Family Movie Night: The Jungle Book & Butter Chicken

After a long school year packed with dance rehearsals, performances, work, and everything in between, family movie night finally made its return.

The second half of the school year always feels like a whirlwind. Between practices, performances, work, and all the other responsibilities that fill our calendars, there were many nights when we were lucky just to stay awake through a single episode of a TV show, let alone an entire movie.

Now that summer is here and our schedules have slowed down a bit, we're making it a priority to bring back one of our favorite family traditions. To make movie night a little more exciting, we wrote movie suggestions on slips of paper, tossed them into a jar, and drew one at random.

Tonight's pick? The Jungle Book, the animated version, courtesy of Erik.

Since the story takes place in India, I couldn't resist creating an Indian-inspired menu. Erik and I absolutely love Indian food, while Alana is still warming up to it. She may not be fully convinced yet, but she can put away an impressive amount of naan bread, so I'd call that progress! 

Tonight's Menu

• Bagheera's Samosas

• Baloo's Butter Chicken

• Akela's Jasmine Rice

• Shere Khan's Naan

• Kaa's Saag Paneer

• King Louie's Monkey Bread Bites

• Mowgli's Frozen Mango Lemonade

Today I'm sharing the recipe for Baloo's Butter Chicken. Butter chicken is rich, creamy, and packed with warm spices without being overly spicy. If you've never tried Indian food before, this is a wonderful place to start. It's also one of my favorite meal-prep lunches because it's easy to make, incredibly flavorful, and pairs perfectly with jasmine or basmati rice.

Baloo's Butter Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)

• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon garam masala

• 1 teaspoon chili powder or paprika

• 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Add the diced onion and cook until softened and lightly golden, about 3–4 minutes.

3. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

4. Add the chicken, tomato paste, garam masala, chili powder, fenugreek, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.

5. Pour in the heavy cream and stir until combined.

6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, rich, and creamy.

7. Serve over jasmine or basmati rice with warm naan on the side.

Enjoy while watching The Jungle Book and don't forget to save room for King Louie's Monkey Bread!