Butter Chicken & Naan ... Yummo.

So this post is for my twinny, Leah, all the way out there in Saskatoon. Leah is a big fan of our butter chicken, and all things fantastically spiced. This is an Indian dish from Punjab. The only kind of 'out there' ingredient in it is the garam masala. Garam Masala is from the Hindi for garam ('hot') and masala ('mixture') and is essentially just a blend of common Indian & South-Asian spices (commonly black & white peppercorns, cloves, malibar leaves, long pepper,black cumin, cumin seeds, cinnamon; black, brown, & green cardamom,nutmeg, star anise and coriander seeds). And by 'hot' we're talking about the intensity of the spice, and not spicy 'hot'. This is NOT a spicy dish. You should be able to get the garam masala at any grocery store spice isle. It may be under "Indian Masala". To make the meal go a little further, you could serve it with some nice rice. We like to serve it with naan bread. We buy our naan in bulk and keep it frozen in the freezer. If you look in different grocery stores (we're a big fan of Price Chopper) other than Loblaws where they sell the naan for 2 pieces for 4$, you can usually find bulk naan for 10 pieces for 5$. It freezers really well and heats up in a toaster oven really well in just a couple of minutes. Bon Appétit! 


Ingredients:
2 tbs. olive oil (divided)
1 lbs. boneless, skiness chicken cut into bit-sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. of each: garam masala & cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
salt & pepper to taste
Serve with: rice or naan bread


Directions:
1. Heat 1 tbs. oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes and then set aside. If serving with rice, start your rice cooking.
2. Heat remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger until soft and fragrant. Stir in butter, lemon juice and all of the spices. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, cooking for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the milk and yogurt. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add reserved chicken to sauce and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until sauce has thickened and chicken is cooked through. In the mean time, if serving with naan, heat in the oven with a light brushing of olive oil.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.