Slow Cooker Butter Chicken + Video

Super simple, no fuss, authentic Indian Butter chicken. This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe is the adaptation of my famous Instant Pot Butter Chicken! Enjoy the recipe that's loved by tens of thousands of people.

What Makes This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken So Good?

• Hands off. This slow cooker recipe is super simple and low effort.
• Low Carb. Only 2 net carbs per serving.
• Flavorful. Packed with your favorite Instant Pot Butter Chicken flavors, without buying a new appliance.
• Authentic. The Indian recipe flavors you know and love.

This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe is the slow cooker adaptation of my renown Instant Pot Butter Chicken! Enjoy the recipe that's loved by literally hundreds of thousands of people who have made it and has been featured in a ton of press articles even if you don't own an Instant Pot.

This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe super simple to make, creamy, spicy, authentic and so tasty. If you don't believe me, you'll just have to make it for yourself and see! Just trust us, you're going to love it.

Ingredients You'll Need For Crockpot Butter Chicken

Don't let the list of ingredients needed to make this dish throw you off. It looks long, but a majority of the ingredients you'll need are spices, which most of us already have in our spice rack anyway.

The only thing you may not have at your fingertips is Garam Masala. But don't worry! You can easily make your own at home (or buy a bottle if you're in a time crunch).

Here's what you'll need:

• Canned Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Minced Ginger
• Turmeric
• Cayenne Pepper
• Smoked Paprika
• Kosher Salt
• Garam Masala
• Ground Cumin
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, (or use breast, bone-in, or whatever works for you.)
• Butter
• Heavy Cream
• chopped cilantro (optional, for finishing)

How To Make Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

1. Place all ingredients into a blender in the order listed, EXCEPT for the butter, cream, and 1 teaspoon of the garam masala. Blend until well incorporated.
2. Add the blended sauce to the slow cooker.
3. Place the chicken on top of the sauce. If it's frozen, push it into the sauce a bit so it defrosts better.
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker and allow everything to cook for 4-5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
5. Open up the slow cooker, remove the chicken carefully, and set it aside.
6. Add the cut-up butter and cream and stir until well incorporated.

It's best to let the sauce cool just a little before adding the butter and the cream. Adding it into the boiling sauce will make your sauce very thin. If that happens, just put it in the fridge for a little and let it thicken up. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon

• Add the chicken back in and heat through. Add the remaining cilantro and garam masala and mix. Break it up into smaller pieces if you need but don't shred it.
• 8. Serve over rice, zucchini noodles, or just enjoy it as it is!

Can You Put Raw Chicken In A Slow Cooker?

Yes! Slow cookers bring the meat up to the appropriate temperature at a slow enough pace to keep things easy to make for a hand's off dinner while still keeping it safe.

Is It Dangerous To Slow Cook Chicken?

Absolutely not! Making CrockPot Butter Chicken (or any other chicken dish) is perfectly safe as long as you follow all safe food handling techniques.

Make sure you wash your hands and utensils before and after handling raw chicken and always make sure to check the internal temperature of our meat with a meat thermometer before serving it.

Is It Better To Slow Cook Chicken On High Or Low?

Obviously, you would want to cook your chicken on low to get the best flavor development and meat tenderness.

However, cooking chicken in your slow cooker on high will not change the flavor of your Slow Cooker Butter Chicken with this recipe.

The spices are so flavorful that the only thing you need to take into consideration is that your chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165F.

Does Slow Cooking Chicken Make It More Tender?

When it comes to juicy chicken, you need to consider fat content. With chicken breast (which I know most people tend to reach for when they go to the grocery store or butcher) you can get very dry chicken if it is cooked quickly.

However, even if you cook chicken thighs on high in the slow cooker you will still get juicy chicken.

Why?

Because of the fat content. The fat from the chicken thighs gives extra moisture to the meat while it cooks slowly. It also absorbs the heat first to prevent your chicken from being seared by touching the slow cooker liner near the heating elements.

If you're wanting a perfectly cooked Slow Cooker Butter Chicken, I would recommend grabbing chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts.

