"Not Butter Chicken" Dairy Free Chicken Makhani and Naan

"Not Butter Chicken" is all for my baby sister Kelly. She's a big Indian food fan living in rural Ohio where there aren't a lot of other big Indian food fans. Hopefully a do-it-yourself Chicken Makhani will do the trick and give her tummy a little culture!

Chicken Makhani is a favorite in my family and is also known as "Indian Butter Chicken." Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I don't exactly cook with butter so the butter had to go; along with the cream and yogurt which add to the joy of chicken makhani. 

I was delighted to find one recipe that called for coconut milk as a substitution for the cream, and one recipe that called for tomato paste instead of diced tomatoes (which hubby doesn't like), and one recipe that looked like it had a good balance of spices, and one recipe that was made in a slow cooker. Combine them all together and voila; Not Butter Chicken! 

NOT BUTTER CHICKEN/CHICKEN MAKHANI

Serves 4-6 

• 6-8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 medium onion
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 13.5 oz can coconut milk (I went with full fat because it replaces the cream and the yogurt)
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 inch peeled grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek (don't worry this will soften in the slow cooker)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (or more if you like it spicy)

Dice the onion and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the chicken on top. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken and onion. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  Serve with hot baked naan bread or basmati rice. 

Oh, you picked up on that "hot baked naan" business eh!?  Don't worry, I have a recipe for that as well.    The naan is actually part of my yeast bread resolution for 2014. Two birds you know?

DAIRY FREE NAAN 

Adapted from Avocado Bravo, see the original recipe at http://avocadobravado.net/recipe-pan-fried-naan/

Serves 6 to 8

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 olive or melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup Tofutti "Better Than Sour Cream" or plain non-dairy yogurt
• 1 egg
• oil for cooking

In a large mixing bowl combine the warm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to stand 5 minutes or until foamy. 

Combine the flour and salt. Combine the oil, Tofutti or yogurt, and egg. Mix the oil/Tofutti/egg mixture into the yeast mixture, and slowly incorporate the flour/salt mixture. The dough should be slightly tacky and pull away from the side of the bowl, add a little more flour if needed. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. 

Oil a large bowl, place the dough ball inside, cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm location until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.  (While I'm mixing my dough I preheat my oven to 170 degrees and then promptly turn it off once preheated. Then I allow my dough to rise in the oven. This is the only way I can get dough to rise.)  

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high. Turn out dough to a lightly floured surface and divide dough into 6-8 pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball and then roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. 

Add a small about of oil to the skillet and when hot add the naan and cook until medium to large air bubbles form on the surface, flip and cook to a golden brown. You can always brush melted dairy free butter (such as Earth Balance) over the top if you want to take it over the top! 

Oh boy was this good! Definitely a suitable substitution for the original. I hope my little sister will be able to enjoy a little bit of culture out in soybean land. 

Peace, 

Laura