Butter Chicken + the Kitchen Sink

I had been intending to make Butter Chicken for the last week or so, and yesterday while I was prepping I realized I wanted something in a large batch that I could meal prep and freeze, but I only had 3 chicken breasts, so I decided to improvise. This recipe uses chicken, tofu, roast squash as well as spinach (to make it “healthy”). You could double the tofu and remove the chicken to make it veg friendly, or swap out with other protein as you wish. This recipe was adapted from this one, and if you just want to make a small batch you can follow it directly. Otherwise be ready for a double pan large batch meal! The other change I made, since I double the sauce recipe, was to use a mix of tomato types so that I had a smooth sauce as well as tomato chunks in the final dish.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken marinade:

• 28 oz (800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or finely grated)
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon of salt

For the Tofu marinade (same thing, so essentially double it, but I cooked each separately):

• 1 Package firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or finely grated)
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon of salt

For the Roast Squash

• 1 medium Butternut Squash, cubed 
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Olive oil to coat

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil (or more, depending how oily you like your sauce)
• 2 tablespoons ghee (or 1 tbs butter + 1 tbs oil)
• 2 large onion, sliced or chopped
• 3 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon ginger, minced or finely grated
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 14 oz (400 g) crushed tomatoes
• 14 oz (400 g) diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to your taste preference)
• 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 2 cups of heavy or thickened cream (or evaporated milk to save calories)
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• Up to 4 cups chopped spinach - it really disappears! I just rip it with my hands and add it in until I feel like the dish is “healthy” enough.
• Cilantro, lemon slice for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375c
• In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for minimum 30 minutes, 2-3 hours ideally, overnight is best.
• Repeat steps for tofu
• In another bowl combine spices and add cubed butternut squash, toss to coat. Add oil and toss again. Spread out on a large baking sheet (use parchment if you’d like) and put in oven to bake. Turn after 10 minutes. Should take 20-30 minutes to roast depending on size of your cubes
• While squash cooks, heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces making sure not to crowd the pan. You can add in stages if needed. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside in a bowl and keep warm - I kept in a bowl over the stove burner that is the exhaust for the oven. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
• Repeat with tofu. I added the tofu to the same bowl to keep warm once finished.
• When the squash is finished cooking, add in to the bowl of chicken and tofu and mix.
• Heat butter or ghee in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to sweat (about 6 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. 
• Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add ground coriander, cumin and garam masala. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
• Add crushed tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
• Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
• Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. At this point I needed two large pans, so pour half in each. Stir into each pan equally the diced tomatoes, cream, and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken/tofu/squash mix back into the pans and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. In the last 5 minutes add chopped (or ripped up) spinach until cooked through.
• Optional - if too thick add butter, ghee, oil, or water until desired texture is reached.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro, lemon slice and serve with spiced rice and naan bread.

Instant Pot Basmati/Jasmine Rice:

• 1 cup water to 1 cup rice proportions (feel free to double)
• 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon oil

Add ingredients to instant pot, set to 6 minutes at high pressure. Allow natural release for 10 minutes and then release the rest and fluff rice.