RECIPE: Mowgli's Mother Butter Chicken

Name: RECIPE: Mowgli's Mother Butter Chicken
Cuisine: Asian, Indian
Ingredients: 5 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 large white onions, cut in half and thinly sliced; 5cm/2 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated; 6 garlic cloves, grated; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp ground cardamom; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground fenugreek; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ¼ tsp chilli powder; 2 tbsp tomato purée/paste; 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes; 5 tbsp Greek-style yogurt; 500g/1lb 2oz boneless chicken breasts diced; 2 tbsp tandoori masala; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 80g/3oz/1/3 cup butter

4 steps

Updated at: Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:37:13 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Low

Nutrition per serving

Calories501.9 kcal (25%)

Total Fat39.1 g (56%)

Carbs13.6 g (5%)

Sugars7.6 g (8%)

Protein24.5 g (49%)

Sodium1374.6 mg (69%)

Fiber2.7 g (10%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

5 servings

5 Tbspvegetable oil

2white onions

large, cut in half and thinly sliced

5 cmfresh root ginger

piece, peeled and grated

6garlic cloves

grated

2 tspground cumin

2 tspground coriander

½ tspground cardamom

½ tspground cinnamon

¼ tspground fenugreek

½ tspground turmeric

¼ tspchilli powder

2 Tbsptomato purée

paste

400gcan chopped tomatoes

5 Tbspgreek-style yogurt

500gboneless chicken breasts

diced

2 Tbsptandoori masala

2 tspsalt

1 tspsugar

80gbutter

Instructions

Step 1

1 Put the oil in a large heavy pan and set over a medium-high heat. When hot add the diced onion, ginger and garlic and fry for 8 minutes or until the onion has softened and turned golden brown. Turn the heat down to low and add the cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, ground fenugreek, turmeric, chilli powder, tomato purée, canned tomatoes and Greek-style yogurt, stir well and cook for a further 5 minutes. Blend the mixture with a hand-held/immersion blender until it turns into a smooth sauce, then set aside.

vegetable oil5 Tbsp

white onions2

fresh root ginger5 cm

garlic cloves6

ground cumin2 tsp

ground coriander2 tsp

ground cardamom½ tsp

ground cinnamon½ tsp

ground fenugreek¼ tsp

ground turmeric½ tsp

chilli powder¼ tsp

tomato purée2 Tbsp

can chopped tomatoes400g

greek-style yogurt5 Tbsp

Step 2

2 Rub the tandoori masala into the diced chicken then, in a separate large non-stick frying pan set over a medium-high heat, fry for 6 minutes or until the chicken starts to change colour and brown at the edges.

boneless chicken breasts500g

tandoori masala2 Tbsp

Step 3

3 Add the browned chicken to the blended sauce. Return to a low heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add upto 500ml/17fl oz/2 cups water slowly to achieve the consistency of sauce that you like. Add the salt and sugar and finish by stirring the butter through to create a thick and creamy sauce. Don’t be afraid to add more water to loosen the sauce to your taste.