Butter Chicken for the Soul

Pair with 2021 David and Nadia Sadie Topography Pinotage Swartland or 2020 Evening Land Salem Wine Company Chardonnay

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breasts
• 1, 16 oz. tub of greek or cashew yogurt
• Juice and zest of 2 limes
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 1 tomato paste tube or can, about 4.6 oz.
• 2 knobs of ginger, julienned
• 3 tablespoons ginger paste
• 1 heaping spoonful of Ghee
• 1 can coconut cream
• 2 red chiles or jalapeños
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• Cashews
• Cilantro
• Basmati rice

Make the marinade for the chicken by combining yogurt, lime juice, ginger paste, salt, garam masala, turmeric, and coconut cream in a mixing bowl. Cut the chicken into 2 inch cubes and add to the bowl with the marinade. Mix together thoroughly, coating the chicken with the marinade. Let sit for 15 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, start the rice. Combine rice, broth, and ghee in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and reduce heat. Cook for about 40 minutes. Check on the rice periodically and continue to add a bit of broth and/or ghee, stir and know that the rice will continue to absorb the broth and ghee – It will only get fluffier so don’t be afraid! Turn the broiler on and let heat up. While the rice is cooking, sauté onion, garlic, ginger, and chili with ghee in a Dutch oven until the onion is translucent. Stir together with the tomato paste. Bring to a simmer. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet and place in the oven under the broiler (middle rack) for about 13–15 minutes. Note: You can also make this recipe using a slow cooker if you're not pressed for time. Essentially, instead of using the broiler, you can set your slow cooker to high (4-5 hour cook time). Once your onion mixture is ready after sautéing, and it's blended (or not), add to the slow cooker followed by the chicken mixture. Make sure to leave no yogurt behind! Add in your cinnamon stick and some extra lime zest. Mix everything together well, cover and let cook. While the chicken is cooking, puree the sauce in the dutch oven with a hand blender. It’s not the end of the world if you do not have a hand blender to puree the sauce. You can leave it as is or let cool and transfer to a food processor, but no need for the extra time or steps! Add in garbanzo beans. Once the chicken is ready, transfer to the dutch oven and mix everything together well. Add in garbanzo beans. When you're ready, spoon some rice into a shallow bowl and use a ladle to pour the butter chicken over the rice. Garnish with lime juice, cilantro, lime zest, and crushed cashews.