Indian Buttered Chicken

This is an authentic recipe garnered from Indian chefs. And when people tell you Indians don’t cook with butter, you can tell them this: wealthy Indians do. This recipe is truly “decadent.”

Ingredients

1 large onion, cut into big chunks
4 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon crushed fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lb chicken (cut up into bite sized pieces)

1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon turmeric
½ tablespoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt  (might need more)
Cayenne Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon tomato paste, or 1/4 cup Tomato Sauce
1 cup cooked tomatoes (w/o peels)
¼ cup ground almonds

½ cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro LEAVES

Black Pearl Rice

Directions

Prepare the rice (water at twice the amount of rice but a bit more and it must cook for about 45 minutes). Remove from heat and let sit till it is room temp. Rice at room temperature becomes “resistant starch.” If you have an InstaPot, just put everything in the pot and hit “Multigrain.”

Cut up the onion into thick chunks. (We prefer red onions for the added nutrition of the anthocyanins.) Chop up the cilantro and then the almonds. Remember to use ONLY the cilantro leaves (the stems are bitter).

In a large pan, warm THREE tablespoons of butter then add the onions and the cinnamon and fry lightly. When the onions are soft, stir in the garlic and ginger, add the spices (not the cilantro leaves), then add the chicken plus ONE more tablespoon of butter, and sauté over a medium heat stirring constantly until the chicken meat turns white.

Note on Spices: One chef told me that these are hard to find, fenugreek leaves. He said that I might want to grab a good sized pinch, crush them up, and sprinkle into the recipe. (I have. It’s nice.)

Note on using an InstaPot (or something similar): Add those wonderful spices after you’ve put everything in the pot instead of while sautéing. For one thing, I find NO benefit in sautéing in the pot (although it can be done) and while the entire recipe is under pressure is a better time for the spices to blend into the recipe. Just take my word for it.

Now if you want, you can refrigerate this and finish preparation later. I’ve often prepared this first part the day before company was coming because when you have company it’s hard to entertain and sauté at the same time. The next day you can put it back on the stove, and finish up allowing it to cook while your make sure everyone’s wine glasses are full.

The next step is to add the ground almonds, tomatoes and tomato paste, mixing thoroughly, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

If you are using an InstaPot (one of those 7-in-1 multi-use programmable cookers), just put everything into the pot, hit the Meat/Stew function and set the timer for about 25 minutes (it will take a few minutes to build up steam).

When you are ready to serve, stir in the yogurt and  sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander leaves and then serve on top of your black pearl rice.

We choose Black Pearl Rice because of the fiber and it has the anti-oxidants of nearly the same amount of blueberries.

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