Naan bread is great for dipping, and although it’s typically flat, we thought we’d switch things up and make an inventive new dish by stuffing it to the brim with all your favorite ingredients! We’re filling 3 different sections of naan with rich, creamy butter chicken and freshly cooked basmati rice, bringing you an amazing combination of flavors and textures, baked right inside the bread. We’re even braiding the stuffed strands of dough to bring you the perfect balance of flavors – plus it adds a little something to the presentation! Once you take this masterpiece out of the oven, you’ll be tempted to dig right in!
Butter Chicken Naan Braid
Equipment
- Mortar and pestle
- Large Bowl
- Hand mixer with dough hook
- Large frying pan
- Saucepan
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp cardamom powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
- 0.75 cup plain yogurt
- 1 onion, diced
- 10 oz tomato puree
- 0.25 stick butter
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 packet dry yeast (approx. 0.25 oz)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 5 cups flour
- 0.5 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- melted butter
- chopped cilantro for the topping
- black & white sesame seeds for the topping
- 1 whole star anise for the basmati rice
Instructions
- Use a mortar and pestle to crush the ginger, garlic, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, cardamom powder, and cinnamon. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes, place them in a large bowl, and combine them with the spice mixture and plain yogurt. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and let the chicken marinate for 1 hour.
- Combine the dry yeast, lukewarm water, and sugar, and let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. Once it has rested, transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the flour, plain yogurt, vegetable oil, and salt. Knead the dough using a hand mixer with a dough hook until the ingredients are combined, then knead by hand for another 10 minutes until a smooth dough forms. Grease a large bowl, transfer the dough to the greased bowl, and let it rise for 45 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan and sauté the diced onion. Add the marinated chicken, briefly sauté, pour in the tomato puree, and bring to a simmer. Let everything simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. After 30 minutes, combine the water with the corn starch, pour the corn starch mixture into the frying pan to thicken the butter chicken sauce, and bring everything to a light boil.
- While the butter chicken sauce is boiling, preheat the oven to 400°F and cook the basmati rice in a saucepan with 1 whole star anise for added flavor. Cut the naan bread dough into 3 equal sections and roll out each piece into a long, rectangular strip, approximately 20 x 4 inches. Remove the star anise from the cooked basmati rice and spoon the rice onto 1 rolled-out strip of dough.
- Spoon the butter chicken onto the 2 remaining strips of dough and carefully roll up each section into a snug log. Twist the end of each roll and press down lightly along the edges to seal the dough.
- Transfer the stuffed sections of dough to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and braid the 3 stuffed strands. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the stuffed naan braid at 400°F for 30 minutes. Once the naan braid has baked, remove it from the oven, brush melted butter over the surface of the bread, and sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro and black and white sesame seeds on top.
VIDEO
One bite of this freshly baked delicacy, and you won’t want to go back to a time when this delicious naan braid wasn’t in your life. It’s the perfect and most convenient way to serve a classic, tangy dish!