Quick & Easy Butter Chicken & Cauliflower Rice

Mildly spiced, creamy & comforting, butter chicken recipes might be a dime a dozen but this one is so simple to make you could (almost) make it blindfolded. Quick & easy butter chicken & cauliflower rice is perfect for these chilly evenings & as a make-ahead & freeze meal.

I’ve made this recipe a few times for my hubby & me, never thinking to share on here on my blog because does the world really need another butter chicken recipe? Yes. Yes the world does apparently. The world needs this butter chicken recipe. Maybe not the whole world but you do!

Why you ask…because it’s as easy AF. And it’s really good. So good in fact all this talk about it made me wander out to the kitchen for another bite. Yep, still good, even cold.

I made cauliflower ‘rice’ to serve with it. I’m not going to insult your intelligence & tell you it’s actually like rice because it’s not. What is good about cauliflower rice is it takes only a few minutes to cook & it’s very low in carbs. And, as I’m cutting down on carbs (“cutting down” I said, not cutting out, let’s be real here okay) it makes a half decent stand-in for rice. Plus extra veg servings & such.

Quick & Easy Butter Chicken & Cauliflower Rice is going to be perfect for dinner tonight: it’s not yet 4PM here in small town USA & it’s already dark, rainy, windy & cool. Nothing says “cozy” like a bowl of curry. I’m going to enjoy this with a glass or two of a dry rosé – ‘dry January’ is not a thing in our house. Happy Monday. Here’s to a productive week.

Toodles for now,

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Quick & Easy Butter Chicken & Cauliflower Rice

Do not be shy about the somewhat lofty list of ingredients – fairly common with most Indian curries thanks to the array of spices. The method is quick & easy. 

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ghee, coconut oil or butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 fat garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon garam marsala
• 1/2 teasooon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, or coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (coriander)

CAULIFLOWER RICE

• 1 whole cauliflower, trimmed of leaves & core
• 2 tablespoons ghee, coconut oil or butter
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• Melt the ghee in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add onion & cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic & cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. 
• Add all 8 spices. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant & well combined. Add the tomato paste & cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds to cook the paste a little. 
• Add salt & chicken; stir to coat in the mixture. Add cream & broth. Stir until combined. Bring chicken to a boil then reduce the heat to a steady simmer – about medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked & sauce is thickened somewhat. Removed cardamom pods.
• Add juice & stir until well combined. Garnish with cilantro leaves. 

To make the cauliflower rice:

• Break cauliflower into florets. Place in a food processor bowl in two batches & process until finely chopped. Melt the ghee in a large frying pan or a wide bottom pot. Add the cauliflower ‘rice” & a pinch of salt. Stir to coat the cauliflower in butter. Cook, covered, 4 to 5 minutes or until softened. Serve with the butter chicken. 

And if you’re in need of a couple of other cozy meals then try White Bean & Veggie Soup with Pesto or Oxtail in Red Wine.