Who does not like butter chicken? It is one of the most popular Indian curries in the entire world! Growing up, butter chicken was something we only ate at a restaurant. I am not a big fan of the butter chicken you get in the restaurants in the USA. So I like to make my own. I love Italian food a lot and it had been a while since I had made some. My husband wanted butter chicken instead. So I decided to combine the two and make butter chicken lasagna. Sometimes something delicious can come out of a conflict 😛  I know this is a lengthy and time-consuming recipe but trust me it is worth every minute!! 

What you will need:

How to make it:

To make the grilled chicken:

• In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, salt, cumin powder, and aamchur powder. Mix well.
• Marinate the washed chicken thighs with the paste.  Set aside overnight or at least for an hour.
• When ready to cook, bake them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until done, depending on your oven setting. You can also make them in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. If you have access to a grill, it is ok to grill them as well.
• Cut these cooked chicken thighs into small pieces. Save all the juices!

To make the sauce: 

• Add oil to the pan. You can substitute with an equal amount of butter as well if you desire.  Add diced onions and garlic cloves to it. Saute until the onion begins to soften and brown slightly.
• At this point, add diced tomatoes and saute until they are soft.
• Cool this mixture and transfer to a food processor.
• Pulse a couple of times to make a coarse paste. Since this is lasagna, you do not want a smooth creamy gravy for this recipe. The coarse texture gives it the feel of real lasagna.
• Heat butter in a pan. Once hot, add the chopped garlic. Saute until it begins to brown.
• Add the tomato paste, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and saute everything for one minute.
• Then, add the onion-tomato mixture along with salt, sugar, water, and heavy cream.
• Add the cooked chicken as well. Mix everything well and let it come to a boil.
• Add Kasuri methi and give it one last mix. Turn the gas off. This is your sauce.

For the Pasta:

• Heat a pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of oil.
• Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta.
• Cook until al dente.
• Drain the water.
• Separate the sheets of pasta and place them one over another.

Assembly:

• Pour some sauce on the bottom of an oven-safe pan.
• Add a layer of cooked pasta sheets.
• Top with cheese and then some more sauce.
• Repeat the process.
• Add cheese on the top layer.

Cooking the Lasagna:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the pasta until the cheese melts and begins to brown.
• Enjoy with garlic bread!