butter chicken

• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts split lengthwise
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp alepo pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger

Mix the yoghurt with the other ingredients and marinate the chicken in this for a few hours or overnight.

• 2 extra-large onions (Spanish are good)
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil (I use olive oil, not EVOO)
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• pinch of ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground Ramshapatti pepper (or something else hot)
• 1.5 c light cream (or 1 cup heavy cream and 0.5 - 1 cups of water)
• 1/2 ground almonds
• 1 tsp garam masala
• lemon juice and salt

Peel and quarter the onions and boil until soft.  Drain onion and puree in a blender.  Fry the pureed onion in the oil over medium heat until it is thick (and slightly golden).  Add the tomatoes, salt and spices up to the cardamom.  Stir and fry for a few minutes.  Stir in the cream and almonds and garam masala.  Adjust balance of sauce with lemon juice and salt (if it tastes bland, add more lemon juice first to brighten the sauce) and granulated sugar (shouldn't need more than a big pinch).  Meanwhile, cook the chicken under the broiler or on the grill for about 10 min.  Dark spots (and charred edges if grilling) will appear.  Cut cooked chicken into chunks and add to sauce.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Adjust thickness of sauce with water.  The sauce should be rich with a good balance of salt, spicy heat and sweet (mostly from the onions and almonds) with a slight tangy edge (tomatoes and lemon juice).

Serve over basmati rice with naan.