If you need a magical family recipe that will make dinner disappear at your house, look no further than this delicious Slow Cooker Butter Chicken! Amazingly fast and easy to prepare and packed full of flavor!
I don't know about you, but pretty much any time of year, it feels like the busiest time of year to me. No matter if it's back to school time, summer time, or the holidays, our schedules are filled with extra activities and it takes a little planning on my part to make sure we have dinner on the table. Thank goodness, as always, for my slow cooker! Of all of the slow cooker chicken recipes on my site, I love this recipe for Slow Cooker Butter Chicken possibly the most because it's easy to put together in the morning (or even the day before) and it turns out delicious every time. It's a staple in our house not only because it's easy, but because everybody loves it! I often make a double batch and the leftovers disappear for lunch the next day!
Important Notes about this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken:
- This dish is just my take on a classic food and the version I serve to my family and in no way is it truly authentic. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to make it your own!
- It's not spicy at all, by design. If you'd like some spice, go for it by adding some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
- To make it vegetarian, you can swap out the chicken for chickpeas!
The best thing about this meal is how easy it is to prepare. A few steps all in the slow cooker and dinner will be waiting!
What does butter chicken taste like?
There are a few stories out there about the true origins of butter chicken, but some tales said it was created by accident by repurposing leftovers. And isn't that how all good recipes come about? No matter how it was created it's safe to say that butter chicken is a universally loved dish. It has mild curry flavors and a creamy tomato sauce and is great for anyone who has never tried Indian food before.
Why I love this easy slow cooker meal:
- Making slow cooker chicken breast can seem boring, so aren't we all always looking for new recipes to cook chicken? Chicken doesn't have to be boring! In fact, if you haven't tried butter chicken, you are in for anything but boring chicken!
- Even my picky 5 year old devours it. You can make it a tad spicy or keep it mild. It's rich and creamy and made with coconut milk and a little cream added at the end for that something extra.
- It's a no prep dish, meaning nothing has to be cooked ahead of time. Just toss in the slow cooker for a delicious meal at the end of the day.
Ingredients you need to make this butter chicken sauce:
And if you don't love curry flavors, I'll bet you'll love this Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken recipe instead.
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ sweet yellow onion diced
- 3 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 14.5 oz can coconut milk
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream for later
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except cream and rice into slow cooker and stir to combine
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8
- Stir in heavy cream and return cover to let it heat through while you make the rice
- Cook rice according to package directions
- Serve rice topped with chicken and with a side of naan if desired
Notes
- This is not spicy at all. If you'd like some spice, go for it by adding some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
- To make it vegetarian, you can swap out the chicken for chickpeas.
- To make this dairy free, you can leave out the cream and butter (yes, it is still very tasty that way!)
Nutrition
I am eager to make this for supper tonight.
Your thoughts on using boneless skinless chicken thighs………and your recipe doesn’t specify whether the coconuts milk is sweetened or unsweetened
I haven't tested it but my concern with chicken with thighs would be that they may be too greasy for the sauce. The coconut milk is unsweetened.
Wow, I can't believe a curry cooked in a slow cooker can taste this authentic and yummy. My ever so fussy husband agrees, and this will be one of our regular dinners from now on!
I'm blown away by the lack of prep involved in all of your slow cooker dishes. I will review all the ones I've tried.
I am from the UK and until I found your amazing recipes, I barely used my slow cooker. All recipe books I have for slow cooker food involve loads of pre prep, frying off etc. And they don't even taste that good at the end! My husband used to hate slow cooker food as he says it all tastes the same... well not yours!
I honestly can't speak highly enough of your recipes that I've tried, thankyou for sharing them with us. My only request is that you provide metric measurements too, or at least convert cups into oz, as it's near on impossible to do as you're cooking, it's not as simple as one cup of flour being equivalent weight to one cup of rice! Please provide UK alternative measurements for us fans over the ocean. 🙂
Absolutely love this!! Can the recipe be used in a normal pan on the cooker if you don’t have a slow cooker?
Yes although I haven't tested it so I don't have exact instructions. If you try it be sure to let me know!
Hey!!! I have made this multiple times and my family also likes it better than the restaurants. I was wondering if this could be done in a Dutch oven?
Yes I think that should work fine!
Hi, am I meant to leave the lid off for it to become abit thicker or does it thicken up with the cream?
you can at the end for a bit. If still to thin, thicken up with a cornstarch or tapioca flour slurry.
This was absolutely delicious. I did not change a thing.
Love this recipe, would rather this over one from a restaurant, so easy to make and out of ingredients you just have lying around 🙂
Thanks so much! I'm so glad you love it!
So easy, no prep, just throw it all in to the slow cooker and turn it on. It was perfect (says my butter chicken expert husband) and doesn't even need the cream (because he forgot to) if you don't want to ad any dairy.
Thanks Janine!