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
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion (diced)
- 3 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 14.5 oz can coconut milk
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 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
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This recipe is awesome! It’s quick and easy to assemble. I do recommend adding more spice to the recipe: add 1/2 tsp more of tumeric, 1.5 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp of cayenne to make it spicier and a dash of cinnamon.
Sometimes if I want it creamier, after it’s cooked I remove the chicken and blend the sauce so there are no onion pieces.
I love your recipes! I’ve made three in the last couple of weeks—this one (my fav), the Parmesan chicken meatballs (yummy) and the balsamic chicken & carrots (a wonderful flavor combination). I’m your newest stalker (of recipes). I love to cook and am not easily impressed but you are wonderful! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
Thanks so much! I’m so glad you are here!
Love this recipe!!! It’s a family favorite. Is there a version where you could use an instant pot instead? Tia!
Thank you! And yes, there is an Instant Pot version on my other site where I share tons of Instant Pot Recipes! Here it is: https://garnishedplate.com/instant-pot-butter-chicken/
When do I have to add the butter? Together with the heavy cream? Will the sauce thicken enough with the heavy cream? Thank you!!!
You can stir in the butter when you stir in the cream in step 3. The sauce is somewhat thick, but if to thin for your liking feel free to create a slurry from cornstarch and water (2 T each) and stir into sauce and let heat 15 minutes to thicken.
A good chicken curry goes down well in our house, great idea with the coconut milk.
Awesome Butter Chicken.
The best i have tasted outside of an indian restaurant.
I do have a question how ever, i am going to try and make this dish for about 8 or 9 people and i just want to ask if i should double/ triple everything on the ingredients list or if there is some things i shouldnt.
Thankyou so much for this reciepe.
I’m so glad you love it! To double or triple, I suggest increasing all ingredients in proportion! You should be able to use the slider on the recipe card to automatically adjust.
This recipe is amazing, I’ve made it so many times, often by request of my family. I’m wondering if you were to make this vegetarian would you add the chickpeas at the beginning or would you add them later? also, have you ever made this with tofu instead? would you add that at the beginning too? thanks!
I have not tested any vegetarian options with this, but I would think either chickpeas or tofu would work. However, I’d likely cook it on the stovetop, as either of those would heat quickly.
I can already smell it cooking and am eager to try. This recipe is for the littles so I have put puréed carrots and tomatoes for extra pep. So excited to have some dinner tonight!!!
Easy and delicious.
Extremely good. I didn’t have curry paste so i used 2 portions of chili paste which gave it a medium spicy “kick”. I didn’t have basmati rice so I used a black long grain wild rice (healthier too) I had found at a Farmer’s Market. I love the portion sizes which are very small allowing for a real treat while watching what you eat. This recipe is a keeper. Already frozen in portions.
Thanks Christine!! I love black rice also!! So yummy!
I tried this recipe this weekend and I can NOT tell you how much I enjoyed it – in fact, have printed it out for friends with a recommendation to try immediately. Thanks for an excellent recipe!
Thanks so much Angelia!