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
Salted or unsalted butter? It doesn’t specify that I saw.
If you are sensitive to salt and really want to control it, unsalted is best.
I would love to try this. May I ask, would it be ok to freeze? 🙂
Yes this should freeze well!
Can you tell me if the nutrition information includes the serving of rice or if it is just the chicken? This is a family favorite! I like the idea of adding some chili for a little heat. Will try that next time.
I'm pretty sure it includes the rice.
This recipe is absolutely delicious!
I'm in the UK, I used tomato puree (not the double concentrated version) instead of tomato paste, and Patak's Kashmiri Masala paste as the red curry paste, Sharwood's medium curry powder, then added a pinch of hot chilli powder for heat. I used one 400ml can of coconut milk. The chicken was so tender, and the texture of the sauce was lovely, it had good body without too much oil. I cooked it on 'high' for 4 hours, followed by the 'keep warm' setting.
I have tried so many curry recipes, and always felt a little disappointed; the blend of flavours in this recipe was perfect, and even more delicious on day 2.
Can't wait to make this again, it was a huge success.
So glad I found this recipe, thank you!