Green Sauce Butter Chicken (or tofu/paneer/lamb/fish)

a non-fluorescent variation on the traditional tomato based infamous dish

Butter Chicken, a North Indian dish, is social media famous. It’s everywhere on Tik Tok, Instagram, Youtube; all influencers have jumped on the band wagon. I suppose it gets many eye balls. Don’t get me wrong. I love this dish too and I’m glad so many people are getting to enjoy it. But, honestly, I’m a bit tired of seeing it everywhere.

It’s also one of the reasons I was drawn to

Beyond Butter Chicken

on Substack.

Perzen Patel

totally gets me when she wants to take you on a “journey beyond radioactive orange butter chicken" as there’s much much more joy in Indian cuisine waiting to be explored and savored.

Recently, I found myself scrolling through influencers making bright orange butter chicken in 30 second videos. I rolled my eyes at each one amidst some sighs. But at the same time I also got a craving for a butter chicken-esque dish without it being, well, fluorescent orange butter chicken. I dashed to the kitchen to get some inspiration.

Inspiration, I indeed found some. I had green vegetables in the fridge and freezer and the idea of a Green Butter Chicken dish formed in my mind. I promised myself that I would not turn this into a fluorescent green dish. How did I do?

---

Protein:

Your favorite protein will work well here, only cooking times would need to be adjusted. I was craving chicken so I went with boneless skinless chicken thighs I had in the fridge. I am excited to try this with vegetarian options like paneer (a farmer’s cheese popular in North Indian cuisine) or tofu or tempeh or TVP. You may consider using lamb or beef or fish (like cod or salmon).

I marinated the chicken pieces with finely chopped ginger, garlic, serrano peppers, lime juice (I didn’t have lemon), salt, coriander powder, cumin powder. I let this sit at room temperature for ~45 mins while I built the sauce.

Sauce:

I happened to have poblano peppers at home which inspired me to make a green sauce. I think green bell peppers could work too, however, they have more water so need to be cooked longer. I also had frozen peas to continue the green theme.

In hot olive oil I first sautéed cumin seeds and then added the chopped onion and poblano peppers, and some salt to taste. On low-medium heat I cooked these for ~20 mins with frequent stirring and keeping the lid on/off here and there for frying/steaming cycles (I did not want too many burnt pieces). Once they felt soft enough, I added the garlic and the cashews.

I deglazed the pan with chicken bone broth I happened to have open (and it needed to be used soon). In the future I would most likely use water. At this time I also added the frozen peas and spices like coriander powder, cumin powder and chaat masala (a blend of tangy spices). I stayed away from spices like turmeric, red chili powder, & garam masala because I didn’t want this dish to taste exactly like traditional butter chicken or change the green color towards something yellow or brownish. I let this simmer for ~5 mins and then cooled down the mixture before transferring into the blender and blending into a smooth sauce. I wish I had some fresh mint or fresh parsley or fresh cilantro to blend into the sauce.

Green Sauce Butter Chicken:

In the same pan I added some butter on medium heat and cooked the marinated chicken for ~15 mins, stirring every ~5 mins. I added the green sauce into the pot with cooked chicken. I mixed thoroughly and let this simmer for ~5-7 mins on low-medium heat with the lid on for the flavors to mesh properly.

I finished the dish by adjusting the salt, adding some frozen chopped cilantro (I did not have fresh) and some mango powder (to get some tanginess into the dish). At this point cream or milk or coconut milk could be added. I am not a fan of cream (my tummy hates it) and I did not have any coconut milk at home.

I served it with whole wheat flat bread (a future post!) and pickled red onions. It would also pair perfectly with fluffy basmati rice or soft naan bread. While I had skepticism when I set out on this adventure of an alternate to traditional butter chicken, it went out the window after the first bite.

The green sauce had a mild sweetness coming from the caramelization of onions and peppers, with flavor contrasts from spice powders and a generous dose of garlic. The bone broth gave the sauce a rich creamy feel and the finishing touches provided an underlying tanginess.

I truly enjoyed this green sauce butter chicken. It surprised me. I also ideated future iterations to experiment with such as using plant based protein sources and playing around with the sauce some more. For example, including other green vegetables like zucchini (to make this more creamy!), broccoli, or spinach and fresh herbs like mint or parsley that would provide a whole new dimension of flavor to the green sauce.

We devoured this dish and licked our fingers afterwards. It was pure culinary joy.

Do you think my Green Sauce Butter Chicken will become social media famous too?

Dish Debrief:

• Is this my winner or disaster? A win!!

• How would I rate this dish out of 10? 9 out of 10

• What would I change next time? play around more green vegetables (e.g. zucchini, broccoli, spinach, kale), spices (za’atar? fenugreek?), fresh herbs (mint, parsley), make an extra spicy version

• Would I make this again? oh absolutely yes, especially want to try a vegetarian version