Butter Chicken

PreparationMake the chicken: Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks and toss them with the lemon juice and chile powder. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for 20 minutes. In a small dish, combine the yogurt, turmeric, garam masala, garlic, ginger, sunflower oil, and salt. Stir well. Massage the chicken with the yogurt marinade, cover the container, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 12 hours. Dream about delicious curry all night long. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Soak 10 to 12 bamboo skewers in cold water for about 20 minutes. Thread the chicken onto the skewers and transfer to a rack set on a baking sheet. Bake the chicken skewers, turning halfway through, for 12 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through. Brush the chicken all over with the melted butter and set aside. While the chicken is baking, crack on with the curry: In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the garlic, ginger, fenugreek seeds, chiles, and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the tomatoes and chile powder and cook, stirring often to keep the sauce from sticking to the pot, for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and purée the sauce directly in the pot with an immersion blender. (Alternatively, carefully transfer the sauce to a regular blender and purée—be careful when blending hot liquids.) Turn the heat to medium and stir in the stock and sea salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has started to thicken beautifully. Remove the chicken pieces from the skewers and stir them into the curry, along with the maple syrup and dried fenugreek leaves. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Turn the heat to medium- low and stir in the cream and garam masala. Simmer the sauce for a final 5 minutes. Top each bowl of curry with a drizzle of cream, fresh cilantro, and sliced red chiles, if you like it spicy. Serve with rice or naan. Immediately enter comfort food heaven. From Eat Delicious: 125 Recipes for Your Daily Dose of Awesome © 2017 by Dennis Prescott. Reprinted by permission of Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.

PreparationMake the chicken: Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks and toss them with the lemon juice and chile powder. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for 20 minutes. In a small dish, combine the yogurt, turmeric, garam masala, garlic, ginger, sunflower oil, and salt. Stir well. Massage the chicken with the yogurt marinade, cover the container, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 12 hours. Dream about delicious curry all night long. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Soak 10 to 12 bamboo skewers in cold water for about 20 minutes. Thread the chicken onto the skewers and transfer to a rack set on a baking sheet. Bake the chicken skewers, turning halfway through, for 12 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through. Brush the chicken all over with the melted butter and set aside. While the chicken is baking, crack on with the curry: In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the garlic, ginger, fenugreek seeds, chiles, and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the tomatoes and chile powder and cook, stirring often to keep the sauce from sticking to the pot, for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and purée the sauce directly in the pot with an immersion blender. (Alternatively, carefully transfer the sauce to a regular blender and purée—be careful when blending hot liquids.) Turn the heat to medium and stir in the stock and sea salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has started to thicken beautifully. Remove the chicken pieces from the skewers and stir them into the curry, along with the maple syrup and dried fenugreek leaves. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Turn the heat to medium- low and stir in the cream and garam masala. Simmer the sauce for a final 5 minutes. Top each bowl of curry with a drizzle of cream, fresh cilantro, and sliced red chiles, if you like it spicy. Serve with rice or naan. Immediately enter comfort food heaven. From Eat Delicious: 125 Recipes for Your Daily Dose of Awesome © 2017 by Dennis Prescott. Reprinted by permission of Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.