Another night exploring what the supermarket has to offer and something a little different to eat. Well inspiration was missing a little and could I be bothered to cook. Sometimes cooking for one is an effort and you just fancy a quick ready meal. Stop right there, I can not remember the last time I had a unhealthy expensive ready meal.
I would probably have cheese on toast or a simple omelette rather than buy a ready meal. I do like looking at the ready meals sometimes for ideas, especially in M&S as they have an array of different meals. So what would it be, I spotted some reduced chicken thighs so I grabbed them. I was thinking curry but what type.
First slice the onions and add to a metal handled frying pan with a glut of oil (so you can place it in the oven after) Start cooking the onions and add the garam masala, cook for around 3 minutes No add the sliced chicken thigh, still on a medium to high heat to colour the chicken. 3 mins cooking Now add the rest of the spices ensuring it coats the chicken thoroughly 2 mins cooking Next add the tomato puree and a pinch of sugar (add some water if it looks dry) cook for 2 mins and a hand full of chopped coriander Its time now to add the butter and the cream, add enough cream so it cover the chicken. Allow the mixture to warm through The microwave basmati rice is next, ensure you have squashed the rice in the bag first to separate the grains. arrange over the mixture in the pan, add some chopped coriander (save some for dressing the dish) Cover the pan with tin foil and place into the oven for 20 mins serve with some homemade naan bread 
Ingredients
Instructions
Butter Chicken My Simple Way
I fancied a butter chicken and having never made butter chicken before where was I to start. Well I went for the obvious , I suppose obvious for me. Butter, there had to be butter in a butter in an Indian butter chicken dish so that’s in. The sauce hmmm, cream and err, well most curries have tomatoes in them. The spices well a good start would be garam masala. Not quite a classic curry base sauce
So I had an idea in my head how all this was going to go, top up the red wine let’s cook.
To start with, I chopped up some onion, it was red onion, because that’s all I had in the house at the time, but that was fine. So I started to fry the chopped onions in warm oil, and I started cooking them, and then I added two teaspoons of garam masala. Once that had cooked into the onions, I then added two large teaspoons of ginger paste and garlic paste. I used the KTC ready-minced, just to save time.
Quick Butter Chicken Sauce
The next thing is to let the paste all cook down, and the garam masala mix in together. After that, I added some chopped chicken thigh. I used the thigh because of its moisture, and it’s much more cost effective. You can say a cheap dinner idea. Opps nearly forgot the tomatoes but I looked in the fridge no tomatoes. I did have tinned tomatoes and passata but I did not want that much as this was a easy butter chicken for one.
So I added a squirt of tomato puree to the pan and then a pinch of sugar. I always add sugar to tomatoes in every recipe to give it balance.
The next step is to actually brown the chicken in the pan, ensuring that it gets coated in the garam masala and the garlic paste and the ginger paste. The next stage is to add some ground fenugreek, and one teaspoon of turmeric. A little more spice needed so I added chipotle chilli flakes, a little milder but full of flavour. Now I added two large knobs of butter along with some cream, Cover the chicken and I allowed that to warm through.
The Curveball, Now its a Butter Prawn & Chicken Curry
I was looking in the pan and the 2 small chicken thighs didn’t look that much to eat, hmmmm. The freezer to the rescue as I always have some cheap frozen prawns in there. So I added them into the pan but still something was still missing. Just a butter prawn & chicken sauce to eat. The light bulb moment to turn it into a Biriyani, yes another change of recipe. I bet at this point you are thinking there is no mention of part cooked rice, you’re right there sent.
Another store cupboard staple my microwave rice which I use in many a dish. I will admit at this point I was wondering if it would actually work. Pacing the kitchen I eventually threw caution to the wind and pour the microwave rice over the top of the butter curry sauce.
The Butter Prawn Chicken Biryani Was Created
Now, at this point, the chicken is not cooked completely, I was going to cook it a little longer on the stove. The change of plan, now we’re going to put it into the oven. You can get plain rice, or basmati rice you At that point I opened the packet rice, but before you open it, ensure that you crunch it all up so all the grains are separated.
Now pour the microwave rice on top of your mixture and allow it to set on top. Then cover your frying pan with tin foil and place it in a moderate oven, about 150 to 160 for 20 minutes. Then all you do is take it out and you’ve got your butter chicken biryani. Well butter prawn chicken Biriyani.
Easy Butter Prawn Chicken Biryani
It was all made on a whim and actually for not very much money and it was enough for 3 people easily. I will develop the recipe further and take some better photos because it tasted absolutely delicious. This is a time saving uncomplicated butter chicken biryani made easier for the home cook. No there is no saffron in the dish, turmeric does a very similar job in tase and looks.
You don’t have to break the bank for a good curry using cheap dinner ideas methods.
More Great Curry Recipes
Happiest in the kitchen feeding the 3 children who are constantly hungry. Lucky enough to have worked in a Pro kitchen on a voluntary basis to learn the tricks of the trade.. Buckinghams The restaurant with one Table. With Chef Nick Buckingham.(RIP)