Chicken Makhani

Ingredients                 

• 750 grams chicken, cut into 2 breast pieces and 2 leg pieces on the bone
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder        
• ½ lemon
• Salt to taste
• Butter, for greasing and basting
  
• Marinade
• ½ cup hung yogurt                    
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste             
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste                 
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder         
• Salt to taste
• ½ lemon             
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder 
• ½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) powder    
• 2 teaspoons mustard oil                    
  
• Makhani gravy                                
• 400 grams tomato puree                     
• 3 tablespoons butter                        
• 2-3 green cardamoms                
• 4-5 cloves                        
• 7-8 black peppercorns                
• 1 inch cinnamon 
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste                     
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste                     
• 2 green chillies, chopped            
• 1 tablespoon red chilli powder                
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder            
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons sugar                    
• ½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves powder + for garnish
• 1 cup fresh cream + for garnish           

 Method

1. Make incisions with a sharp knife on breast and leg pieces of the chicken and keep them on a plate. 
2. Sprinkle Kashmiri red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt and rub them well all over chicken pieces set aside for ½ hour, preferably in the refrigerator. 
3. To make the marinade, take hung yogurt in a large bowl. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt and squeeze the juice of lemon directly into it. Add garam masala powder, dried fenugreek leaves powder and mustard oil and mix everything well. 
4. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. 
5. Meanwhile, for the makhani gravy, heat butter in a non-stick pan. Add green cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon, mix and sauté till fragrant. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and green chillies, mix and sauté for 2 minutes.
6. Add tomato puree, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt, mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup of water, mix well and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. 
8. Preheat the oven to 200º C.  Grease a baking tray with butter. 
9. String the chicken pieces onto skewers and arrange on the baking tray, place the tray in the preheated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. 
10. Add sugar and dried fenugreek leaves powder to the gravy, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes. 
11. Bring the chicken out of the oven and baste with some butter and place it back in the oven and cook for 2-3 minutes.
12. Bring it out of the oven again, cut each tandoori chicken piece into two.  
13. Add the chicken pieces, mix and simmer for 5 minutes. Add fresh cream and mix lightly. 
14. Transfer the chicken makhani into a serving bowl, garnish with fresh cream and dried fenugreek leaves powder. Serve hot with naan or parantha.