Darbar's Indian Butter Chicken

Darbar's Indian Butter Chicken



Darbar, an Indian restaurant in Palo Alto, Calif.







Tandoori Chicken:

¾ C plain yogurt

2 T lemon juice

2 cloves minced garlic (I use my garlic press)

~1 inch ginger root, peeled and crushed (it was hard to crush, I squeezed the juice out with my garlic press and threw in some of the mangled pieces of the root)

1 T cumin

1 tsp. coriander

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. cardamom

¼ tsp. cloves

¼ tsp black pepper

2 tsp. salt

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (this is the amount you’ll need for the butter chicken sauce below – you can make this recipe with bone-in, skinless, dark & white meat chicken cut into pieces – my personal preference are boneless, skinless chicken breasts and they worked great)

1-2 T canola oil



Butter Chicken Sauce:



(no need to carefully chop these ingredients, you’re going to blend them eventually)

⅓ sweet onion, chopped

~1 inch of ginger root, peeled and julienned

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 green chili (membranes and seeds removed), chopped

6 T butter (divided – 2 T and 4 T)

6 medium tomatoes, cut into large pieces

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. cardamom

¼ tsp. coriander

2 shakes cinnamon

3 oz tomato paste

1 cup chicken or veggie broth

½ C cream

4 cooked tandoori chicken breasts (above) cut into chunks







The night before you want to make butter chicken, mix the above ingredients (except the chicken) in a bowl. Take the chicken breasts and stab them a bunch with a fork, then make some gashes with a sharp knife. This part is fun, especially if you have some frustration to vent. ;) Marinate the mutilated chicken in the yogurt mixture overnight and until you’re ready to cook the next day.

To cook the chicken, pat off some of the marinade, brush with oil and place in a pan (I used my 9X13 metal pan). Roast in a 450 oven for about 20 minutes, or until juices run clear. Let cool a bit then cut into chunks.

To make the sauce, sautee onion, ginger, garlic and green chili in butter until onions are translucent.

Add tomatoes and let simmer for ~5 minutes. Add spices (garam masala, chili powder, cumin, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon) and simmer another 5-10 minutes or so. Add tomato paste and broth, stir. Blend everything in a blender until smooth then return to pan. Add tandoori chicken, cream and butter.

Serve with basmati rice and naan bread. Yum!