Butter chicken pie
This recipe for butter chicken pie from Sabrina Gidda is comfort food at its finest. Tender, yoghurt-marinated chicken is coated with a tomatoey sauce, fragrant with ghee and slow-cooked onions. It's the perfect dish for warming up on chilly days.
This recipe is taken from Modern South Asian Kitchen by Sabrina Gidda (Quadrille, £27) Photography: Maria Bell
Sabrina says: 'There is a real trend for butter chicken these days – and when made properly I can see why everyone feels so strongly about it! It absolutely must have kasoori methi (dried fenugreek) in it, otherwise it lacks magic in my opinion. I am not here to judge, so you can make a pie with a base and lid, or you can do a pot pie, which means just topping a dish with some lovely puff pastry, egg wash, kalonji (nigella seed) and baking it.'
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 300g of natural yoghurt
- 5 tbsp of tandoori masala
- 3 tsp ginger paste
- 3 tsp garlic paste
- 1.5kg boneless chicken thighs, or breast, cut into 3cm cubes
- 2 tbsp of oil
- 500g of puff pastry, or shortcrust pastry
- egg yolk, for brushing
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
Sauce
- 2 tbsp of ghee
- 2 white onions, finely chopped
- 2 tsp green chilli paste
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 500ml of passata
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp Kasoori methi
- 1 tsp salt
- 150ml of double cream
- coriander, for garnish
Method
Begin by marinating the chicken: 24 hours is perfect but do it for as long as you can. Mix the yoghurt, masala, ginger and garlic pastes in a bowl and add the chicken. Cover and refrigerate
- 300g of natural yoghurt
- 5 tbsp of tandoori masala
- 3 tsp ginger paste
- 3 tsp garlic paste
- 1.5kg boneless chicken thighs, or breast, cut into 3cm cubes
When you are ready to cook, make the sauce. Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the onions and cook for 15–20 minutes until they sweat and start to brown. Add the chilli, ginger and garlic pastes and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the passata and add 150ml water to the sauce with the ground spices and salt. Simmer for 15–20 minutes
- 2 tbsp of ghee
- 2 white onions, finely chopped
- 2 tsp green chilli paste
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 500ml of passata
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp Kasoori methi
- 1 tsp salt
Turn your grill to its highest setting, or you can use your oven. Take out the chicken, remove any excess marinade and put onto a baking tray greased with the oil. Grill for 15–20 minutes, turning throughout to ensure the chicken is cooked. You want to encourage colouration and a little char as it will add great flavour
- 2 tbsp of oil
Finish the dish by adding the chicken to the sauce, along with the cream and a generous scattering of fresh coriander. Allow this to cool completely before making your pie. You can use shortcrust or puff pastry
- 150ml of double cream
- coriander, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Line a 20cm round ovenproof dish with the rolled pastry to a thickness of about 4–5mm. Spoon in your sauce, and top with more pastry. Trim the excess (feel free to cut out shapes to decorate the top) and crimp the edges with a fork or by using your fingers and thumbs. Egg-wash the pie with a whisked yolk or two, and sprinkle with nigella seeds.
- 500g of puff pastry, or shortcrust pastry
- egg yolk, for brushing
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
Bake for 45 minutes until the filling is hot and the pastry is golden and crispy, and then serve
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