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When the day’s busy and you’re craving something creamy, cozy, and restaurant-level, this slow cooker butter chicken is the move. It’s rich and saucy, but a little lighter than the classic.
Everything simmers low and slow so the chicken turns ultra tender and the spices bloom. Spoon it over fluffy rice, add warm naan on the side, and dinner basically serves itself.
Why You’ll Love This
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Hands-off slow cooker method with a creamy, spiced sauce that tastes like takeout—but cozier.
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Lighter spin (keep “buttery” flavor without the heaviness).
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Family-friendly heat; easy to adjust.
You see, there was a reason for that Naan yesterday.
Butter Chicken.
Butter Chicken and Naan just need each other. Especially when both are homemade and both are incredibly awesome.
And oh my gosh… So easy!
When I set out to make the Butter Chicken I wanted it to be crazy easy.
My cousin Maggie graduated from college with a teaching degree in May, and in August she started teaching full-time. Yeah, only three months later she landed her first teaching job and it’s full-time, with her very own kindergarten classroom! I know, right? The girl is pretty awesome and one of the hardest workers I know.
She’s also very busy, but really who the heck isn’t these days?
Maggie has been asking for easy crockpot recipes. You know, the ones that you can just throw everything in the bowl, turn it on and go!
So I adapted the classic Butter Chicken recipe, made a few changes to make it healthier, threw everything in the crockpot and prayed. Prayed that this (way too easy, most likely would never work) meal actually tasted somewhat edible.
Sometimes when I experiment things can turn out just plain bad. Like all the recipes I made this past weekend. Ugh…so disappointing. Let’s just not go there. But sometimes…
Yeah, sometimes I get lucky. I knew three hours in that the recipe was gonna be good.
The house smelled amazing. Almost fall like. It was awesome and so cozy.
Gotta love cozy comfort food that is not really comfort food.
I mean it’s comfort food, just a little lighter.
It’s seriously so cozy and perfect for quick weeknight meals.
Like I said, just throw it all in and go!
I have to say that normally I like browning my meat before I put it in the crockpot, but for this I did not miss it at all. There is so much flavor in the creamy sauce that you don’t need to brown the chicken first.
Which is just kind of awesome. I mean who wants to clean another pan? Not me, I’m already up to my eyeballs in dishes.
Oh, and seriously, the Naan is a must.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheat
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Make-ahead: Sauce develops flavor as it rests; make up to 1 day ahead and reheat gently.
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Fridge: Store airtight up to 3–4 days.
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Freeze: Up to 2–3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
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Reheat: Low and slow on the stove until hot and creamy; add a splash of water/stock if needed.
FAQ Block:
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yep—just cook until the chicken is tender and pulls apart easily. If using breasts, rely on doneness cues (juicy, easy to shred) rather than strict minutes to avoid dryness.How do I make this dairy-free?
Swap the cream for full-fat coconut milk and use olive oil in place of butter. Expect a slightly sweeter, coconut-forward finish that’s still rich and cozy.My sauce looks thin—how do I fix it?
Simmer uncovered until it coats the back of a spoon and leaves a line when you run a finger through it. A small cornstarch slurry also works in a pinch.Can I make it on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot?
Yes—follow the same flow: bloom spices, simmer until chicken is tender, then finish with butter/cream. Use texture and aroma cues (thick, glossy, fragrant) to know it’s ready rather than rigid timing.
Easy Healthier Crockpot Butter Chicken
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 456 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size chunks
- 1/2 onion finely minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1-2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 1/2-1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, use less if you are not a spicy person
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream
- cooked white rice for serving
- Fresh homemade naan for scooping (a must!)
Instructions
- In a large glass measuring cup or bowl mix together the coconut milk, greek yogurt and cream. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, ginger and all the spices. Mix well.
- Spray the inside of your crockpot bowl with cooking spray or grease with olive oil. To the bowl sprinkle the onion over the bottom. Add the chicken and then pour the coconut milk mixture over the chicken so the chicken is completely covered. Add the butter and place the lid on the crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. I like to stir mine once or twice during cooking, but it is not necessary. When ready to serve taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve over rice with a big piece of fresh [Naan | https://fett-weg.today/homemade-naan-step-step-photos/%5D%3C/div%3E%3C/li%3E%3C/ul%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E View Recipe Comments
Obviously.
This post was originally published on September 9, 2013
Hi! I found your recipe via pinterest and it’s in the crockpot now. I tasted it and it’s delicious – though I’m glad I trusted myself and reduced the spice. I left out the thai curry paste and reduced the cayenne to 1/4 t. It still has a little kick, but my kids will still eat it. I’m sure if I had left in the amount of spices they would not have eaten more than one bite.
