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Home » Recipes » Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Posted June 20, 2019 Last Updated January 1, 2021 by Jennifer // 142 Comments**This post may contain affiliate links**

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Featured, No Prep, Reader Favorites, Recipes, Slow Cooker Recipes

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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!

butter chicken with rice on a white plate

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!

ladle in a slow cooker with butter chicken

 

 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!

collage of all steps for making slow cooker butter chicken

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.

serving of butter chicken over rice with naan on white plate

 

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.

slow cooker filled with butter chicken

 

Ingredients you need to make this butter chicken sauce:

  • red curry paste
  • turmeric
  • coconut milk

And if you don’t love curry flavors, I’ll bet you’ll love this Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken recipe instead.

butter chicken with rice on a white plate

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

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!
4.13 from 234 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 498kcal
Author: Jennifer Draper

Equipment

Slow Cooker

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

Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 630mg | Potassium: 872mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 850IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2.6mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag us Today!Mention @slowcookergourmet or tag #slowcookergourmet!

 

 

 

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Previous Post: « Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julian says

    March 2, 2019 at 12:03 pm

    Does this recipe include the basmati rice In the nutrition facts?

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      March 5, 2019 at 9:31 am

      yes

      Reply
  2. Emily says

    February 1, 2019 at 1:22 pm

    5 stars
    I read the comments before making so I did increase my spice level but this dish is delicious!!!!! Saucy and amazing flavor, my husband loved it too. He wants me to try it with a white fish next time. I can’t wait to make it again either way.

    Reply
  3. Faryn Durfee says

    January 29, 2019 at 4:28 pm

    Hi! This is probably a dumb question, just getting the hang of slow cooking. Do you cut the chicken before or after cooking? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      January 29, 2019 at 4:34 pm

      Before. Or you could put it in whole and shred it after it’s cooked depending on the texture you prefer.

      Reply
  4. Sean says

    January 15, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    4 stars
    Enjoyed this. Simple to make and smelled amazing when I got home from work.
    I added minced fresh serrano peppers for heat, and cornstarch to thicken it up a bit because it was a bit too soupy for my liking at first.
    Will make great lunches for the rest of the week.

    Reply
  5. Kerri says

    January 15, 2019 at 2:41 pm

    Could you prep and freeze this ahead of time and store in a freezer bag, you think? (minus the cream at the end, obviously)

    I know it’s “butter chicken” but is there a way to modify to make it dairy free?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      January 17, 2019 at 7:56 am

      Yes you can freeze it and yes, just swap out additional coconut milk for the dairy milk.

      Reply
  6. Katie K. says

    December 26, 2018 at 6:25 pm

    5 stars
    Thurs was amazing when I made it. I don’t like spicy food so it was the perfect heat. I’ve had trouble trying to recreate the Indian “gravy” with store-bought jars of summer sauce but this came very close to my favorite restaurant! Is there perhaps a companion recipe or way of adapting this for praparation with a pressure cooker?

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      December 27, 2018 at 10:36 pm

      I’m working on a pressure cooker version!

      Reply
  7. Pame says

    December 13, 2018 at 10:35 pm

    Can hardly wait to try this recipe! I only have one question: What is naan? I assume a type of Indian bread? Can I make this and if so do you have a recipe?

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      December 26, 2018 at 8:44 am

      It is!! I don’t have a recipe, I just purchase it from the grocery store but I know there are many recipes out there for it.

      Reply
  8. Michael S. says

    December 9, 2018 at 9:08 pm

    5 stars
    An outstanding recipie!! Couldn’t get red curry paste near me, so used Trader Joe’s red curry sauce in a bottle and then used half the spices listed but the entire can of coconut milk. I also took the lid off for last 40 mins or so to thicken up. Crazy good dinner, thank you SO much.

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      December 10, 2018 at 9:39 am

      Awesome! Thank you!

      Reply
  9. Allison H says

    December 1, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    5 stars
    This was delish!! I modified a bit. Sautéed the onions in a little butter with the tomato paste spices garlic ginger and added cayenne and red pepper flakes because we like spice. Then I added to the slow cooker with chicken and coconut milk. Shredded the chicken at the end and added to rice. We have left overs so I’ll make roti to have with it again. Thank you!!

    Reply
  10. Jean Barden says

    December 1, 2018 at 3:31 pm

    5 stars
    I wanted to make this vegetarian so I cut up frozen Hempe, which is made from chickpeas. I also added carrots, peppers and celery. It was delicious.

    Reply
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Author Hi! I'm Jennifer and I believe that everyone deserves wonderfully delicious meals. Join me as I show you simple ways to make wholesome dinners and more in your slow cooker.
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