Easy Butter Chicken

 

Chicken

2½-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil

4-6 cloves garlic

1 tsp. ginger

Additional Spices

2 tsps. garam masala

1½ tsp paprika

1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. curry powder

½ tsp. pepper

Sauce and Finish

15 oz can tomato sauce

15 oz can coconut milk

1½ Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsps. butter

 

Pat chicken completely dry with paper towels. Trim off any excessive fat and cut into 1" pieces. Place in a bowl and add kosher salt, garam masala, and paprika. Mix until completely coated.

Heat a Dutch oven to medium/medium high. Once the pan is hot, add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add chicken, spread out into an even layer, and do not disturb for a couple of minutes while it sears.

Once the chicken has a nice sear, stir occasionally and cook about 6-8 minutes until mostly cooked through and lightly browned in some spots. After 6-8 minutes, lower heat to medium and add garlic and ginger. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds.

Push chicken to one side of the pan. You should have some fat and juices in the bottom of the pan; add to it garam masala, paprika, cumin, curry, and pepper.

Stir the spices around in the fat/juices for about one minute. It's okay if some of the chicken is mixed in there too. After a minute, stir everything in the pan together.

Add tomato sauce and stir for 2-3 minutes, scraping up browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add coconut milk. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, lime juice, and butter. Add additional salt to taste, if needed.

If your sauce is too thin for your liking, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and whisk in during the final minutes to thicken. If your sauce is too thick, just add a little water or additional coconut milk.

Serve over hot white rice.

This recipe can be found here.