Mild Butter Chicken with Rice

Ingredients

• 650g chicken thigh fillets, cut into large chunks
• 150ml hot chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1.5 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 25g fresh root ginger, grated
• 150ml single cream
• 40g unsalted butter
• 120g natural yogurt
• 0.5 lemon, juiced
• 300g basmati rice
• 540ml water
• salt to taste
• Kachumber salad, to serve
• naan bread, to serve
• mango chutney, to serve

Method

1. Tip the chicken into a bowl with the yoghurt, lemon juice, half the garam masala and half the curry powder. Stir to coat and leave for at least 20 minutes if you have it, or push straight on if time is tight.
2. Melt the butter in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until soft, glossy and just starting to turn golden at the edges. Stir in the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add the tomato puree along with the remaining garam masala and curry powder, and cook for 2 minutes so the spices wake up. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and hot stock, then simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and lost its raw edge. Blitz smooth with a stick blender for a silky finish, or mash well with a potato masher if you prefer it more rustic.
4. Return the sauce to the pan, tip in the chicken along with all its marinade, and simmer gently for 18 to 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Stir now and then so the base does not catch.
5. Pour in the cream and simmer gently for 2 minutes more, until the sauce takes on that pale terracotta colour. Taste and adjust the salt — it should be mild, buttery and gently spiced rather than hot.
6. While the chicken simmers, rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clearer. Tip into a saucepan with the 540ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, clamp on a lid, drop the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 10 minutes. Pull off the heat and rest, lid on, for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
7. Spoon the rice onto warm plates, ladle the butter chicken alongside, and finish with a generous scatter of fresh coriander. Serve with warm naan and mango chutney on the side.