Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Make this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken for a flavorful dinner that your whole family will love, featuring a creamy and tender dish with perfect spices.
Equipment
- 4-quart Slow Cooker or larger
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger grated
- 16 oz tomato sauce or passata
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
- 2 lb chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream double cream in the UK
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, mint, or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- To the slow cooker, add ginger, garlic, tomato sauce, spices, salt and sugar. Give everything a good stir, then add the chicken thighs and coat them in the sauce.
- Scatter the butter all over the top, cover and cook on HIGH for 1.5-2 hours, or on LOW for 4-6 hours. The chicken is done when its internal temperature reaches 165°F with an instant read thermometer.
- Remove the chicken, and place on a cutting board to cool enough to be handled.
- Stir in the heavy cream in the sauce, and whisk until the sauce is creamy.
- Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, and return to the sauce.
- Serve with basmati rice and naan bread, garnish with fresh parsley, mint, or cilantro.
Notes
I used a 4-quart Crockpot for this recipe. It's a cheap Crockpot that I use when I make smaller amounts of food. Do not add water; the chicken will produce enough liquid for the sauce. Tomato sauce can be substituted with passata, or a blended can of plain tomatoes. Traditionally, a little bit of sugar is added to the sauce to make it sweeter, but it's not necessary. If you don't have fresh ginger, use ½ teaspoon of ground ginger instead. This dish is medium spicy, so adjust chili powder based on your preference. You can make your own garam masala mix at home. Substitute heavy cream with half and half, or coconut milk for a non-dairy option at the cost of creaminess. Do not add the cream before cooking, as it might separate. If you double the ingredients, do not adjust the cooking time. Garnish with fresh herbs before serving. Serve with Instant Pot basmati or brown rice, and/or fresh naan. For a vegan version, check out the vegan cauliflower butter chicken recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1dishCalories: 580kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 40gFat: 58gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 286mgSodium: 1369mgPotassium: 933mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1695IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 3mg
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