Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 1/2 lb (700 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/3 cup (80 g) plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tsp (10 ml) ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp (5 ml) garam masala
• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) saffron threads, crushed (or a pinch of turmeric)

Sauce

• 3 tbsp (45 g) cultured unsalted butter
• 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) fenugreek seeds
• 2 fresh green chiles (serrano), split
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) ginger-garlic paste
• 28 oz (800 g) canned whole tomatoes with juices
• 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, to loosen the sauce

Finish

• 1 tbsp (15 g) cold butter
• 1 tsp (5 ml) kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed
• 1 tsp (5 ml) garam masala
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, room temperature
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream, to drizzle
• 1/4 cup (5 g) cilantro leaves

Steps

1. Puree 2 inch (5 cm) ginger and 8 cloves garlic to a paste (about 3 2/3 tbsp, 55 ml). Steep the saffron in 1 tbsp (15 ml) warm water for 10 min. Mix 2 tsp of the paste into the yogurt with the oil, garam masala, salt, and saffron water. Coat the chicken, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hr, ideally overnight. Wash your hands and the board after handling the raw chicken.
2. Blend the tomatoes with their juices and the tomato paste until smooth.
3. In a wide, heavy pot (a 12-inch (30 cm) sauté pan or Dutch oven), melt the butter over medium heat. Fry the cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves until the cloves puff up. Add the fenugreek seeds and chiles for 10–15 sec, just until fragrant, then the remaining 3 tbsp (45 ml) ginger-garlic paste. Sauté 1–2 min until the raw smell goes, without browning.
4. Add the tomato purée. Simmer over medium to medium-low heat 40–45 min, stirring often and constantly in the last 10 min so it does not scorch (expect spattering). Reduce by about two-thirds to a thick, jammy sauce, about 1 1/2 cups (350 ml). This slow reduction caramelizes the tomatoes, so no sugar is needed.
5. When the sauce has about 25 min left, set an oven rack so the chicken will sit about 4 inches (10 cm) below the broiler and heat it on high. Wipe excess marinade off the chicken and set it on a wire rack over a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil 10–14 min, flipping once, until charred in spots and the thickest piece reads 150–155°F (65–68°C); it will not be fully cooked. Watch closely, since the yogurt chars fast. Rest 10 min, then cut into large chunks.
6. Off the heat, loosen the sauce with the water, then pass it through a fine sieve into a clean pot, pressing on the solids to discard the whole spices.
7. Add the chicken, any juices, and the 1 tsp sauce salt. Simmer gently 6–8 min, adding a splash of water if the sauce looks tight, until the largest chunk reads at least 165°F (74°C); thighs are best at 175°F (80°C).
8. Off the heat, stir in the kasuri methi (crushed between your palms) and garam masala, then the room-temperature cream and the cold butter until glossy. Do not boil after this or the sauce can split. Season, drizzle with the cream, and top with cilantro.

Notes

Serves 4. No cashews, so the body comes from the long tomato reduction, the straining, and the cream and finishing butter. Pull the chicken slightly underdone because it finishes in the sauce; a fully cooked piece turns dry. Cultured butter has more butter flavor than regular, and ghee works but tastes less rich.

Pairings

• Wine: Off-dry Riesling – a little sweetness soothes the spice and cuts the cream; Viognier – floral and soft, matches the tomato-butter richness
• Beer: Hefeweizen – soft, low bitterness, banana and clove play with garam masala; Amber Lager – malt sweetness rounds off the sauce