Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Butter Chicken Naan Pockets

There's a restaurant I love near my place called Urbann Turbann...the idea is basically Indian Chipotle...you go down the line, pick your fillings, and make a 'burrito' full of amazing Indian food, and all wrapped up in naan or chapati.  If Urbann Turbann is the perfect way to enjoy Mexican-style Indian food, then this recipe is the perfect way to enjoy Italian-style Indian food.  It's basically a calzone stuffed with delicious butter chicken!  So yummy, and also a little more portable than the usual way of serving butter chicken.  You could definitely stuff any sort of Indian food you like into these naan pockets...including leftovers.  In fact, I think this would pretty much be the perfect way to re-invigorate leftover Indian food in the fridge.


On the side: sauteed kale and fruit salad.


Butter Chicken Naan Pockets (adapted from Dinner with Julie, original recipe here)
Serves 6

For the dough:
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2-1/2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt (regular, not Greek)
1 large egg

For the filling:
Oil
2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
One jar butter chicken sauce (we used Patak's brand)
6 thin slices Mozzarella cheese

1. Make the naan dough.  In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar.  Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy (if not, throw it out and start over with fresh yeast).
2. Add the flour, salt, oil, yogurt, and egg.  Stir until the dough comes together, and then knead for a few minutes.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
3. While the dough is rising, heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook the chicken for 7-8 minutes, until starting to brown.  Drain off any liquid in the pan, and add the sauce.  Simmer 15 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.  Let cool.
4. Divide the dough into six pieces.  On a well-floured surface, roll or pat out each piece as thinly as possible without creating holes.  (I found the dough was too wet to use a rolling pin, but I was also baking on a very humid day, so your mileage may vary.)
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.  Place a dough round on one of the baking sheets.  Add a large spoonful of butter chicken, and top with a slice of cheese.  Fold over, and crimp the edges as firmly as possible - this will get a little messy, which is ok!  Cut a couple of slits in the top of the pocket with kitchen scissors.
6. Repeat with the remaining dough/chicken/cheese.  We had a little extra chicken mixture left over at the end.
7. Bake 20 minutes, until golden.  Let cool slightly before serving.

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