Crock Pot Butter Chicken

Make our easy crock pot butter chicken just as good or even better than your favorite Indian restaurant! With a rich buttery curry sauce, this is perfect served over rice or cauliflower rice for a low carb option.

Learn how to make this recipe without whipping cream too if you want to make it dairy free. It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!

 

Butter Chicken in a Crock Pot is so good!

Indian butter chicken is hands down our favorite Indian food recipe, we just had to learn how to make it at home so we can enjoy it any time we want!

While my dad grew up in the South, since Indian food was one of his favorites, we ate quite a bit of it growing up. His favorite was Tikki Masala, but mine was always butter chicken.

Our easy slow cooker recipe gets slow cooked all day so you can be hands-off with dinner once you add the ingredients to the pot. An authentic recipe would be made on the stovetop. Let us know what you think! This is one of our website favorites!

• Full of flavor - rich, buttery, and savory! The scents alone will make a Crock Pot your preferred way of making this Indian dish.
• Super moist and juicy - we used chicken thighs since they stay tender, the slow cooker also keeps the meat nice and juicy.
• Easy to adapt! Whether you want to use yogurt or coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream, we show you how. Or if you want to add veggies.
• A healthy chicken dinner that's gluten free, low carb, keto friendly, and easy to make dairy free too.

Ingredient list

We highly recommend buying the spices from your grocery store's bulk spices section to keep the cost super low. That's seriously the best way to buy dried spices and herbs unless it's something you use often with your cooking.

• boneless skinless chicken thighs - bone-in can be used too, the chicken might need to cook a little longer in the slow cooker. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are also a great option.
• tomato sauce - sometimes people use tomato paste and mix it with water or even yogurt to thin it.
• fresh garlic - jar garlic or frozen garlic cubes will work too
• fresh ginger
• dried herbs & seasonings - garam masala, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground turmeric
• fine sea salt
• ground black pepper
• salted butter - unsalted butter can be used as well, just add more salt to the finish dish if preferred
• heavy whipping cream - the rich flavor of the sauce comes from the butter and cream, to make this whipping cream free, you can also use coconut milk
• fresh cilantro- to garnish

** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **

Kitchen tools

• Crock-Pot or Slow Cooker

Dietary swaps

As written, our recipe is gluten-free, low carb, and keto friendly!

• Dairy free- use vegan approved margarine like Earth Balance or use olive oil in place of butter and use coconut cream or coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream. Coconut milk isn't as thick but you can add a thicker at the end of the cooking time if you'd like.

How to Make Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken

Prep Ingredients

Step 1: In a small bowl combine the tomato sauce, grated ginger, minced garlic, garam masala, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt, and black pepper.

Step 2: Add the chicken thighs to the Crock Pot. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Slow Cook

Step 3: Sprinkle the butter cube over the top of the chicken. Cook in the slow cooker on low heat for 4-6 hours or high for 2+ hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.

Step 4: Remove the chicken thighs and set them aside until they've cooled enough to be cut into bite size pieces.

Step 5: Stir the heavy whipping cream into the sauce until it's creamy.

Shred Chicken & Serve

Add the bite size chicken pieces back to the slow cooker.

Serve the Crock Pot butter chicken with fresh cilantro, rice, warm naan bread, or cauliflower rice for low carb. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips for Murgh Makhani

• Chicken breasts can also be used instead of chicken thighs.
• To make this dairy free use coconut milk or coconut cream instead of the heavy whipping cream. It won't be as thick. but it'll still be delicious!
• In a pinch, you can also swap the dried spices for Indian curry seasoning.
• To increase the heat of this recipe you can mix in dried chilis or chili powder.
• Some people like to make slow cooker butter chicken with a touch of sweetness added such as honey, sugar, or a sugar substitute like monk fruit. Add this to taste at the end of cooking if desired.

Recipe Variations

• Slow Cooker Butter Chicken with Coconut Milk: Replace the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk. It also makes the dish dairy-free if you use margarine or ghee instead of butter.
• Instant Pot Butter Chicken for the days you're in a hurry
• With Vegetables: Add veggies like bell peppers, carrots, green beans and peas for a more nutritious version.
• Vegan Option: Use tofu or chickpeas instead of chicken and replace the dairy with plant-based substitutes like coconut milk and vegan butter.
• Spicy: Add more chili or cayenne pepper for an extra kick.
• With Cream Cheese: For a creamier and richer version, use cream cheese instead of heavy whipping cream
• Peanut Butter Chicken: Add 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter into the sauce for a Thai twist.
• Seafood Option: Use prawns or a white fish like cod instead of chicken for a seafood twist.
• Healthy Butter Chicken: Substitute heavy cream with Greek yogurt to reduce fat and calories, and use olive oil instead of butter.

Can you use jar sauce?

If you have a jar of butter chicken sauce and just need the slow cooker cooking times and recipe steps without the homemade sauce and curry, here's what you do:

• Step 1: Add 2 lbs of chicken thighs to a slow cooker. You can first sear the chicken in a skillet as an optional step.
• Step 2: Pour 1-2 jars of butter chicken sauce over the top, depending on how saucy you want your butter chicken to be. Usually, it's 1 jar per 1 lb of chicken.
• Step 3: Cook on high for 2+ hours or on low temp for 4-6 hours. Taste the sauce, if it needs a richer flavor, add in a bit of melted butter. Serve with rice and naan bread.

What to serve on the side

• With Basmati Rice: The traditional way to eat butter chicken is with basmati rice, which soaks up the rich and flavorful sauce.
• With Roti or Chapati: These are other types of Indian bread that go well with this recipe.
• Stuffed in a Paratha: Make a hearty meal by stuffing the chicken inside a flaky paratha (Indian flatbread).
• Over Quinoa instead of basmati rice
• With Biryani: Layer the cooked chicken with fragrant biryani rice for a flavorful one-pot meal.
• With Steamed Vegetables: Serve the chicken with a side of steamed veggies.

Storing & Reheating

• Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: You can freeze leftovers in either a freezer safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Squeeze out any excess air before putting it in the freezer.
• Reheat leftover defrosted slow cooker butter chicken on the stovetop in a large or medium saucepan over medium low heat. Or, you of course can use your slow cooker too! Just cook on low for about 2 hours or on high for 1 hour.

More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

• Crockpot Tuscan chicken
• Crock-Pot crack chicken
• Buffalo chicken dip (Crock Pot)
• Crock Pot Mexican shredded chicken

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