Inspired by the Indian flavours of butter chicken and combined with a combo of local cheeses, our Grilled Cheese with butter chicken sauce is spicy, cheesy, and bursting with the flavour and fragrance of one of our favourite Indian dishes.
Each year in Toronto's Little India neighbourhood, the Gerard India Bazaar BIA hosts the Southeast Asia festival, featuring the music, fashion, and food of the many Indian, Sri Laken and Pakastani restaurants that make up the area. It is also the neighbourhood where Philip's brother has his cheese shop, The Pantry, which sells local cheeses and specialty food.
Absent from being able to both run the store and serve food during the festival, Philip was recruited by his brother to create a grilled cheese recipe with an Indian flair that he could make for the festival. It was a jar of local butter chicken sauce that inspired Philip's pop-up dish, a Butter Chicken Grilled Cheese is loaded with local cheese curds and medium cheddar, smothered in a butter chicken sauce (sans chicken) before being grilled to crispy, cheesy perfection.
While our recipe utilizes a homemade butter chicken sauce made with coconut milk, you can definitely use a store-bought jarred sauce to achieve a similar flavour. And whether making your own sauce as we do now, or using the store-bought stuff, we always make sure to save the extra to make our all-time favourite Butter Chicken recipe.
How to Make Our Grilled Cheese with Butter Chicken Sauce
Ingredients you'll need for our Grilled Cheese with Butter Chicken Sauce
- Bread (we prefer a pullman loaf, but any of your favourite breads will work)
- Salted Butter
- Medium Cheddar Cheese
- Cheese Curds
- Butter Chicken Sauce (homemade recipe below)
Step 1 | Make the Butter Chicken Sauce
While you can definitely use a store-bought butter chicken sauce, if time allows, you can try making your own dairy-free butter chicken sauce using the steps below.
Butter Chicken Sauce Ingredients
Yellow onion, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, chili powder, garam masala, cumin, coriander, fenugreek (optional), tomato paste, ground tomatoes, coconut milk.
Prepare the Seasoning Paste and Spice Mix
In a container of a blender or food processor pulse 1 chopped onion, 5 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 chopped chili peppers, and a 3-inch knob of chopped ginger. Add a few splashes of water as you pulse until it becomes a paste-like consistency and set aside.
For the spice mix, combine 1 tablespoon each of chili powder, garam masala, and cumin, 2 teaspoons of coriander and ½ teaspoon of fenugreek (optional) in a small bowl and set aside.
Cook the Butter Chicken Sauce
Heat a deep skillet or medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Add 4 tablespoons of ghee (or coconut oil for plant-based sauce). Once the ghee begins to smoke a bit, pour in the seasoning paste and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and beginning to brown slightly.
Add the spices and cook an additional 5 minutes, while stirring often, until deep in colour, then stir in 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, cooking another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour in a 28oz can of pureed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of honey, then season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover the pot and stir in a 14oz can of coconut milk. Adjust seasoning to taste and remove from the stove to cool.
Cool and Store the Butter Chicken Sauce
Reserve about ½ cup of the butter chicken sauce for the grilled cheese recipe and set aside. Pour remaining butter chicken sauce in a mason jar and store in the fridge for up to one week.
Step 2 | Make the Butter Chicken Filling
Roughly chop 1 cup of cheese curds and place in a small mixing bowl. Toss with ½ cup of butter chicken sauce and set aside.
Step 3 | Assemble the Grilled Cheese
Butter one side of eight slices of bread and place on a baking sheet or cutting board, unbuttered side up. Top 4 slices with 2 tablespoons each of grated medium cheddar, and 2 tablespoons of the butter chicken cheese curds. Top with another 2 tablespoons of grated cheddar and top with bread, butter side up.
Step 4 | Cook the Grilled Cheese with Butter Chicken Sauce
Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Place 1 to 2 sandwiches on the skillet and press down firmly with a spatula. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until crisp on golden on the bottom and flip, cooking an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until both sides of the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese begins to ooze out the side. Allow to cool for just a minute then slice in half, top with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and enjoy.
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Our Favourite Essential Cooking Tools
- Duralex Glass Bowls
- All-Clad Measuring Cups and Spoons
- John Boos Cutting Board
- Global Chef's Knife Set
- Cast Iron Skillet
- All-Clad Spatula
Ingredients
- Ghee
- Chili powder
- Garam masala
- Cumin
- Ground coriander seed
- Ground fenugreek (optional)
- Tomato paste
- Tomato puree
- Coconut milk
Recipe Card
Grilled Cheese with Butter Chicken Sauce
Ingredients
Butter Chicken Sauce
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 3- inch knob of ginger chopped
- 2 chili peppers chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek optional
- ¼ cup ghee or coconut oil
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can 796ml/28oz ground tomatoes
- 1 can 398/14oz coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
- salt and pepper
Grilled Cheese
- 8 slices sandwich bread
- 8 tablespoon salted butter room temperature
- 1 cup grated medium cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cheese curds
- ½ cup butter chicken sauce
Instructions
- In a container of a blender or food processor pulse 1 chopped onion, 5 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 chopped chili peppers, and a 3-inch knob of chopped ginger. Add a few splashes of water as you pulse until it becomes a paste-like consistency and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl combine a chili powder, garam masala, cumin, coriander, and optional fenugreek.
- Heat a deep large heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high heat. Add ghee and once it begins to smoke a bit, pour in the remaining seasoning paste and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and beginning to brown slightly.
- Add the spice mix and cook an additional 5 minutes, while stirring often, until deep in colour, then stir in 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, cooking another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in a 28oz can of pureed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of honey, then season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover the pot and stir in a 14oz can of coconut milk. Adjust seasoning to taste. Reserve ½ cup of sauce for the grilled cheese and pour remaining into a mason jar to use for another recipe, such as our .
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the ½ cup of butter chicken sauce with the chopped cheese curds.
- Butter one side of eight slices of bread and place on a baking sheet or cutting board, unbuttered side up. Top 4 slices with 2 tablespoons each of grated medium cheddar, and 2 tablespoons of the butter chicken cheese curds. Top with another 2 tablespoons of grated cheddar and top with bread, butter side up.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Place 1 to 2 sandwiches on the skillet and press down firmly with a spatula. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until crisp on golden on the bottom and flip, cooking an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until both sides of the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese begins to ooze out the side. Allow to cool for just a minute then slice in half and enjoy.
Notes
- Save time by using a store-bought butter chicken sauce.
- Cheese curds can be substituted with mild cheddar cheese.
- Use leftover sauce to make a dairy-free butter chicken.
Nutrition
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