No Butter, Butter Chicken

The title is no mistake. This is our twist on the internationally famous Indian dish “makhan murg”, and this time, it’s without the cream (aka butterfat). Hence no butter, butter chicken.

That being said, I’ll admit that we do (technically) use a cream in this recipe, but it’s from the coconut.

Coconut cream.

In fact, we use 2 coconut sources in this recipe. We use coconut yogurt for the marinade, and coconut milk for the curry. Coconuts are one of my favorite fuzzy animals. Also, make sure to get the full fat coconut milk so you don’t lose the creaminess.

Another way to change up this recipe is to swap out meats. The store was completely out of chicken the first time I wanted to test this recipe. So my initial test was actually with pork loin (cut into bite-sized pieces), then all the other steps were the same. It was really good with that twist too.

Keep your curry on your rice, not the floor,
Your favorite alternative chefs, K & T

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No Butter, Butter Chicken

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 6

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 wide strips
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice ~1 lime’s worth
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup plain coconut yogurt
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic ~4 cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger ~2-inch piece peeled ginger root

Curry

• 1 tbsp olive oil or other high-heat oil
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 1 15 oz can plain tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick for fanciness
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 15 oz can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tsp ground cumin

For serving

• Hot cooked basmati rice or your favorite grain, or even cauliflower rice
• Cilantro for topping

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, garam masala, salt, paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper, yogurt, garlic, and ginger.
2. Add chicken to the large bowl and toss until fully coated.
3. Cover bowl and place in the fridge. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
4. Heat a large pot over medium-high until it sizzles water, then add olive oil.
5. Add all the contents of the chicken marinade bowl into the pot, stir fry until golden on all sides (about 3 minutes).
6. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).
7. Reduce to low, add the tomato sauce, cinnamon, maple syrup, and kosher salt.
8. Use a wooden spoon to remove anything that is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Partially cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir occasionally.
9. Add the coconut milk and cumin, then partially cover again for 10 more minutes.
10. Remove the cinnamon stick (if using), put the curry over rice, and enjoy!