Well I couldn’t share my naan recipe and NOT also share my favourite thing to serve with it! I’ve made a few different variations of butter chicken (originating from India, also known as Murgh Makhani) over the years. After my last baby was born, a sweet friend of mine (shoutout to Henrieke!) brought me homemade butter chicken. Let me just say this is about the most perfect thing you could ever do for a new mama!! It was soooooo warm and comforting and perfectly flavoured, I just had to get the recipe. She was gracious enough to share it with me and I’ve since modified it a little here and there to make it suit our family, including making it dairy free.
Now, if there’s any purists reading this, you may be cringing at my substitutions. But I firmly believe in making food work for you and your family even if it makes the recipe less “authentic” than the original. Truth be told, I doubt anyone could tell the difference between my dairy free version and the original. They taste identical in my opinion! The original recipe called for plain yogurt and cream, which I’ve swapped out for full fat coconut milk. It works perfectly, and doesn’t taste “coconut-y”, if you’re worried about that. We finish the sauce with a few tablespoons of Ghee (clarified butter, considered dairy free) to make it silky smooth and rich.
Another unusual finisher to this dish is a squeeze of none other than… ketchup! I remember when I first learned to make Butter Chicken back before we had kids, I watched VahChef’s tutorial, and he said the restaurant secret to slightly sweet and perfectly red sauce is none other than a squeeze of ketchup. Having made it several times, I have to say I agree! The sweetness in the ketchup helps balance the acidity in the tomatoes, it just works!!
My favourite thing to serve Butter chicken with is, of course, my homemade naan bread (though store-bought would be just fine if you’re intimidated by tackling both dishes at once!). I throw a big pot of rice on in the Instant Pot and a tray of roasted cauliflower in the oven (tossed with olive oil, Garam Masala, and salt and pepper and roasted at 425F for 20ish minutes). One of my diet hacks for this meal is to use the roasted cauliflower as my base instead of rice, and then I can get my carbs from the naan which is what I REALLY want. This saves me from a bit of a carb overload and I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all. The rice helps fill up my growing children who have the appetites of wooly mammoths at present… 🙂
Once again, this recipe is very adaptable. You may notice in the photos, I was missing an onion this time around. No worries! I garnished the dish with fresh chopped green onions to lend a bit of onion-y flavour. I also was out of crushed tomatoes, so I subbed in a small can of tomato paste and some leftover tomato juice I had from draining whole tomatoes for my pizza sauce. It worked perfectly! When you don’t have the exact ingredients a recipe calls for, know that you can usually make smart substitutions (the exception would be certain ingredients necessary for baking, etc.). Try to think of what that ingredient is bringing to the dish and use a suitable alternative that will serve a similar purpose. In this recipe, crushed tomatoes provide acidity and the tomato base for the sauce, so tomato paste would bring the rich tomato flavour and the tomato juice had the acidity I needed. A plain can of tomato sauce would also work! I encourage you play around with what you have on hand and you’ll get more and more comfortable with what works/doesn’t work.
It is crucial to taste as you go so you can tweak here and there along the way to prevent a major flop after all is said and done. In the case of my tomato substitution, I was looking to taste a good tomato flavour and acidity to the sauce, if it wasn’t there I could’ve added more tomato paste for tomato flavour or even a swig of red wine vinegar for acidity. Just because something doesn’t taste perfect when you test it does NOT mean it’s a flop – it often just needs a little tweak of seasoning here and there and it’ll be bang on the mark. Never underestimate the impact of some extra salt for flavour, a dash of honey for sweetness, a pinch of chili flakes for heat, a swig of vinegar/squeeze of citrus for acidity, or a splash of cream/coconut milk for richness/creaminess. The kitchen is your place to make food taste just the way you and your family like it, so go for it!!!
