Butter Chicken with Coconut Rice

Butter Chicken ©Kevin Ashton2024
Butter Chicken ©Kevin Ashton2024

With Christmas just a few days away I thought my readers might appreciate a recipe that is different and full of flavour. Butter Chicken is a well known dish from India and I recently showed my online students my version of this dish.  If you have time you could also have a go at making your own naan bread, see my recipe at the bottom. I’d also like to take a moment to thank all my readers and wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Ingredients for 2 persons

340 grams chicken breast cut into thin strips

16 g fresh ginger

16 g fresh garlic

1.5  tbsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 TBsp vegetable oil

500 grams vine ripe tomatoes cut into thin wedges

90 grams red onions finely diced

1.5 Tbsp malt vinegar

1 tsp fenugreek leaves

1Tbsp sugar

1 tsp garam masala

60 grams cashews

2.5  Tbsp double cream

40  grams unsalted butter

175 ml water or chicken stock

150 gram white rice (2 portions)

*50 grams coconut milk (optional)

  1. Finely mince the ginger and garlic in a food processer.
  2. Marinate the chicken with the ½ of the garlic and ½ of the ginger and add ½ Tbsp red chilli powder and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  3. In a large non-stick frying pan heat 1 Tbsp oil then fry the marinated chicken pieces in it, season lightly with salt.  Turn the chicken frequently to ensure the garlic and ginger do not burn.  Cook for 4 minutes then place the chicken into a bowl.
  4. In the same pan melt 20 grams butter and add the onions. Cook on a low to medium heat until the onions are translucent ( about 2 minutes). Then add the tomatoes and most of the cashew nuts (holding back a few to garnish the dish with).
  5. Cook for another 2 minutes, then add the stock and the rest of the pureed garlic and ginger. Then add the vinegar, sugar, garam masala and remaining 1 tbsp chilli powder and another 10 grams of butter. Stir well then simmer on a medium low heat for 15 minutes until the tomatoes and onions are very soft.
  6. Remove the sauce from the heat and puree until very smooth, using a blender or food processor.
  7. Now strain the pureed sauce back through a fine sieve into the frying pan to make the sauce even smoother. Make sure to press as much of the pulp through the sieve to avoid wasting any sauce.
  8. Cook your rice, adding 2 Tbsp *coconut milk if you wish in the last 2 minutes of cooking to give it that mild hint of coconut.
  9. Reheat the strained sauce on a low heat and stir in the final 10 gram butter and 2 tbsp cream and fenugreek leaves. Next add the chicken and remainder of the cashew nuts and heat for 5-7 minutes then serve with the rice and homemade Naan bread.

Chef’s Notes

If you want the Butter Chicken to be extra spicy then add an extra ½ Tbsp Red Chilli to the sauce.  Below is my Youtube video of the recipe.

Butter Chicken with Coconut Rice© Kevin Ashton2024

Naan Bread

Spicy Coriander Naan Bread©Kevin Ashton 2024

Ingredients makes 6 small Naans

4 gram quick acting yeast

1 teaspoon of clear honey

40g of butter

250 g Bread flour

3½ Tbsp plain Greek yogurt

125ml lukewarm water (around 36 C)

½ teaspoon sea salt

15 grams chopped Fresh Coriander

1 tsp olive oil

1 ½  tsp Garam Masala

4 grams very finely diced garlic

  1. Combine the yeast honey and water in a bowl and leave to let the yeast begin to work.
  2. Melt the 25 grams butter on a low heat add the garlic and cook for 4 minutes stirring from time to time, then allow to cool.
  3. Put the flour, garam masala and salt into a large bowl and create a well in the middle.
  4. Now add yeast mixture and yogurt into dry ingredients and mix well.
  5. Next stir in the the butter and garlic mixture and continue to mix well.
  6. Once the mix become dry enough, bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough ball.
  7. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes on a lightly flour dusted counter or knead with a dough hook on a stand mixer for 10 minutes.
  8. Cover with a clean cloth or cling film and let the mix rest and double in size (about 1 ½ hours.)
  9. Now mix in the chopped coriander and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces about 74 grams per ball.
  10. Divide the mix into 6 even sized balls and roll into an oval shape with your hands or a rolling pin
  11. Rub a nonstick frying pan with the olive oil and heat on a medium high heat 6-7.
  12. When the pan is hot, lay 3 of the Naan bread into pan and cook for 3 minutes and then turn and repeat. The Naan bread needs about 6 minutes in total and they should puff up a little.
  13. Once cooked remove from the pan and keep warm on a plate in the oven set to 100 C.
  14. Melt the remaining 15 g butter and brush each Naan to enrich the flavour with some of the melted butter.
  15. Repeat the process to cook the other 3 Naans.

Chefs Notes

Once cooked, the Naans will last for several days in the fridge in a plastic container.

Just microwave for 30 seconds to reheat.

57 thoughts on “Butter Chicken with Coconut Rice”

    1. Thanks Sailorfusion.
      To make the Naan Bread gluten-free just replace the Bread flour with Gluten-free bread flour and add 1 tsp xanthan gum to help make the dough more elastic. You might also wish to check the ingredients of the yeast as some dried yeasts have wheat additives in them.

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      2. Thank you Julie.
        Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I’m usually cooking up at storm at my twin brother’s house but on the 26th we are at my wonderful mother-in-law’s house and she is the one amazing everyone with her culinary skills. I’m a lucky man.
        Happy Holidays 🙂

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    1. The recipe is based on one given to me by some ladies from Bangladesh. I was giving cooking lessons in a community centre. I also encouraged them to show me their own recipes. At the centre we had a gas stove so we turned a steel wok upside down and cooked the Naan quickly on the outside of this lightly oil wok. Very similar to cooking the Naan in a tandoori oven.
      Best Wishes
      Kevin 🙂

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    1. Thank you for your kind words about my recipe. Let me know what the kids think. It might be fun to get the kids to make the Naan bread then they will be sure to try the Butter Chicken.
      Happy New Year 🙂

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      2. The great thing about cooking is you get to eat the results and we learn even from our mistakes.

        Homemade Naan wont have any chemical preservatives in it so it’s better for you.
        Best Wishes
        Kevin 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much Balle it is always good to here from you. As ever your wonderful blog is filled with your delicous recipes!

      Best Wishes and have A Happy New Year!
      Kevin 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much. 🙂
      I’m sure you know yourself that taking food photos is luck as well as judgment as time to take them is very limited before the food cools down or sauce congeals and loses its eye appeal. This particular shot was done at the end of one of my online cooking lessons.
      Best Wishes
      Kevin

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