Recipe by Chef Heidi Fink
Butter Chicken Pot Pie
- Prep time 40 mins
- Cook time 1 hour 10 mins
- Ready in 1 hour 50 mins
- Yield Serves 8
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A warming twist on a classic recipe, the delicious Indian spicing and creamy sauce are perfect for a cozy meal in the cool weather months.
Ingredients
- BUTTER CHICKEN POT PIE FILLING
- Dry Spice Mix
- Sauce
- NAAN-INSPIRED YOGURT BISCUITS
Directions
- POT PIE FILLING: Preheat oven to 400 F (or use 375 F on the convection setting).
- Make the dry spice mix: mix together the cumin, turmeric, paprika, garam masala and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- The jalapenos, garlic, and ginger can be chopped or pureed together in a mini-chopper or with an immersion blender (you will need to add a bit of water if using the immersion blender.)
- To make the sauce: Have everything chopped and ready before you start cooking. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds. When they start to smell fragrant, about 10 to 20 seconds, add the diced onion and butter. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are cooked through and starting to brown, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Now add the jalapenos, ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the dry spice mix and stir mix thoroughly, about 30 seconds. Immediately add the ¼ cup water and the passata tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the oil separates and pools on the surface, at least 5 minutes. Add a bit of water, as necessary, to help this process. Once the oil has separated, simmer and stir about 2 minutes more to “cook out” the curry spices properly.
- Now add the yogurt, the prepared chicken thigh and the prepared carrot + cauliflower and stir well. Turn the heat to medium-low or low and gently cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- After the chicken thigh and vegetables have been cooking for about 15 to 20 minutes, add the prepared chicken breast. Bring stew back to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes more, until chicken breast has cooked through.
- Remove from heat and stir in peas and whipping cream. Taste to adjust seasoning.
- Curry can be made several days in advance and reheated before putting in a baking dish. Make sure chicken curry is warm before topping with biscuits and baking.
- NAAN-INSPIRED BISCUITS: You can make the biscuit dough while the filling is cooking, or while the filling is heating up (if you made it the day before).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, including half the nigella seeds. Cut cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly, with pieces of butter no bigger than a small pea. Quickly stir in yogurt until mixture holds together.
- Turn dough, extra crumbles and all, out onto floured counter and gently knead together by first patting the dough into a disk about 1 cm thick and then folding over on itself. Turn dough one-quarter turn and pat out to 1 cm thickness again, then fold again. Do this several times, until the crumbles have all incorporated into the dough.
- TIP: This folding technique also helps to create fluffy layers.
- Pat dough out into a circle about ½ inch (1 ½ cm) thick. Cut with 3-inch (7 cm) round biscuit cutter. Brush tops of biscuits with milk or diluted cream. Sprinkle tops evenly with remaining nigella seeds.
- To make pot pie: Reminder that oven was preheated to 400 F. Place warm curry mixture in a large oven-proof casserole dish OR in 8 to 10 individual baking dishes (¾ cup to 1 cup capacity). Make biscuits (see above) and cut with 3-inch (7 cm) biscuit cutter.
- Use a metal spatula to carefully transfer biscuits to the top of the warm chicken curry. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until biscuits are puffed and golden brown, and chicken mixture is bubbling. Serve and enjoy.
