Naan with Butter Chicken, a slightly spicy and creamy curry dish. This one pot dinner is a delicious with sides of soft warm naan, rice and broccoli.
My son is a recent graduate of Indiana University. The college campus is home to a unique and diverse restaurant scene with many ethnic cuisines. When he requested one of his favorite dishes while at college, I jumped at the chance to make him the slightly spicy and Indian curry dish of Butter Chicken.
While growing up, my son was less than an adventurous eater. So much so that his nickname was "No Thank You Boy." He typically responded "no thank you" to many dinners I prepared for our family. Any dish with a sauce, exotic name or too many vegetables were on his no thank list.
He has long since outgrown his "No Thank You Boy" eating tendencies. So much so that he recently requested I prepare the slightly spicy Indian curry dish Butter Chicken. Containing 8 different different spices including cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and chili powder, the saucy tomato dish is the ultimate comfort food. As Butter Chicken is a new recipe to me, I started some research into preparing the dish.
ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- plain yogurt
- garlic
- fresh ginger root
- garam masala
- cumin
- turmeric
- coriander
- chili powder
- extra virgin olive oil
- salted butter
- red onion
- kosher salt
- tomato sauce
- heavy cream
- honey
- cilantro
the difference between butter chicken and chicken tikka masala...
I noticed many similarities in the ingredients between Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala as Tikka Masala is a frequent menu item for my personal chef clients and at our dinner table at home. So I dug deeper into the world wide web to research the 2 dishes.
I popped over to an article on Tasting Table to discover one of the main differences between the recipes. Butter Chicken is an authentic Indian dish made with butter or ghee while Tikka Masala is a British dish with its own blend of spices.
I had an "a- ha" moment at reading the the connection between Tikka Masala and Great Britain. Many years ago, neighborhood friends from over the pond spoke fondly of their beloved Tikka Masala. The mystery was solved.
chef cooking tips
Preparing Butter Chicken is similar to making many one pot recipes.
- Don't skip marinating the chicken in the yogurt and spices. Not only does it add flavor to the meat, it also tenderizes it.
- Be sure not to crowd the pan when sautéing the chicken. With an overcrowded pan, the chicken steams instead of searing and browning.
- To balance out the flavors of the dish, add a touch a honey and fresh cilantro.
This one pot dinner recipe is flavor packed! If you have not tried a curry recipe or even tasted a curry dish, I suggest you start with this one. The warm spices including cumin, garam masala, coriander, chili powder, and turmeric make this a one pan comfort food dish.
It is also one of those entrees that tastes even better after a day or so in the refrigerator. The flavors meld together for an even richer tasting dish.
more chicken recipes
- Raspberry Chicken with Toasted Almonds
- Walking Tacos Bags
- Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
- Italian Herb Chicken with Caesar Dip
- Butter Sauteed Chicken with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Recipe
Naan with Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- Marinade ingredients for chicken
- 2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken breasts cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup plain yogurt whole milk
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 inch piece ginger root finely grated
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Ingredients for sauce
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large red onion about 3 cups sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 inch piece ginger root finely grated
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 can tomato sauce 14 ounces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 4 naan
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, add the chicken and the marinade ingredients. Stir well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Heat a large saute pan to medium high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken in 2 batches. Do not crowd the pan or the chicken will not brown. Cook for about 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Set the same large saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter. When the butter is melted and begins to foam, add the red onion. Sauté the onions for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger root and sauté 1 minute.
- Add the spices (garam masala, cumin, chili powder, coriander and salt) and stir to combine. Let sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken and become a rich red color.
- Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Add the browned chicken and stir to combine. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
- Serve with naan.
Did you make the recipe? Leave a comment.