When I hear the word “spicy”, I instantly know that it’s something I’m going to avoid, but when it comes to using more fragrant and flavoursome spices, it’s a big thumbs up from me.
This buttery chicken masala is one of those recipes where I get to throw in a dash of this and sprinkling of that, and it never seems to go wrong (famous last words!).
It’s a quick meal to rustle up and when you rattle off what went into it, instead of tossing in a pre-made packet, I’m sure guests will be impressed.
I know the long list of ingredients might look a bit terrifying but believe me when I say this recipe is remarkably straightforward.
Serves 4 (or more depending on the size of your chicken breasts)
Ingredients:
- 50g butter
- 2 medium white onions (chopped)
- 4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- 2 tsp of grated fresh ginger root
- 1 tsp of ground coriander
- 1 tsp of curry powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Salt and pepper to season
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 large ripe tomatoes (deseeded and diced)
- 250mls milk
- 4 skinless chicken breasts (cut into bitesize chunks)
- 4 tbsp of natural plain yoghurt
- Fresh coriander leaves
Optional: 1 tsp or more of chili powder if you’re in the mood for something more spicy!
Method:
Prepare your ingredients. Heat and melt the butter in a large pan, and then add in your onions to cook until golden brown. This should take about 10 minutes on a medium-to-high heat.
When the onions have coloured, add in the garlic, ginger, ground coriander, curry powder, turmeric and a teaspoon of salt (with the optional chili powder). Sauté the spices in with the onion or a minute until the aroma becomes fragrant.
Add your tomato purée into the mixture along with the diced tomatoes and cook until slightly thickened.
Now to add in your milk! To make sure it doesn’t curdle, I always scoop some of the hot mixture in with the milk and stir it around to heat it slightly. Then I pour it into the pan along with the chicken breast pieces.
Cook your chicken on a medium heat for about 10 minutes until soft but cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, you can put on your rice so that it’ll be ready on time.
Don’t worry, you’re almost done – it’s finally time to stir in the yoghurt! Make sure it’s well incorporated into the chicken masala and then quickly chop up a handful of coriander and stir through.
Serve on hot plates on top of your rice with another sprinkling of coriander on top and ENJOY!
