Description
This Butter Chicken Pasta recipe combines the rich and creamy flavors of classic Indian butter chicken with tender short pasta for a comforting and flavorful dish. It features a perfectly seared chicken breast cooked with aromatic spices, tomato sauce, almond butter, and cream, tossed with pasta to create a delicious fusion meal ready in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 10.5 oz (300 g) short pasta
- Salt for pasta water, to taste
Chicken and Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (20 g) butter
- 1 lb (450 g) chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups (400 ml) tomato sauce (passata)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 cup (200 ml) half and half (single cream)
- A handful fresh cilantro (coriander), chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the short pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta cooking water for later use.
- Sear the chicken: While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the bite-sized chicken pieces and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Sauté aromatics: In the same pan, add the diced onion, finely chopped garlic, and fresh ginger. Cook over medium heat until the onion softens and becomes translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Spice it up: Add the garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, turmeric, and red chili flakes to the pan. Stir well and cook the spices for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add sauce: Stir in the tomato paste and then add the tomato sauce (passata). If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Thicken the sauce: Add the almond butter and half and half to the pan, stirring continuously until the sauce is creamy and slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Combine and serve: Return the cooked chicken to the sauce and mix well. Toss in the drained pasta and gently combine to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately while warm.
Notes
- Reserve pasta water to adjust sauce consistency as needed; it helps the sauce stick well to the pasta.
- You can substitute almond butter with cashew butter or peanut butter if preferred.
- For a richer taste, use heavy cream instead of half and half.
- This dish can be spiced up or toned down by adjusting the chili powder and red chili flakes amounts.
- Use gluten-free pasta if you want a gluten-free version.
