Slow cooker butter chicken is how I prepare this mild, fragrant Indian curry in advance! The rich, creamy sauce simmers for hours, infusing the chicken with so much flavor. It’s an easy way to get that authentic curry house taste at home. Just add a side of rice and naan!
Homemade Slow Cooker Butter Chicken Recipe
My Instant Pot butter chicken recipe is fast and easy, but today I’m slowing things down with this slow cooker butter chicken. It’s rich, creamy, and fragrant, and it tastes pretty darn close to authentic Indian butter chicken. Best of all, I can set it to cook the night before (or the morning of), and it’s ready to eat by dinner. All I need to do is cook a side of basmati or jeera rice while I reheat a batch of samosas and naan bread!
Butter chicken is perfect for fans of chicken tikka masala, another milder curry. Also, try this Indian Mulligatawny stew and Thai-style massaman curry.
Butter Chicken Ingredients
If you’ve ever wondered why restaurant butter chicken tastes so good, it’s all in the ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to make a homemade version that’s just as good. Scroll to the recipe card for the exact measurements for each ingredient.
- Chicken – I love skinless, boneless chicken thighs in curries and slow cooker recipes because they’re extra juicy, and harder to overcook. If you’re using breast meat, your butter chicken may need slightly less cooking time.
- Coconut Oil – Ghee would also work nicely, or olive oil if that’s what you have.
- Onion – Yellow onion or shallot is best.
- Ginger and Garlic – Use freshly minced garlic and ginger root. Finely grate the ginger using a microplane or the small holes of a box grater. You could even grate the garlic cloves while you’re at it! If you don’t have fresh ginger, substitute ¼-½ teaspoon ground ginger in a pinch.
- Spices – I wanted to keep this butter chicken recipe approachable for most kitchens, so I used a blend of mild curry powder, chili powder, cumin, and garam masala, which is an Indian spice blend. You’ll find it in the spice aisle of major grocery stores.
- Tomato Sauce – Plain, unseasoned canned or jarred tomato sauce.
- Heavy Cream – If you want, you can swap heavy cream with coconut milk.
- Butter – Puts the “butter” in butter chicken! I use unsalted butter and slice it into cubes or pats.
- Cilantro – If you aren’t a fan, use parsley as a garnish instead.
Recipe FAQs
Not traditionally. Butter chicken recipes are mild and creamy, with a flavor that’s more tangy and creamy than hot.
Yes, though your butter chicken won’t be quite as rich.
If your butter chicken is still a bit thin, make a cornstarch slurry by whisking 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 part cold water. Stir the slurry into the butter chicken, and repeat as needed to thicken the sauce to your liking.
Stored airtight, homemade butter chicken lasts up to 4 days in the fridge (great for meal prep!).
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Prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, not too small, because the chicken will shrink a bit during cooking. Set it aside.
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Cook the spices. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, chili, garam masala, and cumin. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Assemble. Transfer the spice mixture to the slow cooker. Add the chicken on top, then season it to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the tomato sauce and heavy cream over the chicken. Give everything a good stir. Place the pats of butter on top of the chicken.
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Cooking time. Cook the chicken on a low setting for 4-6 hours or on a high setting for 2 hours. The chicken is cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F.
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Serve. Serve the butter chicken warm, garnished with chopped parsley or cilantro. You can serve it with naan bread and cooked rice.
- Instead of chicken thighs, you can use chicken breasts.
- Do not add any water to the sauce. The chicken will provide enough juice.
- To balance the flavor a bit, you can add 1 teaspoon of sugar. It is common to add sugar to the tomatoes to balance the acidity.
- You can use powdered ginger if you do not have a fresh one.
Serving: 1.25cups | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 684mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1220IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Butter Chicken in Your Slow Cooker
With only 5 minutes of hands-on time, this butter chicken recipe is quickly becoming one of my favorite weeknight dinners! Here’s how to prepare it.
- Prep the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Don’t cut them too small, though, as the pieces will shrink as they cook.
- Cook the spices. First, sauté the onions in coconut oil. Then, stir in the ginger, garlic, curry, chili, garam masala, and cumin. Cook for 30 seconds or so. Lightly toasting the spices helps them release their flavors. Transfer the spice mixture to your slow cooker or crock pot.
- Assemble. Now, nestle the chicken pieces on top. Give the chicken a quick season with salt and pepper, then pour over the tomato sauce and heavy cream. If you’d like, you can add a teaspoon of sugar to balance the tomatoes’ acidity. Stir that together.
- Cook. Arrange the butter pieces on top of the butter chicken. Close the lid and set the slow cooker to cook on Low for 4-6 hours, or for 2 hours on High. Check the chicken for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. It’s done when the internal temperature reads 165ºF.
- Serve. Garnish the butter chicken with fresh cilantro or parsley, and serve with rice and naan bread if you’d like.
How to Store Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store the leftover slow cooker butter chicken airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. Warm up the chicken curry in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
- Freeze. You can freeze the cooled butter chicken for up to 2 months. Store it in a freezer-safe container. Thaw the curry overnight in the fridge before reheating.
