Step 1

Make marinade: Scrape peel from ginger with a spoon, then finely grate ginger and mince garlic. Squeeze lemon for juice.

Step 2

Put ginger, garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, coriander, olive oil, Kashmiri chili powder, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk marinade to blend. (Pro Tip: Tomatoes and Kashmiri chilies give this version of Butter Chicken a beautiful color, but if you're looking for a brighter red as you might see at Indian restaurants, add 1 drop of red food coloring.)

Step 3

Trim and discard fat from chicken and cut meat into bite-size pieces. Add chicken to marinade and stir to coat well. Cover bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Meanwhile, continue with recipe. (Pro Tip: The longer you marinate the chicken the more flavorful it will be.)

Step 4

Make masala sauce: Put almonds and cashews in a small bowl with water to cover and set aside for 1 hour to soak.

Step 5

Scrape peel from ginger with a spoon, then finely grate ginger and mince garlic.

Step 6

Melt butter in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic and give them a quick stir. Add coriander and cook, stirring, 20-25 seconds. Stir in tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium and cook masala sauce uncovered, stirring often, until excess liquid has cooked off, 5-8 minutes.

Step 7

Stir in brown sugar, salt, and garam masala and cook 1 more minute. Turn off heat and let masala cool 5-10 minutes.

Step 8

Drain soaked nuts, saving liquid. Grind nuts in a blender or food processor to make a smooth paste, adding a little of soaking liquid if needed. Discard remaining soaking liquid. Transfer cooled masala to blender with the fresh water and blend into a smooth paste. Scrape pureed masala into a Dutch oven and set aside (refrigerate up 1 day if making ahead).

Step 9

Remove chicken from marinade and thread onto skewers (omit skewers if cooking chicken in a skillet). Discard marinade. Preheat a grill pan or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Grill chicken, turning once, until browned and almost cooked through, 5-8 minutes. (Or cook chicken in skillet, adding oil if needed to prevent sticking.) Transfer chicken to a plate. (Pro Tip: If using wooden skewers instead of metal, soak them in water 30 minutes before using.)

Step 10

Set Dutch oven with masala over medium heat. Stir in as much water as you like, depending on how runny you want the sauce to be. As the sauce begins to boil, add grilled chicken and cream and stir well. Cover pan and simmer about 5 minutes to blend flavors and cook chicken through.

Step 11

Remove Dutch oven from heat. If using fenugreek, sprinkle it on top of the butter chicken, cover pot, and let chicken rest 10 minutes.

Step 12

Stir butter chicken well in the pot, then transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with cream if you like, and serve with naan and/or basmati rice.