We have had quite a bit of rain in Louisiana lately, and let me tell you I am over it! I just want my back yard to dry out for more than one day...is that too much to ask? It's March now and I'm ready for signs of spring.
One of the ways I combat my mood with yucky weather, is to make something yummy and delightful to cheer me up (I have probably told you that before, but honestly it helps.) Brings a little sunshine to my day if you will.
I have had a craving for Indian food for a bit, and I stumbled upon a recipe from a blog that I follow called Half Baked Harvest. It is called Butter Chicken and Tieghan (the author of the blog) had mentioned that she had made a healthier version, so I took a little peek at the recipe, and it looked so delicious. She has amazing recipes on her blog ya'll. If you haven't checked it out before, you should!
I made a few tweeks to make it my own, and let me tell you this recipe is on time (as Canean would say). She also suggested that if you are making the Butter Chicken, that you MUST make the homemade Naan to go with it...I was all like "homemade bread?" Twist my arm...okay, I'm in (like that was hard.) And I looove Naan, let's be honest, who doesn't really? If you don't we need to discuss our friendship.
This recipe was the perfect antidote to my rainy day leaving me happy and satisfied after eating it. Most of the fat has been eliminated, leaving plenty of flavor and deliciousness.
I'll just tell you that usually Canean will only eat leftovers one day after he eats it for dinner, but this he ate TWICE...yeah it's a big deal and that should tell you that you need this recipe in your life.
And the Naan, don't even get me started it is so delicious and we ate it with every meal I think after I made the batch until there was no more, which was very sad. I think it might become a staple in our house for more than when I am cooking Indian food.
Ok enough talking...let's get down to the nitty gritty.
Ingredients:
Butter Chicken-
I Whole Cut up Chicken (or 4 boneless breasts, which would make it even healthier, I happened to already have a whole chicken on hand)
1 Onion (chopped into small dices)
2 Tbsp. Butter
5 Garlic Cloves (finely chopped, or grated)
2 Tbsp. Fresh Grated Ginger
2 Tsp. Curry Powder
2 Tsp. Thai Red Chili Paste (or you could use a curry paste)
2 Tbsp. garam masala (this is a blend of Indian spices, that you can blend yourself if you can't find it or don't want to buy a whole thing of it)
1 Tsp. Turmeric
1 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1//2 Tsp. Salt
1, 6 oz. can of Tomato Paste
1 Can of Reduced Fat/Light Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Cilantro for garnish
Water, only if sauce needs thinning
Naan-
4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 Cup Hot Water
3/4 Tsp. Dry Active Yeast
3/4 Cup Warm Milk
1 Cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Olive Oil for brushing
Directions:
Butter Chicken-
-You could easily do this in a crockpot, but I did mine in an oven safe dutch oven.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a bowl, mix your coconut milk, greek yogurt, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, and spices and whisk well until all is combined and smooth.
-Salt and Pepper both sides of your chicken. In your dutch oven (or large pan if you are using a crock pot) heat the pan to pretty high with a little olive oil, not all the way, but almost. Place your chicken in and brown on each side for a couple of minutes until some good caramelization has happened. Don't over crowd your pan either, you might have to do two batches. I did since I used a whole chicken.
-After all chicken has been browned and removed from the pan, place your chopped onion in the bottom of the pan, and place chicken on top of that in the pan and cover with the coconut milk and yogurt mixture and make sure that the chicken is covered. Place lid on dutch oven, and put into the oven for 1 1/2-2 hours on 350 until chicken is cooked and tender. Or place in your crockpot on either high for 4 hours or low for 8. You can stir once or twice while the chicken is cooking.
-Serve over basmati rice, and with a big piece of Naan of course and sprinkle with cilantro!
Naan-
-In a 4 cup or bigger measuring cup, dissolve your sugar in the hot water. Add the dry yeast and stir until dissolved. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes or until the yeast is bubbly. I had to sit mine on my stove, because I live in an old house that gets cold. So make sure it is a warm area.
-In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and baking soda)
-After the yeast gets bubbly, add your warm milk (I just microwaved the milk for about 20-30 seconds) and the Greek yogurt to the yeast and mix well.
-Add your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon to mix together until the mixture is almost together. Use your hands to further mix the dough until it forms a ball. It will still be slightly sticky. Get another bowl and grease slightly with oil, and place the dough ball inside the bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm place for an hour until the dough rises slightly. You can put this in the fridge the night before if you choose at this point to save for the next day.
-When you are ready to get cooking, make 8-10 balls out of the dough. Roll each ball out into an oval shape onto a floured surface until they are around 1/8-1/4 inch thick. This might depend on how much rise you get out of your first Naan you try. I started with 1/4 inch and then rolled our thinner because they were too thick after they cooked.
-Warm a cast iron skillet over med-high heat, and brush the Naan with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle a little kosher or sea salt on one side. Once your pan is hot, place the dough (probably 2 will fit into a regular size iron skillet) and place a lid over top for 1-2 minutes until bubbles form in the dough. Remove lid and flip Naan over to the other side for an additional minute.
-They don't take long and you do want some of that char on them. I had to reduce my heat a smidge after the first couple. Use your best judgment here and trust your instincts.
This bread is amazing! I really think this is worth a short guys if you are making the chicken. But if you have no desire to make it yourself, I totally get that, just buy some at the store and reheat before serving! It's so good to dip into the extra sauce on your plate!
Have I convinced you to make this meal yet? I hope so!
You definitely will not regret it! Pinky promise.
