Butter Chicken Pie
We love to cook Indian style food at home. We make a batch of Fermented Lime Pickle each winter, which is great with this pie, as is Tomato Kasundi (check out our recipes).
This recipe does look like a bit of effort, with two marinades plus a sauce, but each step is simple, so please don’t be discouraged.
The pie was made using plain flaky shortcrust pastry for the top, and garnished with nigella seeds.
Ingredients 20
750 g chicken thighs, skinless, boneless, cut into 2 cm (3/4 in) dice
pastry, of choice
First Marinade
2 lime, juiced
1 tsp chilli powder
Second Marinade
50 g plain natural yoghurt
50 g cream
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
5 cm fresh ginger, piece, roughly chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
Sauce
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
50 g ghee
5 garlic cloves, finely crushed
5 cm fresh ginger, piece, finely grated
1 × 400 g tin chopped tomato
1⁄2 tsp chilli powder
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp desiccated coconut, fine
1 1⁄2 tsp fine salt
100 g macadamia nuts, lightly toasted, chopped
50 g cream
1⁄2 bunch coriander, (cilantro), leaves and stems chopped
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Method 7
Day 1
To prepare the first marinade, combine the and in a large bowl. Add the and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
To prepare the second marinade, put the , , , , , , and in a bowl and stir to combine well. Add this to the and mix well so the chicken is fully coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2
Take the out of the fridge and bring to room temperature. Heat a cast-iron or heavy-based frying pan over a medium–high heat. Brown the chicken in batches until golden but not cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
To make the sauce, dry-roast the and in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Grind the spices and set aside.
Melt the in a large heavy-based saucepan or cast-iron casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the and and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chopped and bring to a slow simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the ground , ground , , ground , , fine , and , and simmer over a low heat for a further 10 minutes.
Then add the pieces and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Add a little water to loosen the sauce if required. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the , , and . Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before assembling and baking your pie(s).
Urbanstead's tips
We like to use macadamias – they’re so sweet and meaty – but cashews or peanuts would also work well. A heavy cast-iron pan is great for cooking the chicken, as it gives a lovely heat and colour.
