Indian Butter Chicken

I wouldn't even begin to pretend that any of the "ethnic" recipes I use are authentic in any way, but I do love me some fake ethnic food.  Especially Indian food.  I have loved Indian food ever since I first tried it back in college when I was dating my now-husband.  (Of course I should disclose that I'm a big wimp when I comes to spiciness so I always have to have mine on the very mild side.)  For several years, I only ever got to have Indian food at the very small handful of restaurants in our little college town and we definitely didn't get to those often enough.  I was a little afraid of trying to make it myself, but I wanted to be able to have it more often.  As luck would have it, a friend invited us over and made Indian food.  She gave me her recipe, we found an Indian market in town, and the rest is history...now I have several Indian recipes in my regular rotation and this is one of my favorites.

Indian Butter Chicken

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 50 minutes

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 3/4" chunks
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp butter
• chopped cilantro (garnish)

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, ginger and jalapeno. Stir often while cooking until the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom pods, and coriander. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute.
Add tomato paste and chicken broth. Stir until the mixture is smooth, then add the half and half. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and add the chicken pieces and the salt and pepper. Stir. Keep the sauce at a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened.

Cut the butter into chunks and stir into the sauce until melted. Remove cardamom pods. Serve the chicken and sauce over hot rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Source: slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Produce Used: Onion, ginger, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro