This cauliflower butter chicken with naan recipe is my go-to any time I am craving Indian-inspired flavors! Cauliflower does all of the work in making this recipe super creamy, so there is no need for actual butter. It’s creamy, loaded with bright and bold flavor, and makes a wonderful healthy dinner!
For those of you who are craving Indian food…I feel you! I didn’t realize how much I loved Indian food until I was stuck at home during quarantine and watched a Netflix show on Indian street food…it was like I could smell the spices through the TV!
My craving for butter chicken was so strong, but I didn’t have all of the ingredients one would normally need for traditional Indian cuisine. I also had this large bag of frozen cauliflower in the freezer that I had NO CLUE what I was going to do with…
So I figured out a way to use my shelf stable spices and frozen cauliflower to make an amazing cauliflower butter chicken with naan recipe! And a little side note, there is no actual butter in this recipe. The pureed cauliflower does all the work towards making a beautiful creamy sauce.
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Cauliflower Butter Chicken with Naan
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp Curry powder
- 1 tbsp Garam masala spice
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 4 Cloves of garlic Chopped or squeezed through garlic press
- 3 tbsp Chopped ginger (Or how ever much you want/have! Squeeze ginger works too)
- 1 6 oz Can tomato Paste
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil (Or any oil you would like/have, coconut oil would be great!)
- 2 Thawed raw chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch cubes (Doesn't have to be perfect since we are slow cooking it)
- 12 oz Bag of frozen cauliflower (Or one head of fresh cauliflower, chopped)
- 14 oz Can of tomato sauce
- 1 15oz can of coconut milk (or 3/4 cup heavy cream)
- Chopped parsley or cilantro as garnish
Ingredients for Naan
- 2 1/4 tsp Active Yeast (1 pack)
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1/4 cup Warm water
- 4 cups Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Warm milk
- 3/4 cup Plain Greek yogurt (one entire Chobani Greek yogurt cup)
Instructions
- Prepare spices in a small bowl: combine curry powder (or Indian spice), garam masala, chili powder and salt.
- Chop or press 4 cloves of garlic and as much ginger as you would like (I used 3 tbsp).
- Saute the chopped onions in 2 tbsp of olive or coconut oil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the spices, ginger, garlic and tomato paste to the onions and saute for 30-60 seconds, stirring to prevent burning. Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Top the mixture with the chopped chicken, the entire contents of a 12 ounce bag of frozen cauliflower and tomato sauce.
- Mix to combine ingredients and cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Once done, remove ALL of the chicken from the slow cooker and add your can of coconut milk. Using a hand blender, blend the cauliflower until it forms a sauce and all of the pieces are blended, about 60 seconds. Make sure to lift the hand blander frequently to get the cauliflower under it to properly blend.
- Place the chicken back in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro and keep warm until ready to eat
Directions to make Naan bread
- Combine 1 pack of active yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl. Stir gently and briefly and let sit X 10 minutes until it becomes foamy
- While that is sitting, whisk together 4 cups of flour and 1 tsp salt.
- Once done, combine the yeast mixture, warm milk and plain Greek yogurt together in a separate bowl.
- Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until a dough forms. Knead the dough for 4 minutes.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap: let it sit on the counter for 1 hour.
- Once done, place the dough on a lightly floured clean surface and knead into a flattened ball: should be about 2 inches high.
- Cut dough into 8 even pieces, similar to how you would cut a pizza
- Take an individual piece of dough and roll it with a rolling pin until it is fairly flat
- Place it in a hot non-stick pan with a little melted butter or oil and cook it until bubbles form, then flip (about 2 minutes per side). Repeat with all dough pieces.
Notes
- Here is the link for the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender I used to puree the cauliflower! It literally did it in 45 seconds, I kid you not. Definitely a kitchen staple.
- You can season the naan with salt prior to placing it in the pan, however try to avoid seasoning it with garlic powder, as it may burn (I’m speaking from experience!) For a healthier version, skip the butter/oil in the pan and just throw it in dry! Just make sure it is a good non-stick pan.
- If you don’t have chicken breasts, you can always use chicken thighs or another cut of chicken/meat, just make sure it is fully cooked before eating.
- If you do not have a slow cooker, you can place the ingredients in a dutch oven and cook it covered in the oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours, or 250 degrees for 3 hours. If you do not have a hand blender, you can always use a regular blender, just make sure the sauce is completely cooled before adding it to the blender.
Nutrition
Cuisineart Smart Stick Hand Blender : Trust me, when you need it, YOU NEED IT. This hand blender has never done me wrong. I use it in my Cauliflower Butter Chicken recipe, and it works wonders. It is so sharp and fast that it literally pureed my cauliflower in about 30 seconds. You can use this to make smoothies, soups, pesto, chimichurri, whipped cream and much more! In comparison to an actual blender, the hand blender is much easier to clean: run it under some hot water and a little soap and place it back in the cabinet. Definitely a staple in my kitchen.
