Old Delhi chicken curry

Name: Old Delhi chicken curry
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 8 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless; 1 handful of coriander cress, or small coriander leaves, to garnish; 1 knob of ginger, thumb-sized, cut into matchsticks, to garnish; 300g of Greek yoghurt; 2 tbsp of mustard oil; 2 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste; 1 tbsp of ground turmeric; 1 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder; 2 tsp sea salt; 2 tbsp of vegetable oil; 4 green cardamom pods; 2 black cardamom pods; 4 cloves; 2 Indian bay leaves; 4 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste; 2 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder; 2 green chillies, split lengthways; 1kg plum tomatoes, pureed; 200ml of double cream, plus extra to serve; 250g of unsalted butter; 1 tbsp of garam masala; 1 handful of fenugreek leaves, dried; caster sugar, to taste; sea salt, to taste

by Will Bowlby

Item 1 of 1

Main
easy
4
60 minutes

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5.00

Butter chicken is a classic dish that’s been at the forefront of Britain’s love affair with Indian food for decades. Rich, mild and extremely moreish, it’s a crowd-pleasing curry that will continue being popular for years to come.

Will says: ‘The sauce that forms the base of this dish is derived from the classic Delhi chicken (or, as we know it, butter chicken) recipe, originally created by the Moti Mahal restaurant in Old Delhi. It should be smooth, creamy, slightly spicy and flecked with the green of dried fenugreek leaves. When I first tried it in Delhi it reminded me of a spicy version of Heinz cream of tomato soup from a can (in a good way!), so don’t be alarmed if you get the same flavour at the end.’

This recipe is taken from Kricket: An Indian-Inspired Cookbook by Will Bowlby (£28, Hardie Grant). Photography by Hugh Johnson.

First published in 2021

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

8 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
1 handful of coriander cress, or small coriander leaves, to garnish
1 knob of ginger, thumb-sized, cut into matchsticks, to garnish

Marinade

300g of Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp of mustard oil
2 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp of ground turmeric
1 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp sea salt

Sauce

2 tbsp of vegetable oil
4 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods
4 cloves
2 Indian bay leaves
4 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder
2 green chillies, split lengthways
1kg plum tomatoes, pureed
200ml of double cream, plus extra to serve
250g of unsalted butter
1 tbsp of garam masala
1 handful of fenugreek leaves, dried
caster sugar, to taste
sea salt, to taste

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Method

Begin by making the marinade the day before. Place the Greek yoghurt into a muslin cloth (or j-cloth) and tie the ends to create a bag (you could also line a sieve with the cloth). Hang the cloth (or place the lined sieve) over a bowl and set aside to drain for 1 hour. Make sure the yoghurt isn’t stirred or disturbed during this time, otherwise you will lose it through the muslin

300g of Greek yoghurt

After 1 hour, transfer the strained yoghurt into a bowl with the rest of the marinade ingredients and stir together. Add the chicken, stir to coat, then cover and place in the fridge overnight

2 tbsp of mustard oil
2 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp of ground turmeric
1 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp sea salt
8 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless

The next day, make the sauce. Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil. Add the whole spices and cook for 30 seconds, then add the ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder and green chillies. Cook for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to medium-low and add the tomatoes. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by a third and the oil has separated from the tomatoes

2 tbsp of vegetable oil
4 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods
4 cloves
2 Indian bay leaves
4 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder
2 green chillies, split lengthways
1kg plum tomatoes, pureed

Remove and discard the whole spices, then add the cream, butter, garam masala and fenugreek leaves. Season to taste with sugar and salt, then leave to gently simmer while you cook the chicken

200ml of double cream, plus extra to serve
250g of unsalted butter
1 tbsp of garam masala
1 handful of fenugreek leaves, dried
caster sugar, to taste
sea salt, to taste

Place a pan over a medium-high heat and allow to get hot. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 15 minutes, ensuring they are well sealed all over, then add them to the sauce. Taste again for seasoning

To serve, drizzle the curry with a little extra cream and garnish with the coriander and ginger

1 handful of coriander cress, or small coriander leaves, to garnish
1 knob of ginger, thumb-sized, cut into matchsticks, to garnish

First published in 2021

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Will Bowlby

After falling in love with Indian food whilst working in Mumbai, Will Bowlby returned to the UK to open Kricket, a modern Indian restaurant with plenty of British twists.

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