Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Servings: 4 servings + sauce
Calories: 300kcal
Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 20g | Fiber: 1g
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.
- 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.