Butter Chicken

Combine yogurt, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, salt, and lemon juice into a thick marinade. Score the chicken pieces deeply to the bone — this is what lets the marinade penetrate. Coat every surface thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Minimum 4 hours, but overnight is what makes the difference.

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the dried chilies, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves until fragrant and just beginning to smoke — about 2 minutes. Add the cashews and peanuts, toast one more minute. Let everything cool completely, then grind to a fine powder with the remaining spices. This is your masala. Set aside.

Build a hot charcoal fire — you want real heat and smoke, not gas. Place whole tomatoes directly on the grate. Let them sit. Turn them every few minutes as the skins blister and split. You want significant char on every side, the skins cracking open, juice running. This takes 15–20 minutes. Don’t rush it; the smoke is the point. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then peel off the blackened skins and discard.

Pull the marinated chicken from the refrigerator while the coals are still hot from the tomatoes. Grill over medium-hot charcoal, turning every 5–7 minutes, until the pieces are cooked through with deep char on all sides. Bone-in pieces take 25–35 minutes depending on size — don’t pull early. You want char, not just color. Rest the chicken, then pull or cut the meat from the bone into large, irregular chunks.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the peeled grilled tomatoes, rough-chopped onion, peeled garlic cloves, sliced ginger, dried chilies, raw cashews, and all of the spice blend. Cook over medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until the onions are fully soft and the mixture is deeply fragrant — about 30 minutes. Add a splash of water if anything threatens to stick. The tomatoes will break down entirely. Let the mixture cool slightly, then blend until completely smooth in batches. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer back into the pot, pressing to extract everything.

Bring the strained sauce to a steady simmer over medium heat. Add the grilled chicken pieces. Simmer together for 10–15 minutes, letting the chicken absorb the sauce. Now add the butter, heavy cream, crumbled kasuri methi, sugar, and whole jalapeños. Taste. Adjust salt. Simmer another 10 minutes until everything is cohesive, glossy, and the jalapeños have softened slightly. The sauce should coat a spoon but still flow freely.

Serve in a wide, shallow bowl. Ladle sauce first, then arrange chicken on top. Add a scoop of basmati rice to one side. Serve with flatbread, a lime wedge, and a whole fresh jalapeño alongside. Finish with a small pinch of kasuri methi over the top.