economie

9 tips for making the perfect butter chicken at home, according to a Michelin-starred chef

October 17, 20240
The first step to perfecting your at-home butter chicken recipe is to select the right cut. Bhardwaj recommends bone-in chicken or thighs if you prefer boneless.

PrayudaM/Shutterstock

For Bhardwaj, the first step to making the perfect butter chicken at home is choosing the right cut of meat, which, in this case, is a full chicken on the bone.

“Chicken on the bone will always give off more flavor across the board,” said Bhardwaj. “So if you can, go with that.”

You could ask your local butcher to cut a whole chicken into medium-sized pieces appropriate for curry or opt for bone-in thighs and wings.

But if it’s unavailable or you prefer a boneless cut, “the next best thing would be to use chicken thigh instead,” Bhardwaj said.

Marinating the meat overnight will tenderize it and allow it to soak in the spices properly.
Using three variations of tomatoes adds depth and enhances the sauce’s flavor.

Werner Schneider/Shutterstock

Most restaurants or home recipes in India use charred tomatoes and roasted cashews as the base for butter chicken.

“One major difference I’ve noticed between making this dish in India and here is that the tomato quality in the US tends to vary,” Bhardwaj told BI.

To achieve a consistent flavor each time, he prefers to blend tomato puree and paste with regular roasted tomatoes and cashews.

He said the tomato paste helps lock in the flavors. With just tomatoes, the spices could overpower the sauce, undermining the kick of the tomato itself, he said.

Many people skip the cashews to make a less-calorie-dense curry. But for extra creaminess, add that cashew paste.
Bhardwaj suggests using freshly ground spices as they enhance the flavors and aroma of the dish.

Taras Grebinets/Shutterstock

Once you’ve made the sauce base, it’s time to start cooking.

“Add a tablespoon of oil and 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Let it cook for 30 seconds, and then slowly add the tomato-cashew paste. Let this cook for three to four minutes on medium-high heat,” Bhardwaj said.

Once you notice the sauce thickening, add the spices.

“Start with 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric, 1/2 a teaspoon of chili powder, a pinch of garam masala, some crushed cardamom powder, and a pinch of salt for taste. Then mix it all and allow the sauce to thicken some more,” he said.

Bhardwaj shared that the team at his restaurant dry-roasts and grounds its spices in-house. “It’s a small step, and yet it makes all the difference in the flavor and freshness of the dish,” he said.

For a smoky flavor, half-cook the chicken on a tandoor or in an oven at home for about 10 minutes.
Bhardwaj recommends adding the oven-grilled chicken to your sauce in the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images

“Once you notice a light char and the skin texture change, remove it from the oven and mix it with the sauce after a few seconds,” said Bhardwaj.

For the last steps, let the chicken cook in the sauce for about 20 minutes, avoiding the temptation to peek and check if it’s cooked.

At the end, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar to balance the acidic tomatoes.
When plating, Bhardwaj recommends topping the dish with cilantro, cream, and fenugreek powder.

Shutterstock

When it comes to traditional dishes, which for Bhardwaj include home-cooked meals like butter chicken, about 99% of his recipes were passed down from his family.

“My mum would cook different sabzis (vegetables), daals (lentils), and curries at home about six times a week,” he said. “So, those are the dishes I grew up eating daily.”

On special occasions, though, he said, his dad would take over the kitchen: “He did more of the meat cooking, like the kormas and butter chicken.”

From his dad, Bhardwaj learned the most important final step in making butter chicken: the garnish.

“Before you serve the dish, top it off with some finely chopped cilantro, 2 to 3 teaspoons of dry roasted fenugreek powder, and a little bit of cream,” said Bhardwaj. At the restaurant, they also add sliced chili on top.

“Serve with steaming basmati rice, or my favorite way is to enjoy it with a fresh off-the-tandoor garlic naan.”