pixy's mean clean recipes

butter chicken with paleo naan bread.

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IMG_0631butter chicken.  it’s sweet, tangy, rich, spicy ~ the perfect comfort food.

i went in search for the perfect butter chicken recipe, to impress my indian food-loving friends, and came across a beautiful recipe online.  however, in my not-so-humble opinion, it needed some tweaking.

here’s the pixy-fied version!

butter chicken the recipe calls for bone in chicken thighs.  and that’s what i used, but it would be so much better with boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces.  the idea of using bone-in meat is to keep it moist, but there is NO WAY this chicken wouldn’t be moist and tender, due to the incredible yogurt marinade.  and the end product is more delectable with bites of chicken throughout.

also, you could consider not using chicken at all.  this could be a vegetarian dish very easily.  the chick peas were the highlight of the dish, in my opinion.

so, here we go…

mix the following ingredients in a large ziplock bag and put in the fridge for 4-12 hours.

  • 1 ½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 ½ tablespoons ground turmeric (these exotic spices can all be purchased at whole foods in small, inexpensive quantities.  just go to the spice bins and ladle out a small amount if you don’t feel like investing in large jars)
  • 2 tablespoons garam masala
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 3 or 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks

in a large dutch oven (or oven-safe dish)…

  • melt 1 stick unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat, until the butter begins to froth.
  • add 2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and diced.  cook until translucent.
  • add 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, 3 tablespoons fresh ginger (use a microplane to grate), 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, and 1 cinnamon stick.
  • add 2 cans chick peas, 3 carrots, in large chunks, one small carton grape or cherry tomatoes, halved, and 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped.

cook the above ingredient for a few minutes, until they all start to get to know each other.

  • season with kosher salt to taste.
  • add the chicken, along with its yogurt-y marinade and stir.
  • add ⅔ cup chicken stock.

pop a lid on and put it in a 350 degree oven until the chicken is done (this is one of those recipes where you just have to pull out a piece of chicken and cut into it.  it’s the best way to know.  but allow for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  you cannot overcook this ~ it’s so saturated with yummy yogurt that it will definitely be moist and tender.)

when it’s done, stir in…

  • 1 ½ cups cream
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons ground almonds, or finely chopped almonds
  • ½ bunch cilantro leaves, stems removed.

serve over jasmine rice!

i cannot wait to make this again!  i have lots of leftovers that i will freeze, but i will be serving this again at my next dinner party, for sure.

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oh, and here’s the beloved gluten-free, grain-free, paleo-friendly naan bread!  yippeeeeee!!!!!

paleo naan bread all you need is a can of coconut milk (full fat), 1 cup of almond flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, and a pinch of salt.  (you can add chopped garlic and cilantro to the batter, if you’d like.  and i like!)

mix together the three ingredients and drop into a hot frying pan sprayed with cooking spray.  flip when brown.

place each finished piece of naan on a cookie sheet and keep in a 350 degree oven until you are ready to serve.  this will crisp up the bread, and keep it warm, too.

thank you to http://www.myheartbeets.com for that easy and wonderful recipe!

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