So happy you loved this and am glad you fixed the spices to your liking!! Thanks Katie!
nice recipe, I like it…
Thank you!
Hi, this looks delicious! I was wondering… do you think this recipe would be okay to be doubled? I have more chicken that is called for and wouldn’t mind the leftovers, but I’m not super familiar with crockpot cooking, so I don’t know if doubling everything would just make it very saucy or take much longer to cook? What do you think about making a larger batch?
HI Becca! I think doubling this would work fine, but I would cook the dish on the longer side to make sure the chicken is fully cooked. Hope it works great and I hope you love the dish!
Thanks for this recipe! Mine is cooking right now and it smells and looks great.
I am using chicken thighs because I had some in the fridge.
I am thinking that next time I should add more meat or some peppers or other vegetables to it, or reduce the amount of sauce. There is a huge amount of sauce compared to the meat.
Thanks for the great and easy idea!
I’m sorry to see the negative comment and useless mean words. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Thank you so much, Kelsey! Yeah, there is a lot of sauce (we love a lot of sauce) and I should have mention that I did add broccoli to mine after cooking to add a little green to the mix!
I really hope you love this and thank you so much for your kind words!! Hope you love the other recipes you try as well!
Thanks Again!
We had the leftovers last night for dinner and added some Mango Chutney. This hit the spot…it added just the right amount of sweetness. Plus after the curry sat in the refrigerator the flavors got even better. Such a nice dish!
Oh yum! Sounds awesome!! Thanks so much, Laura!
Made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit. Needs a little something sweet so next time I will add a little cinnamon or some golden raisins or maybe some mango chutney but other than that it was good. Served it with jasmin rice, green peas and naan. Can not wait for the leftovers.
Thanks for posting.
Oh yah!! So happy you loved this! Thanks for making it, Laura and let me know how the cinnamon goes! Sounds good!
Hi, I was wondering what type of Curry Powder you use? Isn’t there a few types like red or yellow? Thanks for your blog. Don’t let what others say deter you. Anyone who leaves comments like that is simply jealous. You do an amazing job with your recipes and blog and I am really impressed!
Hi Judy!
I use this curry powder, it is yellow in color.
http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Organic-Powder-Certified-3-Ounce/dp/B00269PM6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1378957475&sr=1-1
Thank you so much for your kind words. You have no idea how much they mean to me and how much I appreciate your support and you reading along everyday! Your comment made my day today! Thank you!
I love easy crockpot dinners!
Me too! Thank you!
Here you go again; that no attribution business. It’s sad; you seem to have some talent but no one believes you come up with this all by yourself so your lack of graciousness will hurt you in the long run.
http://www.food.com/recipe/indian-butter-chicken-slow-cooker-396711
You seem to have the good fortune Tieghan to live with parents that are supporting you and paying for your ability to grow this blog. That simply does not give you a free pass to do some of the things you do. Which includes the use of booze…underage drinking is underage…your extolling the use of booze when you are not 21 is offensive to those of us with children your age.
Hi Virginia,
I am extremely sorry you feel this way, but I can honestly say in no way did I copy this recipe or even ever visit the recipe you linked. May I suggest that if you do not like what you see you simply stop reading?
I work really hard on my blog and on developing original recipes. With that said, I realize that there are a million and one recipes for butter chicken out there (and I am sure you could find another 50 that have similar ingredients to mine) and it is very possible that mine may look similar to others. It happens, but that in no way means that I stole recipe. This recipe was developed in my kitchen by trial, error and the ingredients my family likes. In fact I first tried out a tradtitonal butter chicken recipe over a year ago and did not like it. So this year I made adjustments according to my families taste and what I had on hand. That is all and there is nothing wrong with that.
I do also realize that I am very fortunate to have such supportive parents that allow me to do what I do, but that does not mean I do not work hard every second of the day. This is my job and yes, I pay my way. I am not your typical 19 year old and I have responsibilities and in no way feel I have “free pass”.
As for the alcohol, again I am sorry your feel this way. I only use alcohol in cooking and baking and never to drink, in fact I do not drink at all. Drinking is not something I am interested in, never have been. But again, if you do not like what you see no one is requiring you to read.
This is a very good recipe. I am Indian and mom makes the best foods including this dish, however as a working mother and wife I don’t have time to be cooking all day. In case any of you didn’t know, the chicken in butter chicken is actually tandoori chicken which means it was marinated in the yogurt and spice mixture overnight and cooked and then mixed with the cream and the rest of the spices. I actually made this recipe the way it was posted and my family loved it. I’ve made naans at home but this time I used the Pillsbury ones from the Indian store and they are just as good.
to the person asking about garnish, Indians use only cilantro for their dishes like the way Italians like their parsley.
