If you want to take a trip to creamy, spiced, restaurant-style Indian food without spending all of your time over the stovetop, Slow Cooker Butter Chicken is exactly what you need! This dish has all the warm spices, rich flavors of a classic butter chicken, but made in your slow cooker, for the ultimate convenience. The chicken thighs, stewing in a luxurious spiced tomato sauce, become melt-in-your-mouth tender, and a swirl of cream at the end adds that characteristic buttery richness.
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Why You Need This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
- Set It and Forget It: Part of the beauty of a slow cooker is that you can set it and forget it, so go about your day—the perfect recipe when you’ve got a busy weeknight or weekend ahead of you!
- Red and Round: Infused with warm spices and enriched with cream, the sauce has a lusciously smooth texture that clings to rice in billowing spoonfuls.
- Family-Friendly: Mild enough for kids, but complex-enough flavors that everyone will love.
- Good for Meal Prep: Make once and eat leftovers all week.
Ingredients Notes
- Chicken Thighs: Using chicken thighs helps the meat stay juicy and tender as it cooks low and slow. You can also use chicken breasts, if you like, though they won’t be quite so moist.
- Spices: A combination of cumin, garam masala, smoked paprika, turmeric and chili powder gives the dish that warm, earthy flavor. You can also increase or decrease the amount of chili powder to make the soup more or less spicy. We use tomato sauce or passata as a base for the sauce, as it gives a smoother consistency. Passata is ideal for a true texture.
- Butter: The sauce is rich and luscious with the addition of butter. Use unsalted butter so you can control the saltiness.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This gets added at the end for a silky, creamy finish. Coconut cream can be used if you want to keep it dairy-free.
- Garnish: fresh and vibrant note herbs — usually parsley, mint, or cilantro — that balance the richness. Choose as few or as many of them as you want!
How to Make Butter Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Then you’ll combine garlic, ginger, tomato sauce and spices in your slow cooker to start—it’s perfect, no additional pans required. Slather the chicken thighs in this delicious concoction, then dot with cubes of butter. Cover, and let the slow cooker do its thing. You can program it to cook on HIGH for 1.5 to 2 hours or on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, depending on your schedule.
When the chicken is cooked through, remove it and cool slightly before chopping it into bite-sized pieces. In the meantime, add some heavy cream to the sauce, and it becomes a rich, creamy base. Stir the chopped chicken into the sauce, and your dinner is done.
Serve this butter chicken over fluffy basmati rice, with some warm naan bread on the side. And don’t forget a few sprigs of fresh white herbs like cilantro or parsley to brighten the flavors. It is a quick and easy way to enjoy the warm comforting flavor of butter chicken without the time in the kitchen! Also, the leftovers are even better the next day.
Storage Options
- Refrigerate: Leftover butter chicken in an airtight container in the fridge will last up to 4 days.
- To Reheat: Quietly warm the chicken in a saucepan over medium heat. If the sauce has gotten too thick, loosen it up with a splash of water or cream. Or microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring after each interval, until heated through.
- Freezing: Butter chicken freezes beautifully. Transfer leftover food to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. To eat, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat.
Variations and Substitutions:
- Extra Spice: Prefer things spicy? Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or extra chili powder to heat things up.
- Dairy-Free: Use coconut cream instead of heavy whipping cream for a dairy-free option. But it will lend a hint of coconut that rounds the spices.
- Vegetarian Twist: For a vegetarian version, substitute paneer or firm tofu for the chicken. Add them in the last hour of cooking so that they don’t overcook.
- Lighter: Swapping in Greek yogurt for the heavy cream makes a lighter sauce, added off heat so it doesn’t curdle.
Conclusion
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken is a perfect way to get the rich flavor of this Indian classic to your table with a minimum of work. It’s great for impressing guests, or for those nights when you want to do your own something special without spending the whole evening in the kitchen. Try it — you’ll love the way the slow cooker turns basic ingredients into a dish that’s packed with big, comforting flavors. Don’t forget to have naan with to mop up all that creamy sauce!
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 16 oz tomato sauce or passata
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar or honey
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, mint, or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Combine garlic, ginger, tomato sauce, cumin, garam masala, smoked paprika, turmeric, chili powder, salt, and sugar in a slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken thighs, ensuring they’re coated in the sauce. Scatter butter cubes over the top.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 1.5–2 hours or LOW for 4–6 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Remove chicken, let it cool slightly, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Stir in the heavy whipping cream, whisking until smooth.
- Return the chopped chicken to the sauce, stirring to coat.
- Serve with rice and naan, garnished with fresh herbs.