Murgh Makhani (butter chicken)

Ingredients

Butter Chicken

• 8 chicken thigh-fillets
• 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• pinch salt
• 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Makhani Sauce

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 green chillies
• 4 cardamom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp cashew nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground fenugreek
• 60ml single cream
• salt

Method

1. Mix the chicken with the ginger and garlic paste, and salt then set aside.
2. Whisk together the yoghurt, chilli powder, garam masala and oil in a bowl, message into the chicken and leave to marinate for a minimum of 4 hours in the fridge.
3. For the makani sauce, heat the oil in a large pan. Pierce the green chillies with a sharp knife and add to the pan with the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and ginger. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes have broken down.
4. Remove the whole spices and then put the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth, loosening with a little water if needed. Place the sauce back on the heat and add the chilli powder, honey, tomato paste, butter, cashew nuts and fenugreek. Season with salt and simmer for a further 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, grill the marinaded chicken until cooked through. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce set on a medium heat and stir in the cream, warming through before serving with rice and naans.