Air Fryer Butter Chicken (Marion's Kitchen Style)

Source video by Marion Grasby on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This is an air fryer adaptation of Marion Grasby's classic butter chicken. The chicken thighs are marinated in yoghurt, Kashmiri chilli, paprika, ginger, garlic and garam masala, then air fried hot to get a charred, smoky finish before being simmered in a buttery, creamy tomato sauce on the hob. The sauce is built around butter, cardamom, cinnamon, tomato puree and cream, with a final flourish of dried mint, red onion, chilli and lime. It is rich, tangy and properly indulgent.

Ingredients

• boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
• lemon juice
• Kashmiri chilli powder
• sweet paprika
• salt
• natural or Greek yoghurt, unsweetened
• fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
• garlic, grated on a microplane
• garam masala
• vegetable oil
• butter, for brushing the charred chicken (add late)

• butter
• cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 stickcinnamon stick
• garlic, grated
• fresh ginger, grated
• tomato puree or passata
• Kashmiri chilli powder
• sweet paprika
• sugar
• salt
• water
• double cream (add late)

• natural yoghurt, thinned with a little water for drizzling (add late)
• dried mint (add late)
• red onion, finely sliced (add late)
• fresh chilli, sliced (add late)
• lime, cut into wedges (add late)

Method

1. Cut the chicken thighs into large, biggish chunks (small chunks dry out) and place in a bowl.

   ~5 min

2. Add lemon juice, Kashmiri chilli powder, sweet paprika and salt. Mix well.

   ~1 min

3. Add the yoghurt, grated ginger, grated garlic, garam masala and a splash of oil. Mix again until the chicken is coated.

   ~2 min

4. Thread the chicken chunks onto skewers (use soaked wooden skewers or metal skewers that fit your air fryer).

   ~5 min

5. Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Cook the skewers for 6-8 minutes, turning halfway, until well charred on the outside. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked through, it will finish in the sauce.

   ~8 min

6. Brush or slather the charred chicken with extra butter and set aside.

   ~1 min

7. Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan over medium heat (do not let it brown). Add the lightly crushed cardamom pods and cinnamon stick.

   ~2 min

8. Add the grated garlic and ginger and cook gently until fragrant.

   ~2 min

9. Stir in the tomato puree or passata, then add more Kashmiri chilli powder, paprika, sugar and salt. Loosen with a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.

   ~2 min

10. Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes to let the flavours come together.

    ~10 min

11. Slide the chicken pieces off the skewers into the sauce, stir, cover with a lid, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

    ~10 min

12. Stir in the cream, then taste and adjust with extra cream, sugar and salt as needed.

    ~2 min

13. Serve in bowls, drizzled with thinned yoghurt and a sprinkle of dried mint. Top with finely sliced red onion, chilli and a squeeze of lime.

    ~2 min

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