Butter Hen Recipe | The Recipe Critic

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Should you’ve by no means had butter hen, you’re in for a deal with! This basic Indian dish takes hen thighs and simmers them in a creamy tomato sauce full of spices till the hen is irresistibly tender. Serve over steamed jasmine rice with some heat naan bread!

Should you love butter hen, don’t miss out on our Gradual Cooker Hen Tikka Masala, this Coconut Curry Soup, or these Thai Hen Skewers.

Traditional Butter Hen Recipe

Should you’re a fan of Indian meals, then likelihood is you’ve had butter hen earlier than. And you probably have, likelihood is even greater that you’ve grow to be a cult follower very similar to myself. Should you’re not acquainted, butter hen is a basic Indian dish consisting of hen thighs simmered in a creamy tomato sauce till the hen is tremendous tender and infused with essentially the most scrumptious taste.

Should you’re new to the Indian meals sport, the spice record I exploit could also be unfamiliar to you, however don’t fear, as a result of lately, you will discover all of them at just about any grocery retailer. Garam masala is the dominant spice utilized in butter hen (we’ll discuss concerning the different spices under), and it has essentially the most fantastic curry-like style to it. It’s full of spices, however it’s not “sizzling” spicy, in it you’ll discover notes of coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and pepper. It’s fairly heavenly.

Spices in Butter Hen

• Garam Masala: We talked about garam masala up above, however the full record of substances contains cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamon pods. So should you don’t have any of the spices under, you possibly can at all times double up on the garam masala as an alternative. It would nonetheless give your curry wonderful taste!
• Cumin: Floor cumin provides a pleasant smoky observe to the butter hen.
• Fenugreek: Whereas this ingredient is unquestionably elective should you can’t discover it, it does add a stunning savory factor to the butter hen.
• Coriander: Floor coriander is definitely the seed model of cilantro, so it has an analogous taste profile to it. I discover that floor coriander is a bit more smoky in taste and love the way in which it compliments floor cumin.
• Turmeric: Should you’ve by no means used turmeric earlier than, now is a good time to start out! This vibrant orange spice give dishes a stunning yellow hue and has a pleasant heat ginger-like taste to it.
• Brown Sugar: To steadiness out all these spices, you want a little bit little bit of sweetness and brown sugar is my sugar of selection.

Different Components You’ll Want

• Hen: Traditional butter hen is made with hen thighs. Hen thighs are much more flavorful than hen breasts and so they can maintain as much as a long-simmered sauce. Not like hen breasts, hen thighs grow to be tremendous tender and shred very well once they’ve cooked for a semi-long time period.
• Yogurt: Complete-milk yogurt is a basic ingredient in a number of Indian dishes. Right here, we use it to marinate the hen, because it helps to tenderize it within the course of. It additionally provides a scrumptious creaminess and slight tang!
• Garlic, Onion, and Ginger: I imply, is any dish full with no little garlic and onion?
• Crushed Tomatoes: You would additionally use entire tomatoes and crush them your self, however shopping for them pureed already is such a time-saver.
• Lemon Juice: I really like the acidic brilliant taste lemons provides to butter hen, it’s a should!
• Heavy Cream: A basic element of butter hen is the cream sauce, and to realize that, we use a superb quantity of heavy cream. It’s what makes butter hen so luxurious.

Let’s Make Butter Hen!

Don’t get me fallacious, I really like Indian takeout as a lot as the following man, however while you make butter hen from scratch, it simply tastes so recent and scrumptious!

1. Mix Yogurt, Lemon Juice, and Spices: In a medium-sized bowl, add the yogurt, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, garlic, ginger, and lemon juice. 
2. Marinate Hen: Add the hen items to a big sealable ziplock bag. Add the marinade to the bag and therapeutic massage the marinade into the hen. Marinate for 1-3 hours.
3. Brown Hen: Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan and prepare dinner your hen over excessive warmth. Cook dinner till it has some browning and is cooked by way of. Don’t overcook it as a result of it would proceed to prepare dinner within the sauce. Put aside.
4. Sauce Combination: In a saucepan over medium-high warmth add the tomato paste and prepare dinner for about 2-3 minutes till it darkens. Add the tomato sauce, heavy cream, butter, and sugar. Whisk till easy and prepare dinner for 3-5 minutes or till the sauce begins to thicken.
5. Mix: Add the hen to the sauce and blend to mix.
6. Serve: Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with jasmine rice and naan bread.