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Butter Chicken Mac and Cheese

My butter chicken mac and cheese is guaranteed to become your favourite! The creamy gravy, the tender chicken, and the cheesy flavours all combined to make you drool.

What is better than butter chicken mac and cheese? I say not much! The combination between fragrant Indian flavours, pasta, and cheese is hard to not like, right? Try it once and I can guarantee you will be coming back for the recipe over and over!

Ingredients for Butter Chicken Mac and Cheese

A few Indian spices, some pasta, some chicken, and a bit of cheese are all one needs to get this scrumptious meal on a plate.

Ingredients for butter chicken mac and cheese

Ingredients List for this Indian Recipe:

  • 2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder (or less)
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • salt to taste
  • 4 large organic boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup tomato puree
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon fenugreek leaves
  • 1/2 cup table cream
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 4 cups cooked gluten free elbow macaroni (you can use any kind you like)
  • 1 cup of grated marble cheddar

More Indian Recipes you will Like:


Marinating the Chicken:

The first step to making delicious butter chicken mac and cheese is to marinate the chicken breasts. To do that:

  • Chop the chicken breasts into thin 1/2 inch strips.
  • Peel and finely chop the garlic.
  • Grate the ginger.
  • Add the turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, and yogurt to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the chicken, garlic, and ginger to the bowl, and using your hands, mix everything well ensuring that the chicken is well coated.
  • Allow it to sit in the marinade for about 1/2 an hour to marinate and the spices to mingle.
Marinated chicken for BC mac and cheese

Cooking the Macaroni

While the chicken is marinating, we can prepare the pasta:

  • Boil 6 cups of water and salt it liberally. I like to add lots of salt to the water so that the pasta is well salted, otherwise, it is too bland.
  • Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta to the pot and allow it to cook as per the package instructions less 1 min – so if your pasta box says to boil for 6 mins, I recommend you boil it for 4-5. The pasta will continue to cook once we add it to the chicken, so it’s best to undercook it a little.
  • Once it’s boiled, drain it and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process right away.
  • Let it sit in the colander while you make the sauce.
Macaroni for butter chicken mac and cheese

The Curry Sauce

Now we are ready to cook the butter chicken:

  • In a pan add the butter and oil together and heat them so they’re quite hot, but not smoking.
  • Add all the contents of the bowl (chicken and yogurt mix) into the bowl. You will hear a sizzle as the liquid hits the hot oil. This is a good sign.
  • Brown the chicken from one side then turn it over to the other side and allow it to brown a little as well.
  • By now the chicken will have almost cooked through since we cut it into thin strips.
  • At this point, we can add the cream, sugar, and fenugreek leaves and allow everything to come to a boil.
  • Simmer for a further 5 minutes to allow the gravy to thicken a little.
Butter chicken in a pot

Assembling the Indo-Canadian Recipe:

Now that both the pasta and the sauce are ready, we can assemble our delicious Indo-Canadian recipe.

  • Turn the heat to low and add the boiled pasta to the pot with the gravy.
  • Toss it gently so that all of it gets well combined
Butter chicken mac and cheese in pan

Adding the Cheese

Once the pasta and the curry have been properly combined, we can introduce the cheese to the mix. Add the cheese all at one go and mix it in well. Try not to over stir, so that the pasta doesn’t break. It will be well cooked by now.

Butter chicken mac and cheese in pan with cheese

To Bake or Not to Bake

It is a question I am often asked. Should I bake my pasta or not? I always say this is a personal preference. My kids are divided. One love is just as is, the other prefers it baked. The difference between baking it and not baking it is the amount of cheese that goes into it. If you bake it, you need to add more cheese so that when it comes out of the oven, you can cut it and serve it. When you don’t bake it, you just scoop it out using a serving spoon and enjoy.

Serving Suggestions:

We love having this recipe when it’s freshly cooked, but it tends to taste a lot better the next day. I always make extras so we can have some the next day for lunch. To serve:

  • sprinkle with fresh cut green coriander or parsley.
  • serve with a side of my heirloom carrot and zucchini salad.
  • or enjoy it with a side of my green bean and mango salad.

Tried and Liked the Recipe?

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and past the recipe to find the comment form. Please fill out details of what you liked and what you would like to see improved. Comments are loved! I look forward to hearing how much you enjoyed the recipe!

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Flavourful Butter Chicken Mac and Cheese

Course: EntreeCuisine: Indo-CanadianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Calories

293

kcal
Total time

45

minutes

My butter chicken mac and cheese is guaranteed to become your favourite! The creamy gravy, the tender chicken, and the cheesy flavours all combined to make you drool.

Ingredients

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

  • 1 tablespoon turmeric

  • 1 tablespoon red chili powder

  • 1 tablespoon garam masala

  • 1 teaspoon cumin

  • 1 teaspoon coriander

  • 1/2 cup yogurt

  • salt to taste

  • 4 large organic boneless chicken breasts

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1/2 cup tomato puree

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1 tablespoon fenugreek leaves

  • 1/2 cup table cream

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 4 cups cooked gluten free elbow macaroni

  • 1 cup of grated marble cheddar

Directions

  • Chop the chicken breasts into thin 1/2 inch strips.
  • Peel and finely chop the garlic and grate the ginger.
  • Add the turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, and yogurt to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the chicken, garlic, and ginger to the bowl, and using your hands, mix everything well, ensuring that the chicken is well coated.
  • Allow it to sit in the marinade for about 1/2 an hour to marinate.
  • While the chicken is marinating, boil the pasta as per the package instructions, less 2 minutes. So if the package says 7 minutes, boil it for 5 minutes.
  • Drain and rinse in cold water and allow it to sit covered while you make the gravy.
  • In a pan add the butter and oil together and heat the oil so it’s quite hot, but not smoking.
  • Add all the contents of the bowl (chicken and yogurt mix) into the bowl. You will hear a sizzle as the liquid hits the hot oil. This is a good sign.
  • Brown the chicken from one side then turn it over to the other side and allow it to brown a little as well.
  • Add the cream, sugar, and fenugreek leaves and allow it to come to a boil.
    Simmer for a further 5 minutes to allow the gravy to thicken a little.
  • Turn the heat to low and add the boiled pasta to the pot with the gravy. Toss it gently so that all of it is well combined
  • Add the cheese and combine – again being gentle and ensuring the pasta doesn’t break.
  • Serve it hot with a sprinkling of freshly cut green coriander or parsley.
Nutrition for butter chicken mac and cheese
What is butter chicken sauce made of?

The sauce is what makes butter chicken what it is. The key ingredients that give it that classic butter chicken falvour are: the yogurt in which the chicken is marinated, the cream, and the dried fenugreek leaves.

What makes butter chicken sauce think?

The sauce for butter chicken is made thick by using heavy cream and tomato puree or tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes. Most curries are made with fresh tomatoes, but if you want to make a thick curry, skip the fresh and go with the puree.

Can I make gluten free butter chicken mac and cheese?

Most definitely – by using gluten free pasta. In fact, my recipe for butter chicken mac and cheese uses gluten free pasta. There are no other gluten based products in this recipe, so it’s safe for the gluten free members of your family.

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