Butter Chicken Naan-chos is the ultimate fusion snack that marries two beloved cuisines—Indian and Mexican. Toasted garlic naan "chips" are covered with melty cheese, butter chicken, and classic nacho toppings. These naan-chos are perfect for game day and comes together in under 30 minutes!
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) is one of India's most known dishes, known for its rich, creamy, and mildly spiced tomato gravy. Meanwhile, nachos are a beloved Mexican snack, perfect for sharing at parties or as a quick indulgent treat.
In this recipe, we reinvent the traditional nacho by swapping tortilla chips for crispy garlic naan chips and topping them with rich, flavorful butter chicken. This unique snack captures the best of both cuisines, combining the crunch of nachos with the aromatic depth of butter chicken. It's a crowd-pleaser for parties, game nights, or a fun family meal.
This fusion dish reflects a growing trend of experimenting with flavors across borders, resulting in a dish that’s fun, exciting, and utterly delicious.
Jump to:
Why You'll love this Recipe
This dish takes comfort food to a whole new level!
- Butter Chicken Nachos are a crowd-pleaser at parties, game nights, or even as a hearty snack.
- This is a very make ahead friendly dish since it's best to use day old or leftover butter chicken. You can use leftover homemade naan, frozen naan at an Indian grocery, purchase naan at a restaurant, or grab readymade naan in the bread aisle of the grocery store.
- Everything comes together in under 30 minutes so it's a quick appetizer to put together for a party.
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
- Butter Chicken - I recommend using leftover or day old butter chicken because the curry thickens so the naan "chips" don't get soggy. You can use my Easy Baked Butter Chicken or my authentic stovetop Butter Chicken!
- Cheese - I use Indian Amul Cheese, which is a white pasteurized cheese. Use Mexican cheese, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese.
- Naan - Homemade naan, storebought naan, or restaurant naan works well! If you get plain naan, melt butter and mix it with minced garlic and chopped cilantro. Instead of naan, you can still use plain corn tortilla chips.
- Toppings - Thin out dahi or yogurt with a tablespoon of water. The dahi will tone down the spiciness from the butter chicken. We also loved to add diced red onion, jalapeños, and chopped cilantro.
How to Make Butter Chicken Nachos
If you don't have leftover butter chicken, you'll want to start off by making something like my Easy Baked Butter Chicken that can be ready in an hour! Simply add marinated chicken into a baker with tomato sauce, heavy cream, and spices and bake it off for 50 minutes.
Then, pull out the chicken and shred or cube it to make for easy bite size pieces with the nachos.
Start by prepping the naan. I purchase Stonefire Naan from Costco when I want something quick and they're the perfect size to turn into chips. Brush melted butter that's been mixed with minced garlic and chopped cilantro on to the naan.
Slice each naan into 6 triangular wedges. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1 - Spread the naan "chips" out on a baking sheet.
Step 2 - Bake at 400°F for 7-9 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Step 3 - Evenly spread the butter chicken over the naan chips and shredded cheese. Place it back in the oven for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the butter chicken warmed through.
Step 4 - Top the melted cheese with thinned dahi, jalapeños, diced onion, and chopped cilantro.
And that's it! You're ready to enjoy your Butter Chicken Nachos.
Variations
- Spicy - add fresh green chilis or spicy jalapeños to make it extra hot
- Vegetarian - switch out the chicken for paneer to make Paneer Makhani
- Vegan - switch out chicken for chickpeas, cauliflower, or tofu instead
- Deluxe - add a large dollop of guacamole, sour cream, diced tomatoes, cooked black beans, or crispy fried onions
- Kid friendly - add more heavy cream to the butter chicken or serve with cucumber mint raita to mellow out any spiciness
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Balancing the Spices - Butter chicken is traditionally mild, but you can adjust the spice level by adding more or less red chili powder to suit your taste. The dahi also helps tone down any spice.
- Marination Time - For tender, flavorful chicken, marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. If you have time, overnight marination gives even better results.
- Make Ahead - You can prepare the butter chicken a day in advance and simply reheat it before assembling the nachos. Leftovers are also great for this recipe. This makes it a great party option.
- Cheese Choice - Amul Cheese can be hard to find except at Indian grocery stores. A blend of mozzarella and cheddar gives the best of both worlds—melting stretchiness and sharp flavor. However, you can use any cheese you prefer.
- Crispy Chips - To avoid soggy naan chips, drain excess sauce from the butter chicken before adding it to the nachos. A thicker sauce works better for nachos.
Serving Suggestions
For an Indian-inspired Game Day spread, add another type of Indian-inspired nachos with this Cheesy Nachos Chaat! Easy Samosa Pinwheels with Cilantro-mint Chutney would also be an absolute hit.
For a vegan options, guests will love Mango-Tamarind Cauliflower Wings and Indian-Spiced Chickpea Fries.
For drinks, Mango Iced Tea is super refreshing or a Mango Lassi to help tone down the spice. Obviously, light beers would are a must. A cozy cup of Masala Chai with Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies is also perfect to decompress after the game.
Storage Instructions
While Butter Chicken Nachos are best enjoyed fresh, you can store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Keep the garlic naan chips and butter chicken separate for up to 2 days.
To reheat, warm the butter chicken on the stove and crisp the naan chips in the oven before reassembling. Avoid storing fully assembled nachos, as the naan chips will become soggy.
More Indo-Mexican Fusion Dishes to try
Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Thinking about making this recipe? Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox to save for later. Plus, get new recipe inspiration from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Masala and Chai.
Butter Chicken Naan-chos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 6-inch garlic naan
- 1 cup butter chicken
- 2 cups Amul cheese*, shredded
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 2 jalapeños, sliced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup dahi, thinned with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Stack 4 pieces of garlic naan on a cutting board. Slice the naan into 6 triangles each, to create a total of 24 chips. Repeat with the other 4 pieces of garlic naan.
- Spread the naan "chips" on the half sheet pan and bake in the oven for 7-9 minutes, or until browned and crispy.
- Remove the pan from the oven and spread out the butter chicken. Layer over the shredded cheese. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the butter chicken is warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 8 minutes.
- Top the nachos with diced red onion, sliced jalapeños, chopped cilantro, and drizzle the thinned dahi.
- Serve warm and enjoy immediately!
Anonymous says