Butter Chicken and Naan

Step 1: Prepare the Naan Dough

In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, yogurt, salt, sugar, and yeast. Activate the yeast with about 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix everything together with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

Step 2: Marinate the Chicken

In a separate bowl, prepare the marinade by combining Greek yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, garam masala, a touch of oil, salt, and the juice of half a lemon. Whisk until smooth. Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken to the marinade and mix thoroughly to ensure each piece is well-coated. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator, preferably overnight for the best flavor.

Step 3: Start the Butter Chicken Sauce

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt a stick of butter with a splash of neutral oil. Add the quartered tomatoes, a piece of ginger, a clove of garlic, and two Thai green chilies. Season with a pinch of salt and add about a cup of water. Stir, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes until the tomatoes have completely broken down and become soft.

Step 4: Cook the Chicken Tikka

Preheat your oven to its highest temperature (550°F (≈290°C) (approximately 290°C) / 290°C (≈555°F) (approximately 555°F)) with a pizza steel or stone on the top rack for at least an hour. Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto skewers. Place the skewers on a sizzle platter or a greased wire rack on a sheet tray. Position the tray in the oven directly under the broiler and cook for a few minutes until one side develops a nice char.

Step 5: Finish and Strain the Sauce

Once the tomatoes are cooked down, add a pinch each of coriander powder, chili powder, and garam masala. Stir and cook for another minute. For a deeper color and flavor, add a tablespoon of tomato puree. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan, pressing the solids with a spoon to extract all the liquid.

Step 6: Combine Chicken and Sauce

Remove the chicken from the oven, rotate the skewers, and return them under the broiler to char the other side. Once cooked, remove the chicken pieces from the skewers and add them to the strained sauce simmering on the stove. Add about 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, a pinch of sugar, and crushed dried fenugreek leaves. Finish by stirring in a final tablespoon of butter and let it simmer for a few more minutes.

Step 7: Prepare and Cook the Garlic Naan

For the topping, mix finely chopped cilantro and minced garlic. Portion the rested naan dough into 70g balls. On a floured surface, press a dough ball flat with your fingers. Stretch it out by slapping it between your hands. Place the stretched dough on a floured pizza peel, top with the garlic-cilantro mixture, and press it in. Launch the naan onto the hot pizza steel under the broiler. Bake for 1-2 minutes until it puffs up and gets golden-brown spots.

Step 8: Serve

Remove the hot naan from the oven and immediately brush it with melted ghee or butter. Plate the butter chicken in a serving dish and garnish with julienned ginger and fresh cilantro leaves. Serve the butter chicken hot with the freshly made garlic naan.

• Use thick Greek yogurt for the marinade to ensure it clings well to the chicken.

• Marinating the chicken overnight is highly recommended for the most tender and flavorful result.

• Use dark meat like chicken thighs as they remain juicier during the high-heat cooking process.

• Preheat your pizza steel or stone at the oven's highest temperature for at least an hour to best replicate the intense heat of a tandoor.

• Utilize the broiler function in your oven to get a beautiful char on both the chicken and the naan.

• Crush dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) between your palms before adding to the sauce to release their aromatic oils.

• For a richer naan dough, you can add one egg, a splash of heavy cream, and milk.

• If you don't have skewers, you can cook the chicken on a greased wire rack placed over a sheet tray.