Indian Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

4 tbsp of olive oil, divided

1 onion (roughly 1 cup), chopped roughly

2 tbsp of butter

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp of freshly grated ginger

2 tsp of fresh lemon juice

2 tsp of Garam Masala, divided

1 tsp of cayenne pepper, divided

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 Bay leaf

1 cup of plain tomato sauce

1/4 cup of plain yogurt

1 cup of cream

pinch of salt and pepper

*1 tbsp of corn starch

*1/4 cup of water

Directions:

Step 1 : Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until soft (5 minutes). Stir in the butter, melt and add ginger and garlic and let cook for 1 minute. Then add 1 tsp of garam masala, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, cumin, and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute, then add the lemon juice, stir and mix.

Step 2: Add tomato sauce, and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in cream and yogurt, mixing together, reducing the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3: While the sauce is cooking, in another, clean frying pan, add 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add chicken cubes, season with salt and pepper and brown for 8-10 minutes.

Step 4: Reduce heat to med-low, season chicken with the rest of garam masala and 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper. Mix around and cook for another minute. Add the chicken to the simmering sauce. Cook for another few minutes.

Step 5: **If the sauce looks thin, mix together cornstarch and water and add it to the sauce. Let it cook for 5 minutes to thicken up. If the sauce is thickened already, no need to add the cornstarch slurry.

Serve with basmati rice.