Butter Chicken

Grilled chicken morsels cooked in a tomato butter cream sauce

Anyone who has eaten in an Indian restaurant is familiar with butter chicken, the most popular of Indian curries. This is a dish typical of the cuisine developed in the royal Moghul palaces of Delhi, rich and deliciously decadent. The sauce is surprisingly easy to make, as there are no minced onions, ginger and garlic to be sautéed first. The marinated chicken can also be skewered, grilled and served as an appetizer or in a wrap.

For the marinade:

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed in 1 inch pieces 2 cloves of garlic, finely grated or minced 1/2 inch piece of ginger, finely grated or minced 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon saffron strands Salt to taste

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds ½ teaspoon ground cumin seeds ½ teaspoon toasted crushed cumin seeds ½ teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

Place chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add all marinade ingredients and toss well to coat chicken. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours or longer in the refrigerator.

You can either bake the chicken in the oven or grill it on the barbecue. To bake it, preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking tray with parchment and evenly spread marinated chicken all over. Bake or grill for about 8 minutes or until chicken is just tender. Do not overcook. Transfer to a bowl, draining all of the juices and reserve chicken. If grilling outdoors, thread chicken pieces on skewers and grill until it is just done and slightly charred. You can cook the chicken up to 3 days in advance.

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cups canned whole plum tomatoes, lightly drained and pureed, reserve canned liquid ¼ teaspoon dried garlic powder ½ teaspoon dried ginger powder 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

½ teaspoon toasted ground cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon garam masala A generous pinch of saffron salt to taste 3/4 cup canned tomato liquid 2 tablespoons butter, chilled ½ cup whipping cream

Warm 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick skillet set over medium high heat and add the tomatoes. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add all the spices, saffron and salt. Cook till the mixture thickens, another 5 minutes. Add tomato liquid and butter. Cook for 2 minutes. Add cream and reserved cooked chicken and mix well with the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes for flavours to blend

Serves four with other dishes