Description
A creamy and flavorful butter chicken dish made in a slow cooker.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 (14 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream (or more coconut milk if dairy-free)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water (optional, for thickening)
- Fresh cilantro and basmati rice, for serving
Instructions
- Start with your aromatics: In your slow cooker, combine the diced onion, minced garlic, and grated ginger. These form the flavorful base of your sauce.
- Add the spices and tomato paste: Sprinkle in garam masala, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, and salt. Add the tomato paste and give everything a good stir to create a spiced, tomato-rich base.
- Nestle in the chicken: Place the chicken thighs on top of the sauce mixture and gently coat them in the spices.
- Pour in the coconut milk: Add the can of full-fat coconut milk and brown sugar. Stir everything until well mixed. Set your slow cooker to LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours.
- Finish with cream: About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the heavy cream (or more coconut milk if you prefer dairy-free). If you like your sauce thicker, mix the cornstarch and water, and stir it in now.
- Shred or chop chicken: Once fully cooked and tender, remove the chicken, chop or shred it, and return it to the sauce to soak up every bit of flavor.
- Serve hot: Spoon the butter chicken over fluffy basmati rice and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.
Notes
- For a dairy-free option, substitute heavy cream with more coconut milk.
- This dish pairs well with naan or rice.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6–8 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 44g
- Saturated Fat: 20g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 130mg