Butter Chicken
November 20, 2025
Students in Oroville, a small city in rural Butte County, California, are getting a taste of cultures from across the globe, right in their own cafeteria. A glance at the Oroville Union High School District lunch menu will take you from the U.S. to Mexico, India, Korea and Italy, all in a single week!
“We’re a small community, and many of our students haven’t gotten to experience food from other countries,” said Nanci Miramontes, food service director at Oroville Union High School District. But the district’s international fare has helped students develop an adventurous culinary spirit and an openness to try new foods.
The district recently added scratch-cooked Butter Chicken to their menu, a classic Indian dish that combines marinated, grilled chicken with a creamy tomato curry sauce. Originally developed in Delhi, India, in the 1950s as a way to use leftover tandoori chicken, this smoky, mildly-spiced, belly-warming dish is now enjoyed in every part of the planet. While Butter Chicken may be new to many Oroville students, that didn’t stop them from coming back for seconds.
“It’s so fun to watch students fall in love with something new, especially something that our team makes in-house,” Nanci said.
Want to take your family on a globetrotting trip without leaving the kitchen? Try this delicious Butter Chicken recipe from The Lunch Box.