January 3, 2026

Butter Chicken

Neatly appropriated from Jennifer Segal's Once Upon A Chef
Link:

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 25
Total Time: 45 Minutes

Amounts	Ingredients	Notes
1 ½ lbs	Chicken tenderloin	tendons trimmed, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 ¼ tsp	Salt
2 tsp	Garam masala
3 Tbsp	All-purpose flour
2 Tbsp	Unsalted butter
1 Tbsp	Vegetable oil
1	Yellow onion	medium, finely chopped
1 ½ Tbsp	Fresh ginger	finely chopped
1 tsp	Ground coriander
1 ¾	Ground cumin
⅛ tsp	Cayenne pepper	optional
1 (8-oz) can	tomato sauce
1 cup	Heavy cream
¾ tsp	Sugar
¼ tsp	Freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp	Water
3 Tbsp	Fresh cilantro	Fresh and optional

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the chicken pieces evenly with ¾ tsp of the salt and one teaspoon of the garam masala: toss to coat evenly. Add the flour and toss again, making sure the chicken is well coated.
In a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil over medium-high heat. When the fat is hot and shimmering, add the chicken in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until the chicken is lightly golden on the underside, about 3 minutes.
Using tongs, turn the chicken pieces over and cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring frequently until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. If the onion starts to brown, reduce the heat.
Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, and remaining teaspoon of garam masala; stir and cook 1 minute more.
Add the tomato sauce, cream, sugar, pepper, water, and the remaining ½ tsp salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer just a few minutes until the chicken is warmed through.
Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice and mango chutney as desired.

Chicken tenderloins typically have a white tendon attached to them. They can be a little tough to chew, so I like to remove them wtih kitchen shears before cooking. Just pinch the tip of the tendon with finger and snip where the tendon meets the chicken.
This dish is traditionally cooked with ghee, a type of clarified and fermented Indian butter that has a higher somke point than plain butter. This recipe using a combinates of butter and oil to get a similar effect.

Per serving (4 servings)

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