![Chicken in a butter sauce](https://www.allysongofton.co.nz/content/recipes/3562.jpg?width=320&height=479&fit=bounds)
I tested several versions of this delicious tandoori-based chicken dish and settled for one from Illustrated Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey.
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram thigh and leg chicken pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons yellow food colouring
- 1 tablespoon red food colouring
- 2 cups plain yoghurt
- ½ onion, peeled
- 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ green chilli, seeds removed
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- Sauce
- ½ cup tomato puree
- 2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon each salt and sugar
- 1 green chilli, deseeded
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds or cumin, 100 grams unsalted butter
Method
- Remove skin from chicken pieces. This allows the marinade to penetrate the meat and ensures you're not left with a greasy dish. Use a sharp knife to cut deep gashes through to the bone in meaty areas of each portion. Mix salt and lemon juice together, coat the chicken and work in well.
- Mix red and yellow food colourings together. Brush chicken pieces with the colouring, making sure you have coated them well. Place into a shallow dish.
- Blend yoghurt, onion, ginger, garlic, chilli and garam masala in a food processor until smooth. Pour over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and preferably overnight. The longer you leave it, the more intense the flavour.
- Remove chicken from the marinade and brush off any excess marinade with a glazing brush. Place chicken on a grill rack over a baking dish and drizzle a little melted ghee or olive oil over the top.
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC on fan bake or 240ºC without fan. Cook for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
- Make the sauce up when the butter is added. Add the butter and then the hot chicken. Serve.
- Sauce
- Mix tomato puree with half a cup of cold water and place into a food processor with ginger, cream, garam masala, salt, sugar, chilli, cayenne pepper, coriander, lemon juice and cumin. Process until smooth.
- Place in a large frying pan and stir over a moderate heat until the sauce has come almost to the boil (don't allow to boil).
- Chop the butter into small pieces and gradually stir into the sauce. Continue to cook until all the butter has been added.
- Add the hot cooked chicken pieces but don't add any of the fat or juice from the pan. Turn to coat in the sauce. Serve.
Cooks Tips
- A tandoor is a vat-shaped clay oven heated with wood or charcoal. Incredibly hot, they can cook a skewered chicken in about 15 minutes, browning the outside while keeping the flesh moist. To re-create this, have your oven at the highest setting.
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