One last thing to note, this recipe calls for Garam Masala, which is an Indian spice mix that varies greatly in intensity of heat depending on the mix. I really like the homemade spice mix recipe I’ve included below, as it’s not too spicy for my family but still packed with flavour. If you purchase store-bought Garam Masala, start with a small amount and work up from there because some versions can be QUITE spicy! I like to add all the spices to the pan while it’s still “dry” with the chicken and onions to really bloom the spices and bring out their flavours – another trick I learned from that tutorial I mentioned earlier. It makes all the difference!
Ok, ok…time for the recipe! I hope you guys get a chance to try out this gem of a dish and enjoy it as much as we do!! Talk to you soon 🙂
Butter Chicken (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
Butter Chicken:
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 large chicken breasts cubed
- sea salt to taste
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 onion, finely diced for a super smooth sauce you can puree it in a food processor or bullet
- 1 bell pepper, finely diced optional
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala storebought or use recipe below
- 1 tsp Better than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base
- 1 796ml/28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 160ml/5.5oz can full fat coconut milk (or 3/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp ketchup optional
- 3 tbsp Ghee or butter if not dairy free
- 1 handful fresh chopped cilantro, parley, and/or chives optional garnish
Garam Masala (optional)
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
For the Butter Chicken:
- Melt the coconut oil in a large pan over medium low heat until pan is nicely preheated.
- Add the chicken to the in pan a single layer, season generously with salt and pepper. Let it sear for 2 minutes on one side, then turn and let it sear on the other side for 2 minutes until nicely browned. It will not be cooked through, that is fine.
- Add the onions and saute a few minutes until translucent. Add the bell pepper (if using), garlic, and spices and saute for a minute or two to bring out the flavours.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken bouillon and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add the coconut milk and 1/2 tsp of salt and stir to combine. Simmer on low for 20 minutes, cover if sauce is reducing too much.
- Stir in the ketchup. Taste sauce and adust seasoning as needed. Add more ketchup if you would like it a touch sweeter, more Garam Masala if you would like more depth of flavour, more chili flakes for heat, more coconut milk to make it creamier, or more salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and stir in the Ghee/Butter until sauce is silky smooth.
- Garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Serve with rice and/or roasted cauliflower and naan bread.
Garam Masala:
- Combine all ingredients and keep stored in an airtight container.
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This post includes affiliate links, meaning I made a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions and I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t absolutely love and use on a regular basis. Hope you find these lists helpful!
Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk– This is my go to brand for making whipped coconut cream, or substituting for heavy cream in recipes. The other brands just don’t seem to be as creamy or solidify when refrigerated – such a disappointment when you open the can in the morning ready to whip up some cream. This brand has never failed me!
Ghee– Clarified Butter. This is the best lactose free substitute for butter because it is made with butter so you get the same rich buttery flavour without the dairy. It’s also a valuable Source of fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K. How cool is that?!
Organic Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base – This is my go to quick substitute for homemade chicken broth. It is perfect for adding a depth of flavour to soups and sauces without adding a ton of liquid like you would with a tin of chicken broth. I love this brand in particular because it has reduced sodium and organic ingredients. It’s the best flavoured one I’ve tried. I buy it at Costco, I’m sure it’s cheaper than the Amazon price but I thought I’d put the link on here so you can see what the product looks like and maybe find it at your local grocery store!
Great recipe as always!
Thanks Nicole, glad to hear it!!
This was absolutely so flavorful. I just made 3 massive pots for a gathering. So so delish
That is so great to hear, glad to hear it scales up nicely as well!!
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i just tried this, couldnt stand the taste, very bitter no matter what i did, ended up in the bin, was so hopeful on this recipe & left very disappointed.
I’m so sorry to hear that Stuart, I’m not sure what went wrong. Have you had Butter Chicken before and liked it? I suppose it’s not for everyone. To combat bitterness, I suggest adding a bit of sweetener like a squeeze of honey, or a pinch of sugar, or more ketchup. You can also try seasoning with more salt.
Great recipe, especially for someone who isn’t confident when cooking!
I’ve recreated it several times and it’s delicious every time 👌🏼
That makes me so happy to hear!!! 🙂
Made this tonight for my family and to bless another family and everyone loved it!
So glad to hear it, thats awesome!