Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

I have been experimenting with making Indian food as of late. If you didn't see a couple of weeks ago I make Chicken Tikki Masala and Naan bread with turned out really good. So I thought I would try something with boneless chicken chicken breast after I found this recipe for Butter Chicken. This was super easy to make and it tasted so good. I was really amazed as I was eating it just how tasty it was and not to mention how simple it was to create. This recipe is a mock up of this one from AllRecipes.com I just kind of changed some steps and added some marinading. I really hope you all like this and as always if you have questions, please let me know.

Kitchen Notes
* Garam Masala can be found in the specialty food section of your grocery store.
* Makes 4 servings
* To make the coconut rice just add a cup of coconut milk instead of water to your rice cooker with the 3 cups of rice and a little bit of salt.

Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger grated
- 1 shallot minced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- cornstarch and cold water combined to make a slurry

The Process
1. Combine chicken, 1 teaspoon of the garam masala and the cayenne pepper and let marinade in the fridge for 1 hour.
2. In a large work heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil over hight heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 8 minutes or until none of it is pink anymore. Drain the chicken in a colander. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.
3. Return the wok to the heat and heat up the oil. Add the garlic, ginger, shallots and onion to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes or until the onions are turning translucent.
4. Stir in the butter, lemon juice, chili powder, cumin, the last teaspoon of the garam masala and the bay leaf and cook for about a minute longer than it takes the butter to melt.
5. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the yogurt, half and half and bring to a simmer.
6. Return the chicken to the work then season with the salt and pepper then add the cayenne pepper to your heat preference.
7. Simmer for 3 minutes then stir in the slurry to make it thicker. Simmer for 1 minute then remove from the heat.
8. Serve over coconut rice.
9. Enjoy!