‘Butter Chicken’ Cauliflower with Yogurt Flatbread

This is just one seriously delicious and somewhat addictive meal!  And such fun to make!!

Butter Chicken is pure comfort food to Jim and me.  That pseudo Indian dish of creamy sauce with as much kick as you crave, tender chicken morsels, served with flakey basmati rice, and naan on the side for dipping into that luscious sauce.  So how could I improve on a favourite takeout dish, let alone a meal I like to make at home?  Make it with cauliflower as the star.  And instead of naan, which takes a few more minutes to prep, make it with yogurt flatbread on the side.  Yes, yogurt, flour and salt come together immediately to create an amazing chewy flatbread that acts exactly like naan, but without the need for yeast, proofing time etc.

So I am going to share this meal with you all.  And you will thank me.  Because leftovers of this meal taste even better on day two.  And it really proves that cauliflower is the Meryl Streep of the vegetable world, as I’ve often stated.  It can do anything!!  You won’t miss the chicken, I promise!

Method Plus a Secret Ingredient

I still like to marinate the cauliflower florets, the same way I do the cut up chicken pieces, in yogurt, garlic and spices.  Let it get covered and soak up those flavours before laying them out on a baking sheet to get wonderfully roasted. 

While this is happening, a quick sauce comes together in a large skillet or braiser on the stove top.  Onions, garlic, spices, tomato paste and a large can of coconut milk are the sauce. At this point you can also add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to the onions to sauté together.  This also brings protein and fibre.

At the end, to help round out the flavours and to add extra creaminess, here is my favourite trick: instead of butter, I use tahini!! Yep, creamy tahini becomes the final touch to add such a creaminess to the sauce, and it brings in some protein.  But of course, if you find that the sauce has thickened up a bit too much, add some water to make it just loose enough to your liking. 

Using a couple of red chilli peppers gives the heat that this dish needs to make us happy.  But of course, you can customize the amount of heat you use to suit your family. Nestle the roasted cauliflower florets in the sauce to warm through, and serve with cilantro and basmati rice.

Make Some Easy Breads to Serve With This Dish

Ahead of time you can have the absolute fun of making some really easy flatbreads.  I got this great recipe from Rock Recipes.  And it truly couldn’t be easier.  Yogurt, flour and salt.  That’s it.  They quickly turn into the silkiest dough.  You roll it out into a few thin flatbreads.  These get baked off in a hot cast iron skillet on top of the stove.  A few minutes on one side, and another minute or so on the second side.  Then transfer to a plate. 

Here is what I do to make them just a little more special.  As soon as I turn the flatbread over to cook on the second side, I brush the finished side with some olive oil infused with garlic powder. A thin layer gets brushed over the surface, and then sesame seeds are sprinkled all over.  These are fluffy, light and come together in mere moments.  I’ve shared the link in the recipe below.

When all of them are cooked off, you can store them on a plate tented with foil till ready to serve with the butter cauliflower.  You can even make them in advance and store them in a sealed container or plastic bag.  Just rewarm them the next day in the oven or toaster oven or even in the warmed skillet again.  This will only take a few moments.  They keep for a good three days like this.  Rewarmed, these make the perfect vehicle to sop up the extra butter sauce.  And I’m telling you, there is nothing better at that moment!  All you need is some ras malai or kulfi to finish off the meal!

Final Thoughts

Make up a batch of the cauliflower, and serve it inside flatbread.  Or double the sauce (but not the spice blend at first, taste and re-season if you want more heat), and turn this into a great soup, blended with some water or vegetable broth if needed. And yes, if you want to, replace the caulflower with cut up chicken pieces and roast till cooked through to 165F.

An alternative rice to serve this cauliflower with is the fabulously aromatic Jeera Rice.  I love this method for making rice just so much! And if you like this simple curry dish, you have to check out the Egg Potato and Cauliflower Curry or my Lamb Biryani.

If you make this Butter Chicken Cauliflower dish, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

Print

'Butter Chicken' Cauliflower with Yogurt Flatbread

Creamy, spicy sauce with roasted aromatic cauliflower florets turn into the best meal, served over basmati rice and with the easiest fluffy yogurt flatbreads on the side to sop up all the sauce!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword butter chicken, cauliflower, yogurt flatbread

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Butter Chicken Cauliflower

• 1 medium to large head cauliflower cut into large bite size florets
• 1/3 cup greek yogurt
• 3 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger minced or grated
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion sliced nose to tail into thin slices
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds can use ground coriander instead
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper more or less to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp chopped red chilli pepper seeded and deveined, or more if desired
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, optional
• 6 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 large can of coconut milk well blended together
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped, for garnish
• Steamed Basmati rice for serving

Yogurt Flatbreads

• 2 cups AP flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds or a bit more

Instructions

Butter Chicken Cauliflower

1. Preheat the broiler to high. Spray or spread a thin layer of olive oil over a baking sheet.

2. Combine the cauliflower, greek yogurt, half of the chopped garlic, half of the grated ginger, and a tsp of salt in a large bowl. Let sit 10 minutes for the flavours to meld. Spread the cauliflower in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to a rack set at the upper third of the oven, and broil for 5-8 minutes, until the cauliflower is just beginning to turn a lovely brown on the edges. You want some colour.
3. While the cauliflower is roasting, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or braiser over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes or just softening. Add the remaining garlic and ginger, and cook for another 5 minutes. Ensure that the garlic isn't charring by stirring regularly.

4. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and cinnamon to coat the onions and aromatics well. Cook for about 1 minute till fragrant. Add the chopped chilli pepper and stir through. At this point you can also add the drained chickpeas, to sauté with the veggies and spices.

5. Add the tomato paste and water and stir to to blend and coat the onion and seasonings. Add the coconut milk. Stir to combine, and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. There is no need to adjust the heat. Keep it at medium heat or else you will scorch the sauce.

6. Cook for about 2 minutes to get the flavours blended. Stir in the tahini. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, thin with 1/3 to 1/2 cup stock or water. Add the cauliflower, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

7. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper accordingly. Start with about 1/2 tsp of each.
8. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.
9. Serve over rice with yogurt flatbread.

Yogurt Flatbreads

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl.

2. Add the yogurt and salt. Mix together to form a sticky dough. There is no need to knead this dough, that will make the dough too tough.

3. Divide into 6 equal sized balls. On a well floured surface and with well floured hands, pat the roll out. You really need a lot of flour on hand. Finish by using a well floured rolling pint to roll each dough ball out into a thin circle about 10 inches in diameter. The size of the bread rolled out should fit inside the skillet you are using. If it is smaller than 10 inches, then divide the dough into more than 6 balls, and roll them to fit.

4. Combine the olive oil and garlic powder in a small bowl.

5. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes. There is no need to oil or butter the skillet. These are dry cooked.
6. Add one circle of dough to the dry skillet and cook for about a minute until the bottom browns and bubbles appear. Flip and cook for an additional minute or so on the other side. As soon as you flip the bread, use a silicone brush to coat the surface with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle some of the sesame seeds over the surface. Once browned on the second side, transfer to a plate.
7. Repeat for the remaining dough circles.
8. Store any leftover flatbreads in an airtight plastic container or plastic bag. These are easily reheated in the cast iron pan for just a few seconds per side. You can also use a toaster oven. Never use a microwave, it will turn the bread soggy.

Recipe Notes

The Yogurt Flatbread recipe is a riff on the one found here at Rock Recipes.

If you have leftovers and the sauce has thickened up overnight, just add a bit of water, milk or cream to it as you reheat it slowly over a low heat in a small pot.