Butter chicken

When Sara was a kid, her family would go to an Indian restaurant in Akasaka called Motis. The go to dish was always butter chicken with nice warm naan. When we moved back to Japan, we found a little place on Blue Street in Yokosuka that became our favorite haunt for butter chicken and naan. For us, it's comfort food. If you have the time, making naan is pretty easy and you can cook it on the grill and then dip it in the creamy butter chicken. 
Ingredients
  • 16 oz. crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1/4 tsp crushed garlic
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
  • 1 tsp Garam Marsala
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 small can diced mild green chiles
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 500 ml heavy whipping cream
  • 24 bite sized pieces of chicken
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 tsp Tandoori paste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Directions
1. Prep the chicken first by cutting 4-5 chicken thighs into bite sized pieces and put them in a gallon zip lock bag (or a reusable container).
2. Mix the yogurt with the Tandoori paste (I often use 2 tsp here instead of just 1).
3. Pour this over the chicken and let it marinate in the bag or container for a couple of hours or overnight.
4. When ready, put the marinated chicken in the oven at 400 degrees for about 16 - 18 minutes (turning them half way). A great alternative here is to put the chicken on skewers like kabobs and cook them over the grill on medium high heat. 
5. Prep the sauce but mixing the crushed tomatoes and diced green chiles in a blender.
6. Melt the butter in a deep pan over low heat.  
7. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until savory (1 or 2 minutes).
8. Add the tomato mixture, cream, crushed cardamom, salt, black pepper, garam marsala, and kauri methi.
9. Bring this to a boil, the lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
10. Once thickened, add the tandoori chicken and cook for another 5-10 minutes. 
11. Serve with naan.