"butter" chicken

After five starts and five deletes all I can offer in terms of incentive to try this recipe is that it is about as easy as easy gets, smells amazing, tastes delicious, and is a much healthier option than the real McCoy. Much healthier because there is hardly any butter (only a single Tbsp of ghee - and you could omit that if you chose and I think you wouldn't even notice the omission) and only a smidgeon of cream. The trick is in using Greek yogurt. Brilliant!  And really, who doesn't love butter chicken?!


"butter" chicken
(adapted from a 'reader recipe' in Oprah magazine)


1 cup Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp chopped ginger
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp lemon juice
1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp ghee (or butter)
3 Tbsp cream
water - about 1 cup


Combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, sea salt, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, lemon juice, and crushed tomatoes. Marinate the chicken pieces in the mixture for at least 10 minutes and up to 6 hours.


In a large skillet over medium heat cook the onions in the olive oil and ghee until  starting to soften. Add the chicken and marinade to the skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Add the all the cream and as much water as you judge you need to thin the sauce. (Before adding the cream and water, the sauce will be very thick and kind of separated. Stir well when adding the last two ingredients - it will smooth out nicely.)


*You can adjust the heat of the dish by adding a pinch or two of crushed chili pepper if you wish.