Butter Chicken (Thermomix)

After buying our Thermomix back in early March 2019, we decided we’d cook a selection of Indian dishes for Mother’s Day later in the month and this butter chicken recipe was one of them – it’s delicious!   Both mum’s loved it and my step dad said it was his favourite.  

Although there’s a lot of cream in the recipe, it doesn’t taste overly creamy or heavy as you get the lovely flavours from the tikka paste, herbs, spices and chillis.   We’ve made it a few times now…it’s on our favourites list for curries to make in our Thermomix, along with the quick lamb dhansak.

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic we haven’t been able to have family or friends round for meals so for my mum’s birthday at the end of June last year, we made a batch to give her as part of her present.    We made it again in November to give friends who were celebrating their wedding anniversary.

If you don’t have a Thermomix and would like to try making this recipe, please scroll down for the Non-Thermomix Instructions I have suggested.

Tips

• After making this recipe the first time, we found it to be very saucy (which is great!), but decided when making it again, we’d double the amount of chicken to 1kg but leave all of the other ingredient quantities as they are. The recipe then serves more people and there’s still plenty of sauce.
• David can’t remember which TV chef he saw doing it, but they leave the skin on fresh root ginger…it gives extra warmth, so that’s what we’ve been doing. It will still grate easily enough, if you’re not cooking this recipe using a Thermomix.

Other Recipes

You might also like to try:

• chicken and turkey dishes
• quick lamb dhansak (thermomix)
• green lentil dal with quick naan breads
• kedgeree

Recipe on UK Cookidoo

Butter Chicken

If you don’t have the Cookidoo app for your Thermomix, follow the recipe below:

Cookidoo Tips

• The chicken can be left to marinate overnight, at end of step 1, for even more depth of flavour.
• This dish is popular with fans of milder curries. As the name indicates, it is made with butter or ghee. This simplified Thermomix® version is quick to make so ideal for a weekday meal, served with rice or naan.

Ingredients

• 500g chicken breasts, skinless, diced (2-3 cm) – see Tips
• 100g Tikka paste
• 40g ghee (I use salted butter)
• 150g onions, quartered
• 20g fresh root ginger, peeled, cut in round slices (2 mm) – see Tips
• 10g fresh coriander
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 fresh green chillies, halved, deseeded if desired
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 5 tsp ground turmeric
• 100g water
• 70g tomato purée
• 500g single cream

Instructions

1. Place a large bowl on the mixing bowl lid and weigh in the chicken and tikka paste. Remove the bowl from the lid, stir well then set aside (see Cookidoo Tips)
2. Place ghee (or butter) in the mixing bowl and heat 1 minute/Varoma/speed 1.
3. Add the onions, ginger, fresh coriander, garlic and chillies then mince 10 seconds/speed 5. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with the spatula then, replace the measuring cup with the simmering basket, and fry 5 minutes/Varoma/speed 2.
4. Add the salt, cumin, ground coriander and turmeric then, with the measuring cup in place, fry 3 minutes/Varoma/speed 2.
5. Then add the water and cook 5 minutes/Varoma/speed 1.
6. Add the reserved marinated chicken, tomato purée and cream then cook 20 minutes/100°C/reverse/speed slow (spoon symbol). Serve hot with rice or Indian bread to soak up the sauce.
7. We enjoy ours with basmati rice, naan breads, poppadom crisps and spicy mango chutney!

Non-Thermomix Instructions

I’d suggest the recipe can easily be adapted to use a scales, grater, large saucepan with lid and the hob. 

My suggestions are as follows: 

1. Place a large bowl on your scales and weigh in the chicken and tikka paste. Stir well then set aside (see Cookidoo Tips).   Grate the onions, ginger and chillies, very finely chop the fresh coriander and use a garlic press to crush the garlic.
2. Melt the ghee (or butter) in a large saucepan over a low heat.
3. Turn the heat up to medium and add the onions, ginger, fresh coriander, garlic and chillies and fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the salt, cumin, ground coriander and turmeric and fry for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Then add the water and cook 5 minutes on a medium to low heat.
6. Add the reserved marinated chicken, tomato purée and cream, bring to a gentle simmer and then cook with the lid on for 20 minutes. Serve hot with rice or Indian bread to soak up the sauce.
7. We enjoy ours with basmati rice, naan breads, poppadom crisps and spicy mango chutney!

Butter Chicken (Thermomix)

Recipe on UK Cookidoo

Butter Chicken

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

If you don't have the Cookidoo app for your Thermomix follow the recipe below:

• 500g chicken breasts skinless, diced (2-3 cm) – see Notes
• 100g Tikka paste
• 40g ghee I use salted butter
• 150g onions quartered
• 20g fresh root ginger peeled, cut in round slices (2 mm) – see Notes
• 10g fresh coriander
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 fresh green chillies halved, deseeded if desired
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 5 tsp ground turmeric
• 100g water
• 70g tomato purée
• 500g single cream

Instructions

 

• Place a large bowl on the mixing bowl lid and weigh in the chicken and tikka paste. Remove the bowl from the lid, stir well then set aside (see Cookidoo Tips)
• Place ghee (or butter) in the mixing bowl and heat 1 minute/Varoma/speed 1.
• Add the onions, ginger, fresh coriander, garlic and chillies then mince 10 seconds/speed 5. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with the spatula then, replace the measuring cup with the simmering basket, and fry 5 minutes/Varoma/speed 2.
• Add the salt, cumin, ground coriander and turmeric then, with the measuring cup in place, fry 3 minutes/Varoma/speed 2.
• Then add the water and cook 5 minutes/Varoma/speed 1.
• Add the reserved marinated chicken, tomato purée and cream then cook 20 minutes/100°C/reverse/speed slow (spoon symbol). Serve hot with rice or Indian bread to soak up the sauce.
• We enjoy ours with basmati rice, naan breads, poppadom crisps and spicy mango chutney!

Notes

• After making this recipe the first time, we found it to be very saucy (which is great!), but decided when making it again, we’d double the amount of chicken to 1kg but leave all of the other ingredient quantities as they are. The recipe then serves more people and there’s still plenty of sauce.
• David can’t remember which TV chef he saw doing it, but they leave the skin on fresh root ginger…it gives extra warmth, so that’s what we’ve been doing. It will still grate easily enough, if you’re not cooking this recipe using a Thermomix.

 

Cookidoo Tips

• The chicken can be left to marinate overnight, at end of step 1, for even more depth of flavour.
• This dish is popular with fans of milder curries. As the name indicates, it is made with butter or ghee. This simplified Thermomix® version is quick to make so ideal for a weekday meal, served with rice or naan.

 

You might also like to try:

• chicken and turkey dishes
• quick lamb dhansak (thermomix)
• green lentil dal with quick naan breads
• kedgeree

Butter Chicken (Thermomix)

Liked it? Take a second to support us on Patreon!