Easy Butter Chicken Curry : Food Jar Recipe

Easy Butter Chicken (The Curry Even the Fussy Ones Fight Over)

If there's one curry that wins over even the most suspicious little eaters, it's butter chicken. Mild, creamy, a little bit sweet from the tomato, and made for scooping up with rice or naan. This version is quick enough for a weeknight, and the leftovers might just be the most exciting thing in the playground the next day.

You'll need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, diced small
• 60g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces (thigh works beautifully too)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 cup tomato passata (that's the smooth pureed tomato in the tall bottle, not the squeezy sauce!)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• 1 cup of half milk, half cream mixed together (or just use thickened cream for an extra luxe version)
• Fresh coriander to serve, if your kids are in the pro-coriander camp

Optional for the spice fans: 1 tsp chilli powder in with the garam masala. I'd skip it for the kids' jars and let the grown-ups doctor their own jars.

Here's how:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion, stirring often, until it's soft and translucent. About 5 to 7 minutes, so pop the kettle on for a cuppa while you stir.
2. Add the butter and let it melt, then stir in the ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds until your kitchen smells amazing. Don't wander off, garlic burns fast.
3. In goes the chicken. Cook, stirring often, until it's no longer pink on the outside, about 2 minutes. It doesn't need to be cooked through yet, it'll finish in the sauce.
4. Stir in the garam masala, salt and pepper, then pour in the passata, tomato paste, lemon juice, yoghurt and the milk-cream mix. Give it all a good stir.
5. Bring it to a gentle simmer and let it bubble away for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens up a little. It should still be lovely and saucy.
6. Serve over rice with warm naan, and a scatter of coriander if you're feeling fancy.

A few little notes from me:

• This one is even better the next day once the flavours have had a sleepover, which makes it perfect for cook-tonight, jar-tomorrow lunches.
• It freezes really well too. Portion it into lunch-sized servings and future you is sorted for weeks.
• If your yoghurt splits a little when it hits the pan, don't panic. Keep the heat gentle and stir it through, the sauce will come back together.

Jodie's food jar tips:

• You know the routine. Boiling water in the empty jar for 5 minutes, tip it out, then in with the piping hot butter chicken.
• Reheat until it's properly bubbling before it goes in. A creamy sauce like this holds its heat beautifully in a good food jar.
• Same rule as the dal: rice in its own little container, or send naan for dipping instead. Nobody wants rice that's drunk all the sauce by lunchtime.
• Little warning from experience: butter chicken and white school shirts are natural enemies. A spoon with a decent handle and a napkin tucked into the lunch bag goes a long way.