The Best Slow-cooker Butter Chicken
Chicken and onions cut up
Ok, so “the best” is a pretty high standard given I’ve been able to have a lot of butter chicken over the years – but this is it. What’s even better is it is dead simple to prepare and it’s a slow-cooker recipe so you’ll be able to walk away in the morning knowing you’ll return at meal time to a fantastic meal ready to serve in the 20 minutes or so that it takes to prep the rice and naan.
I usually do the little prep work that is required the night before put everything into the slow-cooker crock and then slide that into the fridge. Before I leave in the morning it’s as simple as putting the crock into the slow-cooker and turning it on low. That’s it, and that’s part of why I love it.
Butter chicken ingredients in the slow cooker
The prep the evening before is easy enough – and usually gets done while a show or video plays in the background. Cut up your chicken and onions and fry them up on medium heat until the onions are translucent. While you are doing this you can put the remaining ingredients into the slow cooker and mix and stir in the chicken, onions and butter when those are ready. If this is a night before prep then the whole slowcooker pot gets put into the fridge overnight – and pulled out in the morning to be put on low for the eight to ten hours that you are off working or living. It can also be prepared faster on the high setting which cuts the time just over half – to 5 to 6 hours.
The work is little but the results won’t betray that. Even picky eaters will be salivating at the prospect of this meal – and the leftovers the next day will make your classroom or office mates jealous.
Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed!
Click on the post title for the full recipe.
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken
- 2 large onions
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 30 pods green cardomon
- 4 tsp curry powder
- 4 tbsp curry paste
- 4 tsp tandoori masala
- 2 tsp gram masala
- 2 cans coconut milk or use powdered coconut milk
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 cans tomato paste or you can use pureed tomato if using powdered coconut milk
- Add butter and vegetable oil to a frypan or wok and heat on medium. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and chop onion. Stir-fry until onions are translucent.
- Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker pot and mix. If you want a hotter product add some hot sauce. The recipe as listed comes out mild - which is the preference of my kids and parents. I add the hot sauce to mine later. Mix in the contents of the fry pan or wok when those have finished cooking - including the liquid.
- You can refrigerate overnight or start cooking right away. On the high setting the butter chicken will be ready in 4 to 6 hours, on the low setting that is stretched from 6 to 10 hours. Serve over a bed of rice.