Kid-Approved Indian Butter Chicken: Adventures with Food
Welcome to another family favorite recipe! If you have ever told me that (kid-approved) Indian food would be made on repeat in my house, I don’t think I would have believed you. Indian Butter Chicken is one of those dishes that I would never have guessed ALL my children would love as much as they do, but my five-year-old has declared it his “1000% favorite food”! (For the record, roasted tomato soup with broiled cheddar rates as “1% favorite” in his book. Sigh.) This recipe is both also remarkably healthy and budget-conscious –give it up for rice and chicken! (Speaking of budget, World Market is hands down the cheapest place to buy the ground coriander and cardamom called for in this recipe.)
You’ll notice it contains plenty of garlic. I always use more garlic than is called for in a recipe — Vive l’ail! I try to avoid kitchen “gadgets” as much as possible (for the sake of my cabinet space if nothing else), but I love having this garlic rocker; it’s simple to clean, easy to use, makes quick work of numerous garlic cloves, and since it’s stainless steel it will get the garlic smell off your hands if you use your hands to rinse it.
This dish can be gently reheated the next day if you wish to make it ahead (but I would suggest leaving the cilantro to the last minute if possible). Kid-approved Indian food that makes great leftovers? Please and thank you.
We have eaten Indian Butter Chicken with other kinds of rice, but the Basmati is especially good with it. Maybe it’s my Mexican-leaning tastebuds, but I think plenty of lime juice and cilantro is key to a flavorful dish here.