Dairy-Free Butter Chicken

This week's recipe, Dairy-Free Butter Chicken, comes from my teammate, Moorea.

Moorea shared, "This recipe takes a while to make, but it is so worth it when it's finished. The spices are so warm and make this dish perfect for a cozy winter night."

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

• 1/2 cup (114g) full fat coconut milk, coconut cream or coconut yoghurt (see notes)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds (907g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs cut into bite-sized pieces

Sauce

• 4 tablespoons (60ml) coconut oil, divided
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 chili, stemmed, seeded and minced (see notes for type)
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) water
• 1/2 cup (64g) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek or kasoori methi (see notes)
• 1 cup (228g) full fat coconut milk or coconut cream (from a can)

Instructions

Marinade

1. In a large mixing bowl: mix together the marinade ingredients: coconut milk, lemon juices, garlic, ginger and spices until combined.
2. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix until fully coated in the marinade. Set aside and let marinate and least 30 minutes. This can also be done 24 hours in advance.

Butter Chicken

1. In a large pot or skillet, add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and warm over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough (it sizzles if you flick a few drops of water on it) begin adding the chicken pieces to the pot/skillet. Do this is 2-3 batches so you don't over crowd the pan. Cook the chicken pieces about 3 minutes on each side to brown, then remove from the pot and set aside for the time. The chicken will finish cooking in the sauce in a later step.
2. Add the remaining oil to the same pot along with the onions. Cook about 5-7 minutes over a medium until the onions start to turn translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and chili pepper. Cook for about 1 minutes until fragrant.
3. Turn the heat down to a medium-low. Add the tomato paste, garam masala, ground coriander, cumin, black pepper. Cook about 2-3 seconds, stirring the whole time. If the pan/pot looks too dry at any point, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
4. Stir in the water, sugar and salt. Let simmer over a medium heat for at least 15 minutes until the sauce thickens and deepens into a reddish-brown color.
5. Remove the pot/pan from the heat. In a blender or food process: Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor. Make sure not to fill up your blending container more than halfway full. Do this in batches if needed. Blend the sauce until smooth then pour it back into the pot/pan. With an immersion blender: Pour the sauce into a medium-sized heat safe bowl and blend with a handheld blender until smooth. Once smooth, pour it back into the original pan.
6. Stir in the remaining coconut milk/cream until combined then add the chicken pieces to the sauce. Mix and let simmer over a medium-low heat a final 10 minutes. Stir in the dried fenugreek or kasoori methi if using.
7. Serve topped with fresh cilantro along with a side of rice/cauliflower rice and enjoy.
8. Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to five days.

Recipe Source