Butter Chicken Without Onion, Yes It's Possible!

Butter chicken is the king of a Punjabi meal. Non-vegetarians are blessed for having this savoury treat. Once you eat butter chicken, there's no coming back. It is hard to find a person who is not in love with this classic, Delhi originated dish. Its essence and flavour is something that you can never forget and it compels you every single time. The smell, the taste and the entire dish is addictive and the living(not actually) example is that you don't need alcohol to be hungover.

Butter chicken originated in the 1950s, people before that did not even know that there could be heaven in a non-vegetarian dish. The thing that makes butter chicken stand out among the other non-veg dishes is its diverse and exotic taste. It is the perfect blend of strong, aromatic spices and sweet, melting butter. The sauce is salty and creamy, it is a roller coaster of flavours. It is not too spicy to put your insides on fire and not too sweet to taste bland. You can feel the warmth and aroma of spices like pepper, cardamom and drumstick along with the cooling, soothing effect of the butter on your tongue. Perfetto.

Butter chicken has the ability to improvise itself at times when the chef is out of a few ingredients. Even without one or two things, you can still cook this dish with a little change in recipes. One of the ingredients of butter chicken that some people dislike is onions. Some people are allergic to onions while others don't quite like its obnoxious smell. Such people wish to enjoy butter chicken without onion but they are often misled by a popular opinion that chicken cannot be cooked without onion. This is something completely untrue. You can cook an equally tasty and savory butter chicken without the seemingly must ingredient, onion. How? Here is the answer that you always wanted.

Recipe Of Butter Chicken Without Onion

Cooking Duration: 60-70 minutes

Servings For 3-4 People

Ingredients :

1. 1. Boneless chicken- 340-350 grams (cut into small pieces, thighs preferred)
   2. Spice Blend 1:
      • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
      • Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tsp
      • Yoghurt – 1 tbsp
      • Salt – To taste
      • Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
      • Kashmiri red chilly powder – 1 – 2 tsp
   3. Spice Blend 2:
      • Coriander powder – 3/4 – 1 tsp
      • Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
      • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
      • Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
   4. Ginger – 1/2 inch, chopped
   5. Garlic – 2 small
   6. Green chilies – 2
   7. Butter – 2 tbsp
   8. Heavy / fresh cream – 1/2 cup
   9. Milk – 1/2 – 3/4 cup (you can also use cream)
   10. Tomato puree of 3 medium and ripe tomatoes
   11. Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp
   12. Kasoori methi – 1/4 tsp
   13. Sugar – To taste (to balance the flavors)
   14. Salt
   15. Cilantro- For Garnish

Recipe:

• Marinate the chicken pieces by mixing them in a bowl with Spice Blend 1. Keep the marinated chicken aside for 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 to 1.5 tbsp oil in a pan. Add chicken pieces to the heated oil and cook until brown. After about 5-7 minutes, the chicken will be cooked. Take it out in a plate. If you want, you can also bake the chicken pieces. Baking at 450 F for 15-20 minutes will cook it just perfectly.
• Now mix ginger, garlic and green chillies in a grinder to make a fine paste.
• Add butter to a pan and add ginger-chilly paste to it. Cook for about a minute and add tomato puree and salt to it. Cover the pan and cook it for about 10-15 minutes until the butter separates.
• Now add Spice Blend 2 into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell vanishes. Add half of the kasoori methi and garam masala and mix well.
• Now add heavy cream and mix and then add milk followed by salt and sugar. Keep stirring until the sauce comes to a boil. Lower the flame.
• Add kasoori methi and cooked chicken pieces. Keep stirring and cook for about a few minutes and switch off the flame. Add a tbsp of butter, a little garam masala and garnish with cilantro. Serve after 10 minutes with naan, roti or rice.

No matter how heavenly it tastes, butter chicken is something that every palate can afford. Such exquisite taste comes at a less cost and that is what contributes to the immense popularity of it. Its reach cannot be confined by a few restrictions on the traditional recipe like onions. So to all those anti-onion squad in the world, if you have ever been told by anyone that you cannot enjoy butter chicken simply because you dislike onions, show them this recipe and flaunt how your favorite dish is ready to improvise for all its lovers in this world.

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