Fragrant Indian Butter Chicken

I feel the need to add a disclaimer here- I attended a Taste of Home cooking show last night with some friends– this was a dish that was cooked on stage– we were tormented by the amazing smells wafting from the prep area (you’ll understand when you actually try the recipe) and we were not even able to take a bite!!

So on my weekly run to Wally World today ,in addition to, the bank, the post office, and taking the puppies to get their shots,  (you cram lots into a run to town when you live in the middle of nowhere and Wally World is really our only shopping option)  I picked up some of the ingredients-

Of course, because it was a crazy run to town and I had 7 puppies in the trunk of my car, I got all the way home, only to realize I forgot a few key ingredients–

Of course, when you live in the middle of nowhere, you DO NOT run back to town– You Improvise!!

So all this to say, this is NOT typical cowboy food, (although the way my family scarfed it down you would have never known it!) I admit it’s a bit out of the box, and the ingredients are not quite what the recipe calls for– but it was amazing, the fam loved it and we will definitely make it again— that’s really all that matters, right? 

So without further ado…..

The Cast of Characters

I’m aiming for a new camera for Christmas so forgive any out of focus, bad lighting, chaotic shots- if anyone is interested, I would like a Nikon D-90–(hint,hint)

We have our chicken tenderloins (on sale at Wally), onion, chili powder, turmeric, brown sugar, cinnamon, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, half and half, and light sour cream. 

The ingredients I forgot to put in the picture are–butter, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and cilantro and hot cooked rice–

(It was a crazy day and I am not used to cooking dinner while taking pictures!)

Start by slicing your chicken into bite size pieces and dicing your onion and garlic.

Place 2 Tablespoons of butter in your pan– Love my cast iron, don’t cook with anything else, but you can cook in whatever pan your little heart desires—

Melt your butter over medium heat, and add diced onion and minced fresh garlic, stir until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

Throw in your chicken, cinnamon, ginger, chili powder, turmeric and cinnamon.  Cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink and your mouth is watering because of the amazing smell coming from your skillet-

 

 

 

 

This is my Saint, Bandit, trying to play cool- she’s really praying that a miracle will happen and the entire skillet will somehow fall off the stove and into her large jowls– she does not care about burned tongue– it would all be worth it–she does this every day, every meal– it’s a way of life for her and one day, she just knows her patience will be rewarded…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where was I?  Oh yeah, the incredible smells coming from your skillet- Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper. 

 

 

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

 

 

 

     Lift lid, breathe deep, swoon, pick yourself up, add half and half, sour cream and stir—

 

We like more sauce on our rice, so I added chicken broth as well, even though the recipe did not call for it- I could have added even more broth–did not affect thickness- just gave more juice for the rice–

Simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes– Remove from heat, stir in chopped, fresh cilantro, spoon over hot rice and……..

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                    

                  SERVE!  Disclaimer– this is where my improvising kicked in- forgot the cilantro at Wally World, so we used dried parsley, not near as good, and I am looking forward to making it with cilantro– LOVE fresh cilantro!!  

Original recipe also called for this to be made with cooked rotisserie chicken- this would make it a very fast, very good midweek option- I was too cheap to buy a rotisserie chicken when the raw stuff was already on sale- It works both ways pretty well- if you make it with rotisserie, you stir in the chicken with the sour cream and half and half.

Also did not have fresh gingerroot on hand, but did have a jar of fresh ginger on the door of my fridge- worked in a pinch-

In my house, I do not measure- feel free to adjust, experiment, go crazy- send me your improvisations- we are ALL about creativity here!

Fragrant Indian Butter Chicken

2 Tblsp butter

1 C chopped onion

2 tsp minced garlic

1 Tblsp grated fresh gingerroot or jarred fresh ginger

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground tumeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 Tblsp tomato paste

1 Tblsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper (or regular)

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenderloin

1/3 C half and half cream

1/3 C reduced- fat sour cream

1/2 c chicken broth, optional

Fresh Cilantro, chopped, to taste

Hot Cooked Rice, optional