Butter Chicken and Spaghetti Squash Boats recipe that is low carb and healthy without sacrificing the flavor of the dish.
If you are craving the traditional recipe, check out Instant Pot butter chicken and slow cooker butter chicken.
Butter Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats
Who am I to talk about traditional Indian dishes but oh, I will go there because I just love cooking these types of recipes like green lentil curry or pressure cooker dal.
If my Ukrainian grandma could make a chicken curry with sour cream, onions and curry powder back in the 90s, why can’t I make some butter chicken and spaghetti squash pretending squash is pasta?!
Haha, let’s be clear spaghetti squash doesn’t replace spaghetti, but tastes very good. And I have really started to like cooking with it in recipes like chicken alfredo spaghetti squash boats, tex mex spaghetti squash boats and spaghetti squash mac and cheese.
By the way, grandma’s curry was DELISH! Not original but a tasty healthy meal really has no rules to it. Too many rules and ingredients with judgement followed up scares so many people in America to cook. I am confident that is the case. I was one of them and still am to a certain degree. There is always a noise in my head “Is this the right way to cook tacos (fajitas, curry, chili etc.?)”.
Who cares?! Just cook a meal the way you like it, that tastes good to you and saves you money on restaurants and prescriptions.
How to Make Butter Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. Poke skin randomly with a fork and bake for 30 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, preheat large skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add garlic and onion; sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garam masala, ginger, curry powder, salt and pepper; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add tomato paste and mix it well with (incorporate into) onion and spices. Add coconut milk and stir until combined. Now add chicken, and stir to coat. Cover, cook for 15 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Remove cooked squash from the oven and turn it over wearing mitts and with a help of a fork. It will cool this way faster; about 10 minutes. To make “spaghetti”, grab one half wearing a mitt and separate the flesh into strands with a fork.
- Divide butter chicken mixture evenly among the boats, return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve hot with extra whole wheat spaghetti on a side if you wish.
More Squash Recipes
- Spaghetti squash casserole
- Spaghetti squash breakfast with avocado and egg
- Turkey stuffed acorn squash
- Spaghetti squash quiche with kale and mushrooms
- Instant Pot spaghetti squash
Butter Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats
Ingredients
- 4 small spaghetti squash 1 1/2 lbs each*
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless & skinless chicken breasts finely chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ginger dried**
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 3 oz 1/2 can tomato paste
- 14 oz can coconut milk full fat
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. Poke skin randomly with a fork and bake for 30 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, preheat large skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add garlic and onion; sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garam masala, ginger, curry powder, salt and pepper; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add tomato paste and mix it well with (incorporate into) onion and spices. Add coconut milk and stir until combined. Now add chicken, and stir to coat. Cover, cook for 15 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Remove cooked squash from the oven and turn it over wearing mitts and with a help of a fork. It will cool this way faster; about 10 minutes. To make “spaghetti”, grab one half wearing a mitt and separate the flesh into strands with a fork. Divide butter chicken mixture evenly among the boats, return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve hot with extra whole wheat spaghetti on a side if you wish.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- *You can use 3 medium squash about 2 lbs each as I understand small spaghetti squash is hard to come across. I bought mine at the farmers market.
- **I didn’t have fresh ginger on hand but you can definitely replace dried ginger with about 1-2” piece of grated fresh ginger.
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes without permission. Nutritional info is approximate.
Is it my imagination, or is there no butter in this butter chicken?
Yep, no butter!!!! The beauty of Butter Chicken lies in the subtle balance of tanginess and a velvety texture and we achieve that with coconut milk without need for extra butter. You are welcome to use it instead of oil if you wish.