Who am I to talk about traditional Indian dishes but oh, I will go there as I did before with slow cooker chicken tikka masala and crock pot butter chicken. Prepare to be amazed.
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.
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 women 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.
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 anywhere including social media, print and all world wide web. Nutritional info is provided for informational purposes only and to the best knowledge.
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.
Family’s new favorite curry! Thanks!
Awesome Jennifer 🙂
Oh my… This is so easy and delicious! I will repeat this often. The best way I have found to bake spaghetti squash is to put it on a baking sheet whole, prick it, and bake it like potatoes sans foil. When it’s done, slice it (oh so much easier to slice after baking) ACROSS (rather than end to end) THEN scoop out the seeds. Something about leaving out the water makes it taste nuttier and (probably my imagination) almost more buttery. Slicing across will also give you much longer “noodles” that come out of the shell easier. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes and am glad I found your site!
This butter chicken is absolutely delicious.
Yay! Glad you liked it that much!
Delish spaghetti squash boats.
How can I make this vegan?
Use tofu?
‘Paneer’ is an east Indian ‘cheese’ that they use in their vegetarian dishes. It looks like and has the same texture as firm, cubed tofu. You can probably only find it in an east Indian food market. I always order paneer dishes.. its yummy.
Omg this is wonderful! Was looking for something new to try with my spaghetti squash and was drawn in by your amazing photos. Recipe was on point. I added a little carrot and diced eggplant just to use up some stuff in my kitchen and then thinned sauce with a touch of chicken stock. Thanks for sharing! Cheers!
You are welcome!:)
It was very very good!!!
I’ve got this all prepared ahead of time. It’s probably the tastiest curry concoction I’ve ever made. Really yummy flavor! I stuck a few peas in one of them because I like them and hubby hates them 🙂 Thanks for sharing; I’m sure we’ll love the finished product.
🙂 Glad to hear.
Did I miss the carb count somewhere? Do you perhaps know?
Inside the recipe there is nutritional info card.
Wow. This looks and sounds so tasty! Right up my alley, and I just happen to have all the ingredients on-hand~
Enjoy!:)
Spaghetti squash is so versatile! I make a spaghetti squash “pasta” a lot with Italian sausage and fresh tomatoes and pesto.. maybe some spinach and goats cheese. When it comes to butter chicken, I like to have have my 1st serving with rice (because I’ve earned it lol) and then have lentils or spaghetti squash until I’m satisfied.
True that! I wouldn’t be full only with this spaghetti squash boat. All veggie noodles are great but they are not filling enough. I always make brown rice anyways for everyone on a side.