Butter Chuk’en
Fresh Tracks Secret Recipe, 2025
A wild game twist on a classic Butter Chicken recipe.
Serves 4–6 chukar hunters, depending on elevation gained during the hunt 😉
We know… this recipe is fairly involved but it’s worth it!
Ingredients
- Chukar breasts (or thighs, deboned), ~2 lb.
- Greek yogurt, 3 tbsp
- Heavy cream, ½ cup
- Cashews, ½ cup
- Bulb of fresh garlic, ~10 cloves
- Knob of ginger root, 2–3 inch
- Large red onion
- Fresh lemon juice, ½ lemon
- Large tomatoes, 3 (or 28-oz good, canned tomatoes (e.g., San Marzano)
- Coconut sugar, 1 tbsp
- Bird stock, 3–4 cups
- Ghee (or butter), 3–5 tbsp
- Oil, mustard or olive, 3–5 tbsp
Spices
- Dried fenugreek leaves, 2 tbsp
- Garam masala, 1 tbsp
- Ground black pepper
- Ground cardamom, 1 tsp
- Ground cinnamon, ½ tsp
- Ground cloves, ½ tsp
- Ground cumin, 1 tbsp
- Ground turmeric, 1 tsp
- Ground paprika, 1 tbsp
- Ground sweet paprika, 1 tbsp
- Kashmiri chili powder, 2 tbsp
- Salt, 2 tsp
To serve: Basmati rice (~3 cups prepared), Cilantro (fresh, 1 bunch), Naan bread (4–6)
1. Marinate ~2 lb of chukar breasts (5 or 6 birds) in a delicious blend of aromatics and spices: Mix 1 tablespoon each of minced garlic and ginger root (both fresh), Garam masala, Kashmiri chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, and fenugreek leaves, and 1 teaspoon each of ground turmeric, salt and black pepper. Add in 3 tbsp Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp mustard oil (or olive oil), and juice of ½ lemon. Coat the chukar breasts in the spice blend and let sit in the refrigerator for a day (ideally), or for at least 1 hour.
2. Prep the other ingredients.
a. Dice 1 large red onion. Mince 6–9 cloves of garlic. Peel and mince 1-in knob of fresh ginger root.
b. Chop 3 large fresh tomatoes (or 28-oz high-quality canned tomatoes).
c. Soak ½ cup cashews in warm water for 30 mins.
3. In a Dutch oven or large skillet on medium-high heat, add in 1 tbsp ghee (or oil) and sear the marinaded chukar breasts, working in batches if needed. Note, do not cook the chukar through at this point or they will be overcooked. Set the seared breasts aside.
4. To the same pan, add in the diced red onion and 1 tbsp ghee (or butter) and cook for 10 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and ginger and cook for 1–2 mins, stirring so they don’t burn.
5. Add more spices! 1 tbsp each of sweet paprika, Kashmiri chili powder, fenugreek leaves; 1 tsp each of salt and ground cardamom; ½ tsp each of ground cloves and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute, stirring the spices so they don’t burn. Add more ghee if needed.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and soaked cashews. Cook down for 10 minutes.
7. Add 3 cups of bird stock and 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or another sweetener). Cook down for 1 hour. Note, if cooking uncovered, you might need to add in a bit more stock.
8. After the gravy has cooked for an hour, transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) to puree. Strain the gravy through a fine mesh sieve for silky texture (optional).
9. Add 1 tbsp ghee or butter into the same pan, then add in the pureed gravy. Cook for 5 minutes.
10. Slice the cooked chukar breasts into strips, and add to the gravy, along with any juices from the meat. Add in ¼ c heavy cream. Simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Done and done! Serve the butter chuk’en over fresh basmati rice, add chopped fresh cilantro for garnish, and top with a drizzle of heavy cream. Serve with garlic naan bread (preferably homemade 🙂
