Butter Chicken
Mild, creamy and full of warmth, this is the kind of meal that’s perfect for a cosy night in and delicious served over rice to soak up every last bit of sauce.
Servings 4 serves
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 celery stalk finely diced
- 100 ml water
- 500 g chicken thigh diced
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 2 tbsp cream
- 2 tbsp cashews finely chopped
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp vinegar
- ½ tsp butter
- 2 packs 7 ancient grains rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, finely diced celery and water. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the diced chicken thigh in a separate pan until cooked through, with no pink remaining in the centre. Set aside.
- Carefully blend the tomato, chickpea and celery mixture until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the saucepan and stir in the coconut milk, cream, chopped cashews, brown sugar and vinegar.
- Finish the curry. Add the cooked chicken and simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through and the flavours have combined. Stir in the butter at the end.
- Cook the ancient grains rice according to the packet instructions.
- Serve the creamy butter chicken curry over the rice and enjoy!
Notes
UPF-Friendly Swaps
To keep this recipe closer to minimally processed foods, choose:- Tinned tomatoes: Choose a brand with no added sugar or unnecessary additives.
- Coconut milk: Look for a variety with a short ingredient list, ideally just coconut extract and water.
- Chickpeas: Use dried chickpeas cooked at home, or tinned chickpeas with no added ingredients beyond water and salt.
- Cream and butter: Opt for plain dairy products without added thickeners or unnecessary additives.