Butter Chicken Hot Dish

Once the weather starts to cool down, there’s never a bad time to bake a Tater Tot hot dish. And it’s no wonder Midwesterners love a hot dish—these warm, comforting, filling and rich casseroles are perfect for holiday potlucks, the first days of autumn or a blanketing snowstorm.

We’ve tested many filling iterations over the decades to keep it interesting—bacon cheeseburger, jalapeno popper and pizza, to name a few. Here, we were inspired by creamy, tomatoey butter chicken. It’s the base of our casserole, and Tater Tots bake right on top. Butter chicken hot dish is an unexpected fusion of the two recipes—both classics in their own right—into one surprisingly easy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients for Butter Chicken Hot Dish

• Ghee: Find ghee in the international aisle or with the butter at the grocery store. It’s essentially clarified butter, and it’s traditionally used in Indian cooking. If you don’t want to buy a jar, butter is fine.
• Chicken: Butter chicken traditionally uses pieces of chicken, but we opted for ground chicken here so it’s quicker to cook and easier to scoop and serve.
• Ginger: The best way to peel ginger is with a spoon. No, not a special one—the ones sitting in your utensil drawer right now work perfectly.
• Spices: Our spice blend doesn’t hold back. Cumin, garam masala, coriander and chili powder make the chicken flavorful without being spicy.
• Crushed tomatoes: Buy one 14.5-ounce can of crushed tomatoes for this recipe. It mixes with the cream to make butter chicken’s classic pumpkin spice–hued sauce.
• Heavy whipping cream: Heavy whipping cream has the perfect amount of richness to make a thick, creamy sauce. Don’t substitute any other milk or cream.
• Tater Tots: Buy your favorite brand of frozen Tater Tots from the store—just make sure there’s 32 ounces worth so you have enough to cover the whole dish.
• Toppings: If you’d like, finish each serving with green chutney, yogurt or chopped cilantro to add color and to brighten the dish. Make mint chutney at home or find it in the international aisle.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the chicken

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chicken and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the liquid from the saucepan, then transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.

Step 2: Make the sauce

Heat the olive oil and ghee in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook and stir for three to four minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and ginger, and cook for one minute. Toss in the cumin, garam masala and coriander, and cook for another minute.

Stir in the can of tomatoes, chili powder and salt, scraping up the brown bits from the pan as it cooks. Simmer the sauce for five to seven minutes over medium-low heat until it thickens and has a deep red color.

Step 3: Finish the filling

Add the chicken back to the skillet, along with the heavy whipping cream, sugar and fenugreek, if desired. Stir the mixture to combine, and continue to simmer the mixture for five to eight minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Step 4: Add the Tater Tots

Spoon the mixture into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish and spread it out evenly. Top it with the frozen Tater Tots.

Step 5: Bake the hot dish

Bake the butter chicken hot dish for 40 minutes or until it’s nice and bubbly. Drizzle the casserole with green chutney and yogurt, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Recipe Variations

• Use homemade Tater Tots: For Tater Tot purists (I know you’re out there), try your hand at homemade Tater Tots or try the recipe with sweet potato tots instead.
• Add more veggies: It’s easy to bulk up the butter chicken mixture with more veggies. Just stir in cooked peas, spinach, green beans or broccoli.
• Go vegan: For a vegan version, skip the chicken and make our vegan butter cauliflower. Load it into the casserole dish and finish the recipe with plant-based Tater Tots.

How to Store Butter Chicken Hot Dish

Allow any leftover butter chicken hot dish to cool completely to room temperature. Cover the pan with storage wrap or transfer leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

Can you make butter chicken hot dish ahead of time?

Yes, you can make butter chicken hot dish ahead of time. The day before serving it, cook the butter chicken through completely, then spread it in the casserole dish and allow it to cool completely to room temperature. Cover the dish and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The next day, take the dish out of the fridge, remove the cover, and preheat the oven. Add the Tater Tots and bake the hot dish as directed.

Butter Chicken Hot Dish Tips

What should I serve with butter chicken hot dish?

Serve your butter chicken hot dish with a crunchy, vinegary side salad to brighten and lighten the meal. Cucumber salads are great, too, and grilled garlic naan stretches the meal a bit more. Personally, I love crispy onion bhaji with my Indian entrees.

Can I bake butter chicken hot dish in a different-sized pan?

Yes, you can bake the butter chicken hot dish in a different pan. Instead of a 13×9-inch pan, divide the filling and Tater Tots evenly between two 9-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch square pans.