Indian Butter Chicken

I enjoy Indian food, but for whatever reason do not have very many recipes in my repertoire. Thus, when I came across this recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe I had to try it. In general, the dish was very yummy but I thought it a bit heavy on the ginger. The original recipe called for jalapeno which I didn't have so I omitted--perhaps that would have offset the ginger but since I'm not much of a ginger person in general, I'll likely half the amount the recipe calls for when I make this again.

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeño, seeded, and finely chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon coriander
6 oz tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup fat free half-and-half
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, ginger and jalapeno. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Cook while stirring for another minute.

Using a stick blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Mix in tomato past and broth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and add the half and half. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and add the chicken pieces and the salt and pepper.

Keep the sauce at a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened.

Stir the butter into the sauce until melted. Serve the chicken and sauce over hot rice, preferably jasmine.

Leftover sauce goes great with naan. (Recipe to come!)