Butter Chicken — Two-Marinade System and Tomato Reduction (मुर्ग मखनी)

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken breast, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 200 g plain yogurt, full-fat
• 30 g ginger-garlic paste
• 8 ml lemon juice
• 4 g garam masala
• 2 g red chili powder
• 2 g turmeric powder
• 2 g ground cumin
• 3 g sea salt
• 40 ml ghee
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 20 g fresh ginger, minced
• 400 g San Marzano DOP tomatoes, crushed
• 120 ml heavy cream
• 8 g fresh cilantro, chopped

Method

1. 1
   Marinate chicken in 100 g yogurt, 15 g ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, 2 g garam masala, chili powder, 1 g turmeric, and 1.5 g salt for 15 minutes.
2. 2
   Heat 20 ml ghee in heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat; sear marinated chicken in batches until browned, 3 minutes per batch. Set aside.
3. 3
   Add remaining 20 ml ghee to pot; cook sliced onion until deep golden, 8 minutes.
4. 4
   Stir in minced garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
5. 5
   Add crushed tomatoes, remaining ginger-garlic paste, remaining turmeric, and remaining salt; simmer 8 minutes until tomatoes break down.
6. 6
   Stir in remaining yogurt and cream; return chicken and any juices to pot; simmer 10 minutes until chicken is tender and sauce is velvety.
7. 7
   Finish with remaining 2 g garam masala and fresh cilantro.
8. 8
   Serve hot with basmati rice or naan.