Oven Baked Naan and Butter Chicken without Butter

My all time favorite combination of naan and butter chicken. As Ramadan fasting is going on, I will be searching for a variety of dishes for iftar, rather than having regular food. I came across a youtube video, in which they were making chicken korma along with this naan. First I thought of making the same chicken korma which they showed in the video, but then I changed my mind to butter chicken.

In the butter chicken, the chicken is usually baked along with marinated spices and cooked in the sauce. Here the marinated chicken pieces are cooked directly in the silky and creamy gravy. Thinking about this butter chicken, when we visited my elder brother in the UK, my SIL prepared an amazing restaurant style butter chicken. The taste is still lingering in my mouth. This one, which I made is almost the same. I am glad that I tried it and it tasted incredible.

You may be surprised that butter is not added in the butter chicken. The buttery flavor of this dish comes from the cream, which we are adding at least.

After making the butter chicken I came to know that this is the easiest curries which can be prepared within no time. With just a few ingredients we get lots of flavors.

Every curry needs a bread to scoop up the sauce, So I made naan to go along with butter chicken. Usually, naan is made on a direct flame, but here it is made in the oven and within minutes this will be ready. Naan is a soft, puffy, airy bread. This is a fail- proof recipe, which you can try at any time. Try this out and let me know...

Ingredients:

For Naan:

1. All Purpose Flour- 2 cups
2. Yeast- 2 tsp
3. Butter- 2 tbsp
4. Warm Milk- ½ Cup
5. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Take a tbsp of flour, yeast and 2 tbsps of warm water in a small bowl. Mix using a spoon and rest for 1 min.
3. In a stand mixer bowl, add the flour and butter. Mix well till the butter incorporates well.
4. In this add the yeast solution and slowly add the milk. Don’t add fully, add little by little and a bit of salt.
5. Mix well till it forms a soft dough. Take it out and grease a bowl with oil. Keep the dough cling wrap for about half an hour to an hour.
6. When it is time, take the fermented dough and punch it well. Make about 8- 10 balls and roll it using a rolling pin in an oval shape.
7. Spread water using a brush on top of the rolled dough and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and press slightly.
8. Place on a greased tray and repeat with the remaining dough and bake them for about 8 minutes and then broil them for about 2 min or till the top becomes slightly brown.
9. Serve them along with butter chicken.

Ingredients for Butter Chicken:

• Chicken- 1 Whole Chicken

For Marination:

1. Yogurt- 1 Cup
2. Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
3. Tomato Puree/ Paste- 1 tbsp
4. Cumin powder- 1 tsp
5. Turmeric Powder- ½ Tsp
6. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder- 1 tbsp
7. Kasuri Methi- 1 tbsp
8. Coriander powder- 1 tsp
9. Paprika powder- 1 tsp
10. Garam Masala- 1 tsp
11. Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp

For the Gravy:

1. Oil- 1tbsp
2. Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
3. Tomatoes- 2 nos (ground to paste)
4. Cream- ½ Cup

Method:

1. Marinate the cleaned and drained chicken using the marinade and keep this for about 1 hour.
2. Heat a pan with oil, add the ginger and garlic paste, when the raw smell disappears add the ground tomatoes.
3. Saute well till the oil separates, add the marinated chicken and mix well. Cover and cook till the chicken get cooked well.
4. Add the cream, simmer for a minute and switch off the flame.