Mock Butter Chicken

This doesn't taste just like butter chicken -- part of the problem is there's no butter in it -- but it is a very tasty look-alike that is quick and easy to make. I adapted this recipe from Susan's post "Crockpot Indian Butter Chicken" on Simple Healthy Kitchen. I actually made the recipe with half the chicken! (I like the extra sauce on rice; but you can use up to 3 lbs chicken according to the original recipe.) I also added sugar, a specific amount of salt -- rather than just "to taste" and decreased the cayenne. (It still has a little kick.)


Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into 2" pieces)
1 onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 tsp curry
2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground ginger (or 1" fresh ginger, minced)
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
14 oz can light coconut milk
6 oz can tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)



Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat.
2. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and saute until translucent (about 5 min.)
3. Add garlic, spices, and liquid smoke and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Stir in coconut milk and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 5 min.
5. Stir in chicken pieces. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until chicken is done (approx. 20 min), stirring occasionally.
6. Stir in sugar and salt. Adjust seasonings to taste.