Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Plan ahead. The longer the chicken in marinated, the more flavourful and tender it will be - at least 6 hours, but ideally 24 hours. You can also make the sauce base ahead of time.
For the chicken tikka
- Dry the chicken on some kitchen paper - do not wash. Trim off any sinew or traces of skin, and cut into pieces. This is easier with scissors. We cut the breast pieces into three or four, depending on size.
- Place on a large plate or baking tray. Cut two long slots into the middle of each piece. The slots should not extend to the sides, and should cut only part way through, to create narrow pockets.
- Juice one lemon. See our lemon Tip.
- Sprinkle the chicken pieces liberally with salt, then pour over the lemon juice. Rub the salt and lemon into the chicken, making sure as much as possible goes into the slots. Set aside while you prepare the marinade, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Peel and roughly chop the onion. See our onion Tip. Peel and roughly chop the ginger. See our ginger Tip. Peel the garlic, and top & tail and roughly chop the chillies.
- Add the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to chop them slighlty.
- Add the garam masala and yoghurt and blend well until you have a smooth marinade. Next pass the marinade through a large sieve placed over a bowl. Keep pushing it through with a wooden spoon, scraping off the bottom of the sieve occasionally, until only a fairly dry, fibrous sludge remains in the sieve, and you have a light creamy liquid in the bowl. Discard the sludge.
- Add the chicken pieces, along with any accumulated juices, to the marinade and stir well. Try to get as much marinade into the slots as possible. Allow to steep, covered, in the fridge for at least 6 hours, and ideally 24 hours.
- When you are ready to cook the tikka, heat the oven to its maximum temperature - usually 250C to 270C. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and shake off as much of the liquid as possible. This is easiest with tongs. Place to dry on some kitchen towel. Once the chicken has dried a little, turn it over onto some new kitchen towel - you may need to repeat this more than once. If the chicken isn't dry, the marinade will burn on the skin before the chicken is cooked.
- Put the dried chicken pieces onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place in the hot oven until cooked right through - this will take between 25 and 40 minutes, depending on size. Check a piece by cutting into it - it should be white to the centre, with no red or pink, and the juices should run clear. It should also look slightly charred on top - which is what you want.
- Reserve, wrapped in foil, in a warm oven (75C to 100C) if your chicken cooks faster than you anticipated and before you are ready to serve.
For the makhani butter sauce
- Peel & grate the ginger. See our ginger Tip. Top & tail then finely chop the chillies. See our chilli Tip.
- Roast the cumin seeds. To do this, set a small frying pan over a high heat. Add a few teaspoons of cumin seeds and keep stirring until the cumin smell rises and the seeds are lightly browned - a minute or two. Tip the seeds into a mortar or bowl, and grind to a fine powder.
- Now measure out your spice mix. We use 2 teaspoons coriander, 2 teaspoons garam masala, 1 teaspoon cayenne and 2 teaspoons of the roasted ground cumin.
- Juice a lemon. See our lemon Tip. Also chop the fresh coriander finely. See our herb Tip.
- Measure the tomato puree into a large jug. Use 1 tablespoon per 125ml of the water you will add later. 6 tablespoons is a good amount for four chicken breasts.
- You can now leave the sauce preparation at this stage, and make it up just before you serve, or make the sauce up now and store in the fridge - it will keep for a few hours. We tend to pause here if prepping ahead.
- To make the sauce base, first add boiling water to the tomato puree in the jug. For 6 tablespoons of puree add 375ml water. Stir well to dissolve. Add the spice mix, ginger & chilli, chopped coriander and the lemon juice and stir to combine, Add the salt & sugar and stir again. Add the cream and stir well until you have a smooth, uniform sauce. This can be used immediately or kept in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
To serve
- Cook the rice. See our rice Tip for detailed instructions.
- Cut the lemon into quarters, lengthwise. Trim off any stem or white pith from the ends.
- For the side salad, slice the cucumber into medium rounds and cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Separate some lettuce leaves.
- Just before you are ready to serve, finish the sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or high-sided frying pan. Slowly pour the sauce from the jug into the hot butter, stirring as you add. Keep stirring until the butter is fully amalgamated and you have a smooth, rich, glossy sauce.
- Add the cooked chicken tikka to the sauce and stir. Heat through.
- Serve the butter chicken with the rice, and the salad on the side, plus a wedge of lemon.
- Enjoy!