Mac and cheese meets butter chicken, from-scratch Indian spiced sauce with three cheeses.
This is butter chicken mac and cheese taken to its logical extreme. The paneer-panko crust adds texture and ties in Indian flavors.
Make components ahead: marinate overnight, prep sauce day before. Feeds a crowd - perfect for parties.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ lb Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup Plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 tbsp Garam masala (for marinade)
- 1 ½ tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 2 ½ tsp Salt
- 1 lb Cavatappi or shell pasta
- 10 tbsp Butter
- 2 Yellow onions, diced
- 8 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp Fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp Garam masala (for sauce)
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 cup Tomato puree
- 2 cup Heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 ½ cup Sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup Gruyere, shredded
- 1 cup Fontina, shredded
- 6 oz Paneer, crumbled
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Fresh cilantro
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ lb Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup Plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 tbsp Garam masala (for marinade)
- 1 ½ tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 2 ½ tsp Salt
- 1 lb Cavatappi or shell pasta
- 10 tbsp Butter
- 2 Yellow onions, diced
- 8 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp Fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp Garam masala (for sauce)
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 cup Tomato puree
- 2 cup Heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 ½ cup Sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup Gruyere, shredded
- 1 cup Fontina, shredded
- 6 oz Paneer, crumbled
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Fresh cilantro
Instructions
Marinate and cook chicken
Combine yogurt, garam masala for marinade, 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and coat with marinade. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (375-400°F surface). Cook chicken 5 minutes until charred and cooked through. Remove to plate.
Equipment
- large skillet
Ingredients
- chicken thighs (1 ½ lb)
- yogurt (½ cup)
- garam masala (1 tbsp)
- Kashmiri chili (1 tbsp)
- turmeric (½ tsp)
- salt (1 tsp)
- butter (2 tbsp)
Build the curry sauce
Add 3 tablespoons butter to skillet. Cook onions 10 minutes until deeply golden. Add garlic and ginger, cook 2 minutes. Add garam masala for sauce, cumin, remaining Kashmiri chili, and 0.5 teaspoon salt. Stir 1 minute. Add tomato puree and 1 cup cream. Simmer 10 minutes. Crush kasuri methi between palms and stir in. Return chicken to sauce.
Equipment
- large skillet
Ingredients
- butter (3 tbsp)
- onions, diced
- garlic, minced
- ginger, grated (2 tbsp)
- garam masala (1 tbsp)
- cumin (1 tsp)
- Kashmiri chili (½ tbsp)
- salt (½ tsp)
- tomato puree (1 cup)
- cream (1 cup)
- kasuri methi (2 tbsp)
Make the cheese sauce and topping
Cook pasta until al dente; drain. In pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add remaining cream and 1 teaspoon salt. When steaming, remove from heat. Stir in cheddar, gruyere, and fontina until smooth. For topping: melt remaining butter, toss with panko, crumbled paneer, and pinch of garam masala. Toast in a pan until golden.
Equipment
- large pot
Ingredients
- pasta (1 lb)
- butter (5 tbsp)
- cream (1 cup)
- salt (1 tsp)
- cheddar (1 ½ cup)
- gruyere (1 cup)
- fontina (1 cup)
- paneer, crumbled (6 oz)
- panko (1 cup)
Assemble and bake
Preheat oven to 375°F. Fold pasta and curry chicken into cheese sauce. Transfer to greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with paneer-panko mixture. Bake 20 minutes until bubbly and topping is deeply golden.
Equipment
- baking dish
Add the fresh herbs
Let rest 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot - this is worth the effort.
Ingredients
- cilantro (¼ cup)
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • This is butter chicken mac and cheese taken to its logical extreme.
- • The paneer-panko crust adds texture and ties in Indian flavors.
- • Make components ahead: marinate overnight, prep sauce day before.
- • Feeds a crowd - perfect for parties.
Ratings
Loading ratings…
Your rating
Have you cooked this?
Comments
Loading comments…
Ready to cook? Or want to explore more recipes?