Thank you so much!! And yup, cilantro all the way!!
Wow Virginia, get off your high horse. Here we have a 19 year old that is doing something really productive and is providing a great service to us busy homemakers and you slam her for cooking with alcohol? You seem like the one who needs to do some growing up. You sound very jealous and your post was offensive and petty. Does it make you feel good to belittle a young person who is making positive contributions to society? I have been reading this blog for a few months now and I am very impressed with the amount of work she puts in to provide great recipes.
You say she gets a free pass? I am sure she works her booty off to come up with these recipes and maintain this blog. I suggest you QUIT reading her blog if you do not like it and climb back in your prudish cave.
Go Judy!
Virginia, the recipes are not identical and considering the fact that they’re both recipes for butter chicken, you should expect similar ingredients. Your post is completely unnecessary and, frankly, it’s mean! Even if she were consuming alcohol, she’s 19, not a child. I’m in Canada, where 19 year olds are allowed to drink, so I really don’t see how you can be so offended by someone of her age using alcohol to cook.
I just want to say I love this blog and frequently cook recipes from it. I had no idea that a 19-year-old was responsible! I just want to say how impressed I am to see someone of your age produce such wonderful recipes on such a beautiful blog! It clearly takes a great deal of dedication and you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished.
That said, I love, love, love this recipe. I often find butter chicken to be too sweet, especially when it’s sauce from a jar (yuck! I only tried it once, never again!), and this recipe was perfect for me. I frequently attempt and often fail at Indian cooking, but this is so easy and delicious. Thank you for making an easy recipe for someone who loves to cook, but doesn’t have the time anymore due to a newborn!
Wow, thank you so much!! This was such and incredibly nice comment to read! You have no idea how much it means to me. Really, you just made my day! I am so happy you love this meal too! 🙂
I’m sorry. When did you nominate yourself the spokesperson of all mothers? I have children. It’s not offensive to me at all because I’m raising them to have a healthy perception of alcohol. This includes allowing them a taste if they like at family functions. And guess what? It’s
not mysterious. It’s not thrilling. This
helped immensely during high school because they didn’t need to experiment. They didn’t cave into peer pressure.
And there is no US copyright on ingredient lists. Only the directions. (Even though the recipes are not the exactly same.)
Trying this tonight! Perhaps a splash of wine would brighten the flavor? Yes. I think so. And then I will roar with laughter as my children drunkenly crash about the house later.
Thank you so much, Kristen!! Your comment made me very happy and I really hoped you loved this meal!!
Virginia, your post was so incredibly rude and judgmental! As a mother of 2 daughters myself, I would be appalled if some random stranger called out one of my girls that way. Geez! And for what? Because she developed a recipe that had a FEW similar ingredients to someone else’s?? I, too, can be a recipe detective at times and Tieghan’s recipe is, in no way, a copycat. Not even close. Tieghan, I’m sure your parents are very proud of you for creating such a great cooking blog – not an easy task in a very competitive market. I’m trying the recipe tonight and will come back to review it some time soon.
I made this today and it turned out WONDERFUL!!! I just threw in some frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts and let them go. I didn’t have any cream so I used a little extra Greek yogurt. I shredded the chicken at the end. I also added chopped up two big fresh garden tomatoes and threw them in at the end, perfect!! Love it! Thank you for the recipe!! This is the second recipe I’ve made from your website, the first being that Caprese Quinoa Bake, both dishes have been fabulous!! : )
YES!! So trilled you loved this!! It is a good one!
Thanks Sarah!
Getting my crockpot out right now! This has to happen!!
Hehe! Thanks Julie! Hope you do love this one!
This sounds sooooooo good!
Thanks Dorothy!
How big of a can of tomato paste? I have seen it in 6oz. cans and 8oz. cans. Also, did YOU use full fat coconut milk or light coconut milk? Looks AMAZING!!! Can’t wait to try!
Hi sarah! I fixed the recipe to include the sizes, but I used a 14 ounce can of full-fat coconut milk and a 6 ounce can of tomato paste.
Thanks so very much and I hope you love this!
What a great version of butter chicken! Totally love that you made it in the slow cooker, so smart!!
Thanks so much, Gaby! The slow cooker worked awesome!
Always do a little dance when I see an easy and delicious recipe like this! Excited that its done in the crock pot! Thanks 🙂
Thank you!