Saucy Butter Chicken
By OcadoLife
Published on 25 January 2023
The main event for a special date-night dinner, this Saucy Butter Chicken was created by food events and comedy duo Maria Georgiou and Rhiannon Butler, aka Mam Sham. They say: “The best thing about making this (besides the compliments) is that you can prep the day before, so on date night you can put your time into preparing the real dish – you!” Follow it with the duo’s mouthwatering Apple Crumble Pie. Looking for more chicken recipes? Look no further.Time and servings
2 hrs 30 minsTotal time
2Servings
30 minsPrep time
2 hrsCooking time
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (approx. 1.5kg)
- 150 g of greek yoghurt
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
- 4 cm of piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 3 tsp of garam masala
- 2 tsp of ground cumin
- 1 tsp of ground turmeric
- 1 tsp of chilli flakes
- 30 g of unsalted butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp of ground coriander
- 700 g of passata
- 2 tsp of honey
- 600 g of floury potatoes, such as maris piper, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 4 tbsp of vegetable or sunflower oil, for roasting
- 1 tsp of mustard seeds
- 4 garlic cloves, skin on, lightly squashed with the back of a knife
- 4 tbsp of double cream
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 0.5 cucumber, halved, deseeded and sliced
- 1 large handful of coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 large handful of mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp of pomegranate seeds
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
Method
Step 1
Using a sharp knife, make 2 slashes in each chicken leg, then place the whole bird in a bowl. Add the yoghurt, half each of the crushed garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, turmeric and chilli flakes. Season and rub all over the chicken; marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hrs or overnight.Step 2
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.Step 3
For the sauce, heat the butter in a frying pan until foaming. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 mins, until soft. Add the remaining half measures of garlic, ginger and dried spices, plus the ground coriander, and cook for 2 mins, until fragrant. Add the passata and honey; blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Loosen with 250ml water.Step 4
Pour the sauce into a deep roasting tin or ceramic baking dish; place the chicken on top. Cover with foil and roast for 45 mins, then remove the foil and roast for a further 45 mins, until cooked.Step 5
Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a large pan of salted water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 6 mins or until starting to soften. Drain; return to the pan to steam dry.Step 6
In a separate roasting tin, heat a thin layer of vegetable or sunflower oil over the hob until sizzling. Carefully tip in the potatoes and the mustard seeds; roast for 20 mins. Remove from the oven, turn the potatoes and add the squashed garlic cloves. Roast for 20 mins more.Step 7
Move the cooked chicken to a warm plate to rest for 10 mins. Stir the cream into the sauce, then return the chicken, ready for serving.Step 8
For the salad, toss the red onion and lemon juice together with a pinch of salt. Add the cucumber, herbs, pomegranate seeds and olive oil and mix gently.Step 9
Carve the chicken and serve with the sauce, potatoes and salad. Use leftovers in a sandwich, or keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.