Before I married Nate my idea of being adventurous when it came to food was going to Panda Express and getting sweet and sour sauce for my fried rice… I know, living on the edge, right? One night Nate insisted we go get Indian food. I relented after a compromise – I could go get Panda Express if I ended up not liking it. We went, he ordered butter chicken and I was hooked. This is now one of our go to recipes. The kids love it and the recipe is extremely effortless.
EASY INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN
Adapted from allrecipes
1 cup butter, divided
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cooked rice, to serve with butter chicken and sauce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes.
While the onion and garlic are cooking, toss cubed chicken breast with vegetable oil until coated and spread out onto a baking sheet or glass pan. Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat along with the tomato sauce, evaporated milk, salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving. Serve over cooked rice.