Whole30 Indian Butter Chicken

When I want to cook a dish for the first time, I typically select the best parts of a few highly rated recipes to make one super dish. I hate wasting food (and ultimately money), so when trying something new I aim to make it tasty…the first time! So, unsurprisingly when I decided to make Indian Butter Chicken, I followed the same process. As I scoured the web and noted what seemed to be a list of a bazillion essential spices (including one I might have to get shipped), I realized the awesomeness of Pure Indian Foods’ Indian Spice Starter Kit and the recipe that came with it. The kit, which comes with 6 spices (including one 5 spice mixture) was as promised:  everything I needed to make Indian food at home. I paired this dish with a cauliflower rice. The recipe below is slightly different from the version that came with the spices kit – it adjusts for my salt preferences and the fact that I wanted to make this a Whole30 meal. Enjoy!

• 1lbs chicken breast, cubed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp ginger
• 3 tbsp Pure Indian Foods organic ghee
• 2 tsp Pure Indian Foods Indian Five Spice
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped (an onion will work fine but I had shallots that I needed to use)
• 1 jalapeno (optional – I don’t seed these and always chop them last to contain the spice)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (I got mine from Trader Joes)

Directions

1. Cube chicken on a cutting board
2. Season chicken with sea salt, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, and ginger. I mix the cubes with a clean fork after sprinkling the spices on top.
3. Heat ghee in dutch oven over medium heat
4. Add Indian Five Spice to ghee and cook until it makes a popping sound (~2 minutes)
5. Add garlic, tomatoes, shallots and jalapenos to the Five Spice mixture. Cook for ~5 minutes – the tomatoes will be slightly browned and the rest of the veggies will be tender.
6. Add chicken and cook for ~3 minutes
7. Add coconut cream and simmer for ~25 minutes (You just want the chicken to cook).