Butter Chicken, Rice and Naan
When I was growing up I never really tried anything new, but recently that has changed. What that means is tonight on stream I am going to make something I have never done before - I am going to make Butter Chicken. I have modified this recipe to make it a little easier to find things here in.
Ingredients
Butter Chicken
1 cup butter, divided
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 cups heavy cream
Full fat coconut milk can be used as an alternative, if you have a
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
For a vegetarian version you can replace this with tofu.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tandoori masala
Naan Bread
2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2-3 cups flour, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg
Directions
Butter Chicken
First the chicken; we’re going to toss it in vegetable oil and the tandoori masala.
In a skillet we are going to melt about a third of our butter and add in the onion, garlic and chicken, stirring to avoid burning. This will take about 15 minutes to cook.
Now add in the tomato sauce, heavy cream, salt, cayenne, and garam masala. Bring this all to a simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly. This should boil down to a thick mixture.
Once finished server with Naan and rice.
Naan Bread
In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and warm water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. Once frothy, whisk in the oil, yogurt, and egg until evenly combined.
In a separate medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, pour the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour, a half cup at a time, until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).
At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. You'll end up using between 2.5 to 3 cups flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky. Avoid adding excessive amounts of flour as you knead, as this can make the dough too dry and stiff.
Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 1 hour). After it rises, gently flatten the dough into a disc and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball.
Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the bottom is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface (see photos below). Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Stack the cooked flat bread on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm as you cook the remaining pieces. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs!
