 4 hours.

For baking:

Preheat oven (OTG) at 200 * C or 400 *F.

Grease baking dish with 1 teaspoon oil. Arrange marinated chicken pieces and bake for 25 minutes or until golden color on top. Remove from the oven and turn the other side. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon oil on top of chicken pieces and bake again for 15 minutes or until golden color. Keep aside to cool for 15 minutes and shred chicken pieces or cut into cubes.

For butter chicken masala:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons (30 g) cashew nuts

3 tablespoons ( 45 ml) tomato puree

1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder

1/4 cup water (50 ml)

Baked chicken pieces

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh cream (or to taste or 1 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon coriander leaves, chopped

Method

Grind cashew nuts in a mixer to a fine powder.

Cut tandoori chicken into 1 - inch cubes or shred chicken pieces.

Melt butter in a non stick pan and fry the cashew nut powder and fry till golden color on a very low heat. Stir continuously.

Maintain low heat. Add tomato puree, chilli powder, salt and garam masala powder Stir well for 2 - 3 minutes on a low heat. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes until gravy thickens. Add baked chicken pieces and cook for 8 -10 minutes. Switch off the heat. Add fresh cream, mix well.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve with any Indian bread of your choice (Best combination is with Naan / Butter Naan / Garlic Naan).