COOKING with CANNABIS
420
Butter Chicken Dish
Delhi, India Style
by Chef Dana Cunningham
Spring is officially here. I’ m putting plants outdoors and looking forward to watching everything grow into beautiful plants and fruits this summer. The garlic is growing nicely, and the onions are giving us their green shoots as their first spring offerings. It is time to start planting after April 10th; that’ s our last frost date( we hope). I have already planted snow peas, which would go fabulous with this dish. I also have microgreens in the indoor grow space, which are always a tasty addition to any meal.
It’ s April and time to start growing our meat birds. As we receive our new chicks, the first round of chicks for the spring, I am reminded of a warm comfort dish that has been around for over 100 years. It is simple yet complex because of its exotic flavors and aromas provided by worldly spices. The dish I’ m speaking of is butter chicken, which originated in Delhi, India, in the early 1900s. This dish is traditionally served with flatbread or rice and is chicken smothered with a red masala gravy. It is, in fact, very difficult to resist. I am reminded of this dish this spring because the flavors in butter chicken are full of life and energize the body and the mind. Some say these flavors and aromas have medicinal value, which we like because that is what we’ re all about.
Taking food as medicine is the most simplistic way humans have survived for so long. Paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic, ginger, and cardamom are all included in the Tandoori masala seasoning. These species are all known to keep us healthy; some help to cure the cold and flu and have many other health benefits. Indian folks living long and healthy lives may be attributed to these spices. We all know they probably do not infuse their food in India. That is why we are so lucky to be where we are today, so we can have this delicious healthy food and add our own spin on it with an infusion. With Indian cuisine being one of the most profound and well-known in the world,
we should celebrate these flavors and culture and say thank you for sharing. I love these warm, comforting flavors on a cool, spring, rainy day. I pile up a mound of hot, brown basmati rice, then heap a giant spoonful of butter chicken right on top of it. It is amazingly delicious. To infuse this dish, we replace the butter that you would use in the sauce portion of the recipe with a tablespoon of infused butter.
Ingredients
1 cup butter, divided 1 onion, minced 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1( 15 ounce) can tomato sauce 3 cups heavy cream 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Garam masala 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into bite-sized chunks 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons Tandoori masala
The Method
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F( 190 degrees C).
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine cream, tomato sauce, remaining butter, salt, cayenne pepper, and Garam masala in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Stir in caramelized onions.
5. While the sauce is simmering, toss chicken with vegetable oil until coated. Season with Tandoori masala and spread out onto a baking sheet.
6. Bake chicken in the oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 minutes.
7. Add cooked chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
Happy 420!
Dana Cunningham is a Kansas City Native trained in French and American cuisine. She owns Infused KC, Kansas City’ s CBD infusion think tank and focuses her culinary efforts on the farm-to-table concept at her four-acre homestead. She provides cooking classes in Kearney, MO. Follow her on Facebook, @ infusedkcmo or YouTube @ sunsetgrovekearney. Get your CBD at, www. infusedkc. com.
36 April 2025