Classic Butter Chicken

We absolutely love it when we crave a cuisine that we want to order out, but then remember that we have an even better recipe that we can make at home! A perfect example is this Classic Butter Chicken! When our Indian food tastebuds start to tingle, we turn to this creamy, buttery, slightly spicy dish to make all things right in the world… well, according to our tastebuds, that is. The way this perfectly crispy chicken tastes oh-so heavenly will have you forgetting all about the takeout menu. Shoot, Classic Butter Chicken is so good, you’ll never want to eat outside of your kitchen again! It’s some powerful stuff!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cubed
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced
• 3 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 14 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• rice, to taste, cooked and warm, for serving
• fresh cilantro, to taste, chopped, for garnish

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Directions

Step 1 –In a large bowl, season the chicken breasts with the salt, the pepper, 1 teaspoon of the chili powder, and the turmeric.

Step 2 –Let the chicken sit in the spice mixture for 15 minutes.

Step 3 –In a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Step 4 –Add the chicken to the butter and cook until browned.

Step 5 –Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Step 6 –Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the same pot.

Step 7 –Add the onion, the garam masala, the remaining chili powder, the cumin, the cayenne, the ginger, the garlic, the cinnamon stick, the salt, and the pepper and cook until fragrant.

Step 8 –Add the tomato sauce to the onion mixture and bring to a simmer.

Step 9 –Add the water and the heavy cream to the sauce mixture and return it to a simmer.

Step 10 –Add the chicken to the sauce, cover, and simmer until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10-15 minutes.

Step 11 –Stir the remaining butter into the sauce mixture and season with the salt and the pepper.

Step 12 –Serve the chicken and the sauce over the rice, garnished with the cilantro.