Murg Makhani (Butter Chicken)

I absolutely adore Indian food and have always wanted to try making a dish or two to add to my at home repertoire. I also have to mention that I have only convinced my husband to go out for Indian once in eleven years, and that was only because we were in the UK and he knew how desperate I was to go to this particular restaurant I'd heard so much about from friends. Throw in the fact that my toddler has shown an affinity for our local Indian restaurant, and it was perfect timing for me to make an Indian dish or two at home. I chose Murg Makhani (Butter Chicken) and garlic naan and am SO happy I did! I read several recipes, adding and omitting ingredients and steps before coming up with the recipe below. My husband ate everything on his plate (not his favorite food still, but I was very pleasantly surprised he liked it at all!) and my daughter had leftovers for lunch for the next two days! I know I will be making this A LOT in the future!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks (brined in a salt water solution)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon garam masala

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

8 tbsp. butter

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 15 oz. can tomato puree

1 15 oz. can petite diced tomato

1/2 cup heavy cream

Kosher salt/black pepper

Assembly:

Stir the garam masala, ginger and cayenne together. Melt the butter then saute the onions for a few minutes, adding the spice mixture once the onions become translucent. Stir frequently for about 45 seconds until spices are very fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste until combined. Add the tomato puree and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender (or you can carefully pour it into a Cuisinart) to completely puree the sauce. Cook for about 15 minutes over medium low heat. Place the chicken into the sauce and stir until chicken is coated. Cover and cook on medium-low for about 15 minutes (until chicken is cooked through). Stir in the heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for another 10 minutes before serving with basmati rice and naan.