Slow cooker butter chicken is a flavorful chicken dish, made right in your Crockpot!
Tender chicken thighs in a creamy tomato curry sauce is the perfect way to let your slow cooker do all of the work! Add in a side of rice and some naan or flatbread for an easy meal.
Why We Love this Recipe
Because we love a good butter chicken recipe and this one is so easy! Just toss all ingredients into the crockpot, set it and forget it!
The chicken comes out incredibly tender and the sauce is loaded with warm, savory flavor!
What is Butter Chicken?
Tender pieces of boneless, skinless chicken is slowly braised in a combination of warm spices, crushed tomatoes, and cream. This dish is perfect served over rice with naan or flatbread for dipping.
If you love cilantro, it’s the perfect topper.
Ingredients/Variations
CHICKEN Boneless, skinless chicken thighs come out tender and are less likely to get overcooked. Chicken breast can will work great too, just be sure not to overcook it!
TOMATOES Canned crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste is both used to give the sauce a sweet and savory flavor. You can use tomato sauce if it’s what you have on hand.
SPICES Warm, exotic spices really bring this dish together. Garam Masala, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and more are all added to this sauce to give it a (mild) kick! Add extra jalapeno or some cayenne if you’d like some heat.
CREAM The rich, creamy consistency of the sauce is made with a good quality cream. Coconut milk is another great option that will taste delicious (but not an ingredient in an authentic butter chicken recipe)!
How to Make Butter Chicken
- Cook onion in butter. Add to Crockpot with remaining sauce ingredients (per recipe below) except cream and cilantro.
- Add chicken to Crockpot. Cook until chicken is tender.
- Add cream to slow cooker. Top with cilantro & serve over basmati rice.
Tips For Making Perfect Butter Chicken
- Full fat, full flavor! Use butter (instead of margarine) and full-fat heavy cream for the best results!
- Cook in batches and freeze in meal-sized portions for a quick and easy dinner option!
What to Serve with Butter Chicken
- Basmati or white rice is always a good option for butter chicken!
- A light, crisp salad always goes well with a rich entrée, and a tangy vinaigrette pairs well with the rich flavor of the butter.
- Steamed veggies like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots make colorful and healthy side dishes.
- Don’t forget the naan bread, or some nice crusty dinner rolls to sop up all that sauce!
Can You Freeze Butter Chicken?
Butter chicken is fine to freeze, although the sauce may separate during freezing. Try whisking it after defrosting to recombine.
After the chicken is fully cooled, place in freezer bags or containers and label with the date. Do the same with the sauce and sides.
To reheat, defrost in the refrigerator and microwave or reheat on the stovetop!
Other Great Crockpot recipes
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken – easy & delicious
- Dr. Pepper Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe – perfect for a BBQ
- 15 Bean Slow Cooker Chili – pot-luck favorite
- Pork Carnitas Recipe (Slow Cooker) – Mexican-inspired
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken & Gravy – only minutes of prep
Did you try this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Place onions in a slow cooker with garlic, ginger, spices, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, lemon zest and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken, stir and cook on low 4-5 hours.
- Combine remaining cream with cornstarch. Stir half of the cream into the sauce and let sit for a few minutes to thicken. Add remaining cream mixture if needed. Cover and cook 15 minutes more.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over basmati rice.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Slow Cooker
Cuisine American, Indian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I made this exactly as described, except that I used chicken breasts. I loved it and will definitely make again! I did not find it all bland.
Good flavor, needed some heat! Red pepper flakes helped
Easy to cook. Flavor needs a little help. Recommend doubling the spices of cumin, garam masala, ginger, and chili powder for the recipe as it comes out bland. Recommend doing 3 or 4 tsp of salt. Recommend adding a small green chili. Also, recommend blending all sauce ingredients (spices, tomato paste, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, ginger, cream) in a blender with 30 roasted cashews (butter chicken is supposed to have cashew) until smooth and then adding it to the slow cooker with the chicken to cook.
Made this for date night last night and it was delicious! I was slightly worried because some of the reviews mentioned it being bland, but I didn’t have that issue. I used heaping spoonfuls of the spices and added a fair amount of salt before serving, but it was great! And so easy to make in the crockpot. Will definitely be making again. :)
Thank you so much for leaving a comment, Taylor! Glad you enjoyed it.
Is 4 hours on low really enough to cook the chicken thighs thoroughly? That doesn’t seem like enough time or heat…
We found it was, but we recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F before enjoying.
I didn’t care for this recipe. the heavy cream, chili powder, cumin, and it needs salt. I think chicken breast are better than thighs.
Thank you for trying this recipe, Emily!
Could I use chicken breasts
Yes, you can use chicken breasts in place of thighs for this recipe!