Indian Butter Chicken

I had a craving for this Indian dish yesterday, and 4 chicken breasts in the fridge waiting to be turned into something delicious.  I looked at a few recipes online, but most of them had ingredient lists a mile long, and to be honest, there are so many fantastic spice mixes available these days at the grocers, that I made up my own recipe cutting down on the fat and putting in a few different ingredients here and there, and taking out a whole of others.  For me, speed and convenience are as important as taste and nutrition. 

What you’ll need…

4 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, and cut into 2″ “cubes”
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup 0% fat organic greek yogurt
1 teaspoon of garam masala spice mix
2 Tablespoons of ghee
8 baby onions, peeled and halved
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons of garam masala
pinch cayenne pepper
8 cremini muschrooms, quartered
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and minced
 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 8 oz can organic tomato paste
1 cup yogurt
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tablespoon warm water
2 Tablespoons ghee
fresh cilantro and lime juice for garnish

Marinate the chicken in the lime and chili powder for about an hour, then add the yogurt and masala spice mix and marinate for another hour.  When the chicken is almost ready, heat the ghee up in a large sauce pan, add the onions and sautee until golden brown, then add the salt, cumin, masala, cayenne and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms start to brown.  Add the ginger, garlic, and cook for about a minute until fragrant, then add the cherry tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the tomato starts to break down.  Stir in the tomato paste, yogurt and chicken stock, and simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce reduces by 1/4 in volume.  Add the dissolved cornstarch and simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes and then remove from the heat.  Get another wide-bottom pan hot, melt 2 tablespoons of ghee, and when hot, add just the chicken, searing on top and bottom, (about 1-2 minutes both sides).  Add the yogurt-tomato sauce to the chicken, and simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes until the flavors have combined and the chicken is no longer pink.  Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Garnish with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.