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 #trustUrvashi, you're going to love it.
Step by Step: Making Keto Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

- 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.
- Add the blended sauce to the slow cooker.
- Place the chicken on top of the sauce. If it's frozen, push it into the sauce a bit so it defrosts better.
- 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
- 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!
Is It Ok To Put Raw Chicken In A 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 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.
How Do You Slow Cook Chicken Without Drying It Out?
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 Indian 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!

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.
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Nutrition
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.
Sara
So delicious! Definitely a new favorite recipe for my family.
Bryan
Good, recipe excellent flavor
Louise Giguère
Made the instant pot butter chicken for dinner. It was easy and it turned out great. Thank you for the recipe.
Sarah
Absolutely LOVE this recipe. I make it all the time. And this is probably an odd question but... If we stopped before adding the dairy in, what dish would that be? I only ask because as I was taking the chicken out last time to let the sauce cool before moving on, my husband was like "okay that smells delicious though, let's just stop here" haha. So I was just wondering if there's a name for the dish you'd get if you stopped the recipe halfway through? Thank you for the amazing recipe, regardless
Laura C.
Hi. I want to make this on Friday. You mention there will be leftover sauce. Is there enough sauce to make the recipe with 2lbs chicken instead of 1? Please let me know. Thank you!
URVASHI PITRE
Hi please check the faqs I’ve linked to as this is addressed there.
Laura C
OK, it's all in the slow cooker, can't wait to taste it! I do see ground cumin in the ingredients list, but not in the recipe method, I just assume you add it into the tomato for blending along with the other spices.
Angela Bracher
Amazing flavor and so easy to make!
I did this in my instapot and figured that since it was so quick, it would need time in the fridge before the flavors would really develop. Nope! It was so flavorful immediately after cooking.
This recipe is going in my permanent collection.