Hidden Vegetable Butter Chicken
Curries are among the best meal prep recipes there are and this Hidden Vegetable Butter Chicken is an awesome way to sneak some extra vegetables into your day. This version of Butter Chicken is a bit less traditional to make the dish more meal prep friendly.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 577kcal
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp kashmiri chili powder regular chili powder can work or a 3:1 ratio of paprika and cayenne powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp fenugreek powder
- 1 tsp salt
For the Curry
- 1 small onion
- ½ lb cauliflower I use frozen
- ½ lb butternut squash I use frozen
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder regular chili powder can work or a 3:1 ratio of paprika and cayenne powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 15.5 oz crushed tomatoes 15.5oz is one can
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- ¼ cup cilantro
For the Rice
- 3¾ cups cooked rice
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- In a large bowl add in the yogurt, chili powder, fenugreek, garam masala, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Trim any excess fat and skin off of the chicken thighs if you wish and add them to the yogurt marinade. Mix until all of the surfaces of the chicken thighs are completely covered. Allowing them to marinate for at least an hour is best but you can cook them immediately if you don't want to wait.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and lay out your chicken thighs on the tray with the smooth side down. Ensure there is enough space between each piece to achieve optimal browning.
- Place the tray into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or just prior to when the thighs are cooked all of the way through. The time it takes for these to cook can depend on your oven, how full the sheet pan is, as well as many other factors.
- Once the chicken thighs are about 90% of the way finished, move the sheet pan to the top rack of the oven and turn the oven to broil. Broil the chicken for 2-5 minutes on each side to get some deep browning. Watch the chicken very closely as it will be very prone to burning under the broiler.
- Once the chicken has good color, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest before cutting into a small dice.
For the Rice
- Prepare enough rice to yield 3¾ cups of cooked rice. 1 cup of dry rice will make 2-3 cups of cooked rice depending on the kind of rice you are using.
For the Curry
- While the chicken is cooking you can start on your curry.
- Cut your onion into a small dice and roughly chop the cilantro into pieces. Mince up the garlic and ginger. If you're using fresh cauliflower and butternut squash, cut them into a medium to large dice.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat and add in about 1 tsp of oil and toss in the cauliflower and squash. You can put the vegetables straight into the pan from frozen. Season lightly with salt and allow them to cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Create some space in the center of your pan and add another 1 tsp of oil and add the onions. Cook until the onions start to develop some color.
- Create some more space in the center of the pan and add the last remaining 1 tsp of oil. Add in the garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin, and garam masala. Allow the spices to bloom for about 20-30 seconds and then mix everything together.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add the canned tomatoes and water. Stir to combine and allow the tomatoes to cook down a bit and stew for 8-10 minutes.
- Move the contents of the skillet into a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively if you have an immersion blender you can do this right in the pan. Note that if your blender isn’t the greatest, you’ll likely have trouble getting a smooth texture. Adding a bit more water can help but then you’ll need to boil it off later.
- Return the blended sauce to the pan over low heat. Add in the peanut butter, Greek yogurt, turmeric, butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Note that the reason I wait to add the turmeric until now is because it will stain your blender. If you are using an immersion blender you can add it with the other spices.
- Stir in the yogurt, butter, and peanut butter until they are incorporated then dump in the diced chicken thighs and stir to cover.
Plating
- This recipe makes 5 servings so get out 5 meal prep containers. Each container gets ¾ cup (112g) of cooked rice and ⅕ of the curry mixture. Divide the curry evenly between the containers. Top each dish with the cilantro.
- This meal will last for up to 5 days in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 577kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 23g