Description
Make this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken for a flavorful dinner that your whole family will love! It's deliciously spiced without being hot spicy, super creamy, comforting, and features tender, juicy chicken thighs cooked to perfection in a rich tomato-based sauce.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Butter Chicken Sauce
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger grated
- 16 oz (450 g) tomato sauce or passata
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
Main
- 2 lb (900 g) chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, mint, or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Combine Sauce Ingredients: To the slow cooker, add ginger, garlic, tomato sauce, ground cumin, garam masala, smoked paprika, turmeric, chili powder, salt, and sugar. Stir everything well to combine the flavors.
- Add Chicken: Place the chicken thighs in the sauce and thoroughly coat them with the mixture to ensure even flavor distribution.
- Add Butter and Cook: Scatter the cubes of unsalted butter over the top of the chicken and sauce. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or on LOW for 4 to 6 hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Prepare Chicken and Sauce: Remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board to cool slightly so it can be handled safely. Stir the heavy whipping cream into the sauce and whisk until creamy and well combined.
- Slice Chicken and Recombine: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, then return them to the creamy sauce in the slow cooker. Stir gently to coat the chicken evenly.
- Serve and Garnish: Serve the butter chicken hot, garnished with fresh parsley, mint, or cilantro. Pair with basmati rice and naan bread for a complete meal.
Notes
- Use a 4-quart slow cooker for this recipe; larger cookers like 6-quart are better for bigger portions or whole chickens.
- Do not add water; the chicken releases enough liquid to create the sauce.
- Tomato sauce can be substituted with passata or blended and sieved canned plain tomatoes.
- You may omit sugar based on your tomato sauce acidity, but traditionally a small amount is added to balance flavors.
- If fresh ginger isn't available, substitute ½ teaspoon ground ginger.
- Omit chili powder to reduce spiciness for children.
- You can make garam masala at home or purchase quality store-bought blends without added sugar.
- Heavy cream can be substituted with half and half or coconut milk for a dairy-free option, but cream creates a richer sauce.
- Add cream after cooking to prevent separation.
- Doubling ingredients does not require adjusting cooking times.
- Fresh cilantro, mint, or parsley make excellent garnishes.
- Serve with basmati or brown rice and naan bread to complete the meal.
- For a vegan alternative, try a cauliflower butter chicken recipe.
- This recipe can be adapted for the Instant Pot with a different method.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 460 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
