Grilled Cheese with Butter Chicken Sauce

Butter chicken grilled cheese sliced in half next to a knife

5 from 1 vote

Grilled Cheese with Butter Chicken Sauce

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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Course: food and drink, Main

Cuisine: Indian inspired, north american

Servings: sandwiches

Calories: 747kcal

Author: Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai

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