Tips And Tricks For Making Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

• For this recipe, the garam masala is very, very important. Unlike other recipes, I didn't use whole spices because I've learned that not everyone has whole cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and green cardamom lying around. So we'll use garam masala instead, and I must urge you to make this homemade garam masala recipe! It makes a HUGE difference.
• If you use a stand blender, be very careful with the hot sauce and be sure to leave the inside lid open to vent.
• Let the sauce cool just a little before adding the butter and the cream. Adding it to the boiling sauce will make your sauce very thin. If that happens, just put it in the fridge for a little and let it thicken up. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• If you're in need of a good slow cooker, here is one that I recommend.

Other Butter Chicken Variations and Recipes

If you're looking for more delicious Butter chicken recipes and ways to use leftovers, I've got you covered!

• Butter Chicken Pizza- Use up that extra sauce in a delicious way.
• Vegetarian Butter Chicken with Soy Curls- if you're craving a Vegetarian dish, this is just the recipe for you!
• Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe is the recipe that earned me the title of "The Butter Chicken Lady" and with good reason! It's easily my most popular instant pot recipe.
• Butter Chicken FAQ - Have more questions about how to make Butter Chicken? Read more here.

Whether it's your first time enjoying butter chicken or you're want to enjoy some with minimal effort, this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe is sure to be a favorite in your household! Make sure to share the recipe with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest if you enjoyed it!

If you like this hands-off version of my Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe, make sure you share with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest to make it again soon.

★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below! Just click on the stars in the recipe card to rate. Don't forget to pin this recipe for later!

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe is sure to be a hit with the whole family! Make an authentic butter chicken right in your slow cooker!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes

Course: Main Courses

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Butter Chicken, keto chicken recipe, Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Servings: 4 servings + sauce

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Urvashi Pitre

Click on highlighted ingredients or Equipment to see exactly what I use to make this recipe

Equipment

• Slow Cooker
• VITAMIX ASCENT SERIES BLENDER

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 14- ounce Canned Tomatoes
• ▢ 5-6 cloves Garlic
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons Minced Ginger
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• ▢ 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, (or use breast, bone-in, or whatever works for you. If frozen, add 1-2 minutes to total time)
• ▢ To finish
• ▢ 4 ounces butter cut into cubes, (use coconut oil if dairy free)
• ▢ 4 ounces Heavy Cream, (use full-fat coconut milk if dairy free)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• ▢ 1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

Slow Cooker Instructions

• Place tomatoes, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cayenne, smoked paprika, salt, and garam msala into a blender in the order listed. Blend until smooth.
• Add the blended sauce to the slow cooker. Place the chicken on top of the sauce.
• Place the lid on the slow cooker and allow everything to cook for 4-5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
• Open up the slow cooker, remove the chicken carefully and set aside.
• Add the cut up butter and cream and stir until well incorporated.

  It's best to let the sauce cool just a little before adding the butter and the cream. Adding it into the boiling sauce will make your sauce very thin. If that happens, just put it in the fridge for a little and let it thicken up. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
• Take out half the sauce and freeze for later or store in the fridge for 2-3 days
• Add the chicken back in and heat through. Add the remaining cilantro and garam masala and mix. Break it up into smaller pieces if you need but don't shred it.
• Serve over rice or zucchini noodles

Using leftover sauce

• Use leftover cooked chicken and mix in with the gently heated sauce, let it simmer for a few for the flavors to meld together and there you go. Add some fresh cilantro on top.
• You could also use this for Paneer Makhani. Defrost a cup of peas and 1 cup of paneer and mix gently into the heated sauce and let it simmer for a few for the flavors to meld together and there you go.

Watch The Video

• If you use a stand blender, be very careful with the hot sauce and be sure to leave the inside lid open to vent.
• For this recipe, the garam masala is very, very, important. Unlike other recipes, I didn't use whole spices because I've learned that not everyone has whole cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and green cardamom lying around. So we'll use garam masala instead and I must urge you to make this homemade garam masala recipe! It makes a HUGE difference.
• Let the sauce cool just a little before adding the butter and the cream. Adding it to the boiling sauce will make your sauce very thin. If that happens, just put it in the fridge for a little and let it thicken up. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• If you're in need of a good slow cooker, here is one that I recommend.

Other questions? Check out this FAQ with the most commonly asked questions about this recipe. Please read this before contacting me, because although I love hearing from you, I've answered most of the questions you will likely have in that FAQ, and you can get a faster answer than by emailing me.

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Cooking Group Keto Group

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 20g | Fiber: 1g

Tried this recipe?Follow @twosleevers and Pin it!

Originally published September 2, 2019

Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.

Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.