Next Level Butter Chicken

Indian

Main Ingredient: Chicken
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4
Recipe by: Mon's Flavors

Ingredients

FOR FIRST MARINADE
1/2 kg boneless chicken / Tofu / Paneer
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
FOR SECOND MARINADE
3/4 cup Greek yogurt / Vegan yogurt
3 teaspoon Next level butter chicken blend
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
FOR SAUCE
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 tablespoon olive oil ( neutral flavor )
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 red capsicum medium size
2 tablespoon ghee / butter
2 canned tomatoes
1/4 cup cashew nuts (soaked)
1 1/2 tablespoon Next level butter chicken blend
3 tablespoon honey / castor sugar / Jaggery
1/2 cup cream / coconut cream
salt according to your taste
tablespoon fresh coriander leaves

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Main Ingredient: Chicken
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4
Recipe by: Mon's Flavors

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Featuring Next Level Butter Chicken Spice Mix from NZ-Based Mon’s Flavors!

Method:

Marinate chicken with garlic, ginger, lemon juice, and salt. Mix everything well with your hands until the marinade is completely coated on the chicken. Leave it for 1 hour. Add Greek yogurt, turmeric powder, sweet paprika, and Next Level Butter Chicken blend. Mix until well-coated, then let rest for another hour.
If making this recipe with a meat substitute such as paneer, tofu, or soya chaap, then skip the second marinade and mix everything in the first step. It takes less time to marinate these ingredients, and if they’re marinated for too long, there’s a possibility they might fall apart while grilling/roasting.
Heat your grill plate or any pan, add oil, and grill your marinated chicken or meat substitute pieces from both sides until almost done.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. String your chicken pieces onto skewers, and roast chicken in the grill plate for 10-15 minutes or until it’s done (you can use your barbecue to cook this as well).
Once the chicken is cooked, brush some butter or ghee on the chicken pieces and keep them aside until you prepare the Makhni (butter sauce).
For the sauce, add butter/ghee/oil in a pan on low to medium heat. Add chopped onion, sauté for 2 minutes before adding canned tomatoes, diced capsicum, turmeric powder, and Next Level Butter Chicken blend according to your liking. Mix everything, and simmer for 5-6 minutes. After 6 minutes, add honey or sweetener of your choice, cashew nuts (pre-soaked and drained). Cook for 2-3 more minutes and switch off the heat.
Use a hand blender or mixer to make a fine puree. Ensure lids are tight when blending in a blender, or let the sauce cool down before you blend it.
In the same pan, add butter/ghee, then add sauce, add cooked chicken or meat substitute, and mix well. Simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add fresh cream/coconut cream. Give everything a good mix.
Add fresh chopped coriander, serve hot with naan or rice.
Enjoy!

Notes:

Marinate tofu/ paneer/ soy chaap for only 1/2 hour
In this recipe, I used canned tomatoes, soy chaap as my meat substitute, which is available from any Indian store. It looks like meat, and has a meaty texture, but it is not gluten-free. You can choose to keep soy chaap as it comes with a stick, or remove the stick and chop it into small pieces like sausages
If you are allergic to capsicum and cashew nuts, then skip adding these two ingredients
If you want restaurant-style butter chicken, then make sure you add red capsicum and cashew nuts, and of course, lots of butter/ghee and cream
Cashew nuts have to be soaked in lukewarm water for 30 minutes before you add them to the cooking sauce
If you like spicy butter chicken sauce, just add chili powder to the sauce while cooking tomatoes (don’t add extra blend thinking that it will provide heat, it won’t; it might kill the flavourful balance of the recipe)
I didn’t add cashew nuts as my hubby is allergic, but with or without this sauce, it’s going to taste amazing anyway.
You can buy paneer from an Indian store / Pak ‘n’ Save / New World (Gopala brand)