Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
from kristineskitchenblog.comThis Slow Cooker Butter Chicken is richly flavored, comforting and easy to make ahead in your crockpot. This dish is made with warm spices and fresh ginger to infuse the tomato-based sauce with flavor. I would describe it as only mildly spicy - the spice mainly comes from the fresh ginger. Butter chicken sauce is often finished with heavy cream, but I use full fat coconut milk for a lighter alterative. Serve the butter chicken with rice and naan bread for soaking up the delicious sauce!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 311kcal
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 recipe | Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 879mg | Potassium: 1079mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 814IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg
