Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken is richly flavored, comforting and easy to make ahead in your crockpot. Serve it with rice and naan for soaking up the delicious sauce!
I love to cook (I do own a recipe website, after all!), but that doesn’t mean I want to spend all night in the kitchen making dinner. Between kids, work and well, just life, I appreciate quick and easy dinners just as much as the next person. Cue the slow cooker recipes!
Is there anything more wonderful than having 6:00 roll around and dinner already simmering away in the slow cooker? I think not, especially if it’s this warming, saucy, rich and creamy slow cooker butter chicken.
This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken is:
- Richly flavored, mildly spicy. The tomato-based curry sauce is made with garlic, ginger and spices. There’s a touch of spice from the ginger and a smidge of chili powder, but I wouldn’t describe this dish as spicy.
- Easy to make with accessible ingredients. Most of them are pantry staples and the spices are easy to find in any grocery store (if they’re not already in your spice cupboard!).
- True comfort food. The luscious sauce is perfect for dunking pieces of naan or spooning over rice.
- Adapted from my Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe, a long time favorite that I’ve been making for years.
What is Butter Chicken?
Butter chicken is an Indian dish known as Murgh Makhani. It consists of tender bites of chicken cooked in a rich and creamy curry sauce. The sauce gets its rich flavor from tomato paste and/or sauce, butter and spices. It’s finished with heavy cream or coconut milk (my preference) for more richness and a creamy mouthfeel.
What does this butter chicken taste like? You’ll taste warm spices, spicy ginger, tomatoey flavor and a touch of creamy coconut. It is so good!
Ingredients
- Butter: I’ve found that you only need 2 tablespoons of butter to add richness and flavor to the sauce.
- Onion: Even though this is a slow cooker recipe, I start by sautéing the diced onion on the stove. This softens it and mellows its flavor so that it almost melts into the sauce.
- Garlic and Ginger: We are building layers of flavor in this recipe, and fresh garlic and ginger are two flavor essentials. Butter chicken just wouldn’t be the same without them.
- Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste: The tomato paste brings rich tomato flavor, and the tomato sauce adds volume to the sauce, along with more tomato flavor.
- Water: To thin out the tomato paste so that the sauce isn’t too thick.
- Chicken Breast: Slow cooking makes the chicken nice and tender.
- Coconut Milk: Be sure to use full fat coconut milk. Or, if you prefer, heavy cream.
The Spices
The spices and seasonings you’ll need for this recipe are: garam masala, ground cumin, chili powder, ground turmeric and salt. All of them can be found in the spice section of most grocery stores.
How to Make Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Here is an overview of how to make this recipe. Find the full recipe with ingredient measurements below.
Sauté the onion in one tablespoon of butter. Then add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for 30 more seconds. Transfer to the slow cooker.
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, turmeric and salt. Stir. Then cut the remaining tablespoon of butter into two pieces and stir it into the sauce in the slow cooker. Nestle the chicken into the sauce.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes so that the juices can redistribute throughout the meat. Then chop it into bite-size pieces.
Stir the coconut milk into the sauce, then stir in the chicken. Serve and enjoy!
Can I Make It Without the Butter?
This may seem like a silly question, since the dish is called butter chicken, but the answer is…. Yes! If you’re looking for a dairy-free butter chicken recipe, this can totally be that recipe. The butter is the only dairy in this recipe and you can swap it for 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Use the oil to sauté the onion and then skip adding the second tablespoon of butter to the sauce. I’ve tested this recipe without butter and it is nearly as tasty as the original.
What to Serve with Butter Chicken
Serve the butter chicken with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro for a pop of color and fresh flavor. Rice is a must for soaking up that divine sauce – here is my go-to method for How to Cook Rice or Brown Rice if you prefer.
Other than the rice, my go-to sides for this dish are naan and Roasted Cauliflower, which pairs perfectly with the flavors in this dish and sneaks an extra veggie into the meal. Let’s eat!
To Store and Reheat
- To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: This dish freezes well if made with coconut milk. If you use heavy cream in the sauce, the sauce may separate/curdle if frozen and reheated. Once cool, freeze the chicken and sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat in a covered pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring often. Or, reheat in the microwave.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
My collection of slow cooker recipes is full of make-ahead, family-friendly meals. Here are a few more favorites:
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ cup full fat coconut milk*
- For serving: cooked rice, naan bread, chopped fresh cilantro, as desired
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until melted. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, turmeric and salt. Stir until well combined.
- Cut the remaining tablespoon of butter into 2 pieces and stir it into the sauce in the slow cooker. Nestle the chicken into the sauce.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is cooked through to at least 165° F and tender.
- Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes. Meanwhile, stir the coconut milk into the sauce in the slow cooker.
- Chop the chicken into bite size pieces and return it to the slow cooker.
- Serve chicken and sauce over rice, with naan bread and chopped cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Traditional butter chicken is made with heavy cream, but I prefer to use coconut milk for a lighter, less dairy-heavy alternative. The coconut milk gives the sauce a slight coconut flavor, so if you don’t care for that you can use heavy cream instead.
- Dairy-Free: Use 1 tablespoon of olive oil instead of butter to sauté the onion and omit the remaining tablespoon of butter in the sauce.
So good! Will be making again soon.