Nisha Katona's Mother’s Day butter chicken
What better way to treat mum this weekend than with a restaurant quality-dish, without having to leave the house! Nisha Katona is making the most popular dish at her restaurant, her Mother Butter Chicken. Full of tangy tandoori flavours and garnished with rose petals, it’s better than any bouquet!
Mother’s Day butter chicken
Serves: 4
Ingredients
600g chicken breast, diced into 3cm pieces Juice of ½ a lemon 3 tbsp tandoori masala 2 tbsp crème fraiche, for the marinade 100ml vegetable oil 1 onion, finely diced5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 5cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves/kasthoori methi2 tsp garam masala 1 tsp turmeric ¼ tsp chilli powder, optional 150g tomato puree500ml waterSalt, plus extra to season Sugar ½ of 1 x 400g jar of cooked butter beans, drained 200ml crème fraiche (can be low fat) or good quality greek yoghurt 2 tbsp butter
To serve: Handful of freshly chopped coriander 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds Dried rose petalsRice
Method
1. In a bowl, mix the diced chicken breast with the lemon juice, the tandoori masala, crème fraiche and a tbsp of oil, and set aside to marinate.
2. Place a pan over high heat and pour in the oil. Once hot, add the onions, garlic and ginger, and turn the heat down to low-medium. Cook until the onions have turned golden and sweet.
3. Add the spices and the tomato puree, and allow to cook over a high heat for a few minutes, making sure the tomato puree is beginning to cook through a little.
4. Pour in the water, add the sugar and salt, and bring the pan to the boil, before removing from the heat.
5. Place the chicken pieces on a grill pan over a high heat, and cook for approximately 5 minutes each side, so that it starts to get some char on the edges, which adds to the flavour.
6. Return the pan with the blended sauce to the heat, and pop in the marinated and charred chicken. Add the drained butter beans and simmer on a medium heat for around 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Turn off the heat, and gently fold in the crème fraiche. Stir in the melted butter and a tbsp of the chopped coriander leaf.
8. Garnish with dried rose petals and the pomegranate seeds, and serve with rice.