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Butter chicken in the slow cooker

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Tender chicken slow cooked in a from-scratch tomato and cream sauce with garam masala, cumin, and turmeric. Better than the jarred version, almost as easy.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

The Sauce:
  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 6 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 4 cloves cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger grated (or 1.5 tbsp ginger paste)
  • 1 Tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Tbsp unsalted butter sliced into pats
  • cup heavy cream

Equipment

  • Slow cooker

Method
 

  1. In the slow cooker, whisk together the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, coriander, salt, and sugar until fully combined. The sauce base will be thick and dark red.
  2. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce and turn them to coat on all sides. Lay the butter pats on top of the chicken.
  3. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken shreds easily when pulled with two forks.
  4. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it into large chunks using two forks.
  5. Stir the heavy cream into the sauce until fully incorporated. The color will shift from brick red to a warm orange-cream. Add the shredded chicken back in and stir to coat.
  6. Serve over basmati rice or white rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.

Notes

hicken thighs: Boneless, skinless thighs can be substituted for breasts. They're richer, more forgiving, and harder to overcook. Recommended if you want the most flavorful result.
Heat level: Recipe is mild as written. Add 1/2 tsp cayenne or 1 tsp chili powder to the sauce base if you want heat.
Cream: Do not substitute half-and-half. The fat in heavy cream is what gives butter chicken its silky texture. Half-and-half will produce a thinner, slightly grainy sauce.
Ginger: Fresh grated ginger is best. Ginger paste from a tube is a solid substitute. Dried ground ginger changes the flavor profile noticeably — use fresh or paste.
Make-ahead: Stores in the fridge up to 4 days. Sauce thickens as it sits — thin with a splash of cream or chicken broth when reheating.
Freezing: Freeze before adding the cream. Stir cream in fresh when reheating from frozen.
Dairy-free: Substitute coconut cream for the heavy cream.
Instant Pot: Cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes, quick release. Add cream after pressure cooking with the pot on Keep Warm — do not pressure cook cream.