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Creamy Indian Butter Chicken Pasta
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4 from 1 vote

Indian Butter Chicken Pasta

Creamy Butter Chicken Pasta or Murgh Makhani Pasta is a luscious slightly spiced tomato based pasta cooked with spicy grilled tandoori chicken. A creamy pasta but without adding any cream. How cool is that! This butter chicken pasta is so delicious, warm and comforting and oh so simple to make. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: butter chicken pasta, butter chicken pasta bake, butter chicken with no cream, butter chicken with pasta, easy butter chicken recipe, healthy butter chicken, homemade easy butter chicken, indian butter chicken pasta, murgh makhani recipe, North indian butter chicken pasta recipe
Servings: 4
Author: Arpita

Ingredients

For Tandoori Chicken Marination

  • 300 gms Boneless Chicken (I used boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 3 tbsp Yogurt
  • 1 tbsp Lime juice
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (for the colour)
  • 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp Tandoori masala powder (any store bought tandoori masala, I used Everest)
  • 1 1/2 tsp Kasoori methi
  • Salt as per taste
  • 2 tsp Oil (veg or sunflower)

Butter Chicken Pasta Sauce

  • 50 gms Butter
  • 1 black cardamom (roughly pounded in pestle motor)
  • 2 Green Cardamom ((roughly pounded in pestle motor)
  • 2-3 cloves (roughly pounded in pestle motor)
  • 1 inch Cinnamon (roughly pounded in pestle motor)
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 can peeled plum tomatoes (roughly chopped)
  • 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder (or according to your taste)
  • 12-15 cashew nuts chopped
  • 12-15 almonds skinned and chopped
  • salt as per taste
  • 2 tsp sugar/honey/sweetener or as per taste
  • 1 tbsp Kasoori methi leaves(dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 1 cup Hot water

Pasta

  • 250 gms Pasta (Fusilli/ Penne) (I use wholewheat fusilli pasta)
  • Cheese garnish on top (optional)
  • coriander or parsley garnish

Instructions

Marination

  • In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients under marination along with the chicken pieces and marinate for 10 mins minimum (if you have time then at least 1 hour)
  • Heat the grill. Now place the marinated chicken pieces on baking tray and grill the chicken for 30 minutes turning once halfway.
  • Remove from the oven and keep aside.

Butter chicken Pasta sauce:

  • Heat the butter in a thick bottomed pan on medium heat and add the roughly pounded black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon and fry for few seconds until its fragrant.
  • Then add the ginger- garlic paste and continue to sauté until the raw smell disappears.
  • Now toss in the canned plum tomatoes along with salt and fry for 2 minutes then add the chilli powder and chopped nuts and fry on medium heat for around 8 minutes or until the tomatoes are broken down and oil start to separate from the tomatoes.
  • Remove from the heat and let it cool down for few minutes. 
  • Meanwhile heat water in a large pot for the pasta along with salt. Once the water starts to boil add the pasta and cook. Stir occasionally so that it doesn't stick to each other. Cook the pasta following packet directions or untill al dante. Drain and keep aside for few minutes.
  • Now add the fried tomato sauce along with 1/2 cup hot water and blitz into a very fine, silky smooth sauce.
  • Pour the sauce back in the same pan along with rest of the hot water and simmer on medium to low heat.
  • Check the seasoning. Add sugar/sweetener to the sauce. Then add the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) to the sauce and simmer for few minutes.
  • Now toss in the tandoori chicken pieces to the sauce and mix every thing well and cook for further 2 minutes.
  • Finally add the cooked pasta in to the butter chicken sauce and stir everything well so that the creamy sauce coats each and every pasta. simmer for a minute or 2 and take off the heat.
  • Garnish it with cheese of your choice and come coriander or parsley.
  • Serve it hot.