Butter Chicken Mac & Cheese Recipe

My Butter Chicken Mac & Cheese is something that is going to be around the Thanksgiving day table for a long time. Try it out this Thanksgiving and enjoy a delicious plate of flavor, cheese, and a beautiful breaded top! 

The recipe will breakdown in 3 major steps: 

1. Chicken Marinade and Bake 
2. Butter Chicken Cheese Sauce 
3. Macaroni and Finishing 

Serving Size: 4-6 

Ingredients: 

Chicken Marinade 

1. 4 chicken thighs 
2. 8-10 garlic cloves smashed (mortar & pestle) 
3. 1 inch of ginger smashed (mortar & pestle) 
4. 1 small green chili smashed (mortar & pestle) (subsite 1 habanero or 1 small long hot) 
5. 3/4 cup whole fat Greek yogurt 
6. 1.5  tbsp of melted butter
7. ½ tbsp salt 
8. 1 tsp turmeric 
9. 2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder 
10. 1 tbsp of Garam Masala 
11. 1/2 Lime juice squeezed 

Butter Chicken Cheese Sauce 

1. 2 tbsp butter 
2. 5 pieces Garlic 
3. 1/2 cup milk 
4. ½-1 cup heavy cream
5. 1 tsp falt
6. 3/4 large can Tomato puree (San Marzano 28.oz) 
7. 1 tbsp honey 
8. 1/2  tbsp kasoori methi 
9. 1 cup Cheddar (3/4 for sauce + 1/4 for topping) 
10. 1 cup Parmesan ( 3/4 for sauce + 1/4 for topping) 
11. 3/4 cup Gouda (sauce) 
12. 1 cup Mozzarella  (3/4 for sauce + 1/4 for topping) 

Topping: 

1. 1 box of Elbow Pasta 
2. 2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs 
3. 4 tbsp Butter
4. Cilantro for finish

Directions: 

1. Boil elbow pasta 1 minute under al dente. Strain and add some oil on the pasta to make sure it doesn't stick. 
2. Add all the ingredients in the chicken marinade together and let chicken sit in the fridge for as long as possible to marinate. Ideally 24 hours is perfect but 30 minutes is fine. Don't cube up the chicken, leave it whole. 
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees F in a deep dish or until internal temp reached 165. A good cue for doneness is when all the juices have left the chicken. Don't throw away that water/sauce in the pan, we will use it later. 
4. Take out the cooked chicken and let it sit for 10 minutes to continue cooking and cool down. Shred up all the chicken. 
5. Now it's time to cook the Butter Chicken Cheese sauce. Get a sauce pan on medium heat and add in 2 tbsp of butter and 5 cloves of garlic minced. Cook down till garlic is slightly browned. 
6. Add in your tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes. Add in your heavy cream and milk. Start with 1/2 cup of each here. If your sauce is very thick or too red, add in more heavy cream going up to a total of 1 cup. Add in honey and mix till we’ll combined. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes until the sauce is well combined and thickened up. 
7. Turn the flame to low (the lowest you can go), and add in your cheese 1/4 cup at time for each of Cheddar, Parmesan, Gouda, and Mozzarella. Continue to the whisk quickly as you add in the cheese so the cheese can melt and not clump up. Taste the sauce here, you may need more Parmesan or Mozzarella depending on how acidic your tomatoes are. Feel free to add more if you like! You should add in 3/4 cup of each Cheddar, Parmesan, Gouda, and Mozzarella.
8. Keep the flame on for low and add the chicken into the sauce. Make sure to get all the juices from the chicken in there as well because this will change the flavor. This is where you want to finally taste for salt. Check and add if needed. I usually will add about a tbsp of salt here but just use that as a guide. Add small amounts at a time to not over salt your sauce. 
9. Add cilantro and Kasoori Methi leaves into the sauce and mix. Taste for salt.
10. In a separate bowl, add 2 cup of Panko breadcrumbs and 4 tbsp of melted butter and mix until the breadcrumbs has soaked up all the butter. 
11. Mix the Butter Chicken Cheese Sauce and Macaroni in oven safe dish. 
12. Top with the Mozzarella, Cheddar, and Parmesan. Then top it with the Panko breadcrumbs mixture and pop it into the oven at 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. 
13. Top with cilantro and enjoy!!