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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
So pumped, this is in my crock pot right now!
I would like to make this next weekend but for 10 hungry ladies after a day of cross-country skiing served with rice and naan should I double it or triple it?
Thanks
Hey Chris, I would probably triple it just to be safe. Make sure your crockpot can hold that much food. Also, there may bee too much extra sauce. You may need to thicken the sauce a bit on the stove to reduce the extra liquid.
Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you all love this!!
This is in the crock pot right now, and the house smells amazing. Can’t wait to eat!
YAY!! Hope you loved it!
This looks beautifully delicious. Any recipes for basmati rice with cumin?
Thanks Lauren!
Now rice recipes with cumin. SO sorry!
Best Butter Chicken recipe… PERIOD!
And how much easier can it get than in a crock pot. Even if you don’t have one it is worth making on the stove or oven! It is that good. The right amount of spices and flavor are exceptional!
Keep up the awesome job Tieghan
Oh my gosh! So happy you loved this! Thanks Sally! 🙂
I am not the biggest fan of coconut flavor. Does the coconut milk leave a strong coconut flavor? Could I increase one of the other items in place of it?
Hey Lydia,
They coconut milk really adds not flavor at all, but if you wish you could swap in whole milk or more heavy cream. Hope that helps and I hope you love this dish!
I love butter chicken, love the idea of doing it in the crockpot. My husband just asked me to make butter chicken for dinner next week, and the one I have done is a lot more work. Quick question on the curry powder, is it the brown or yellow you use?
Great pictures by the way!
I like to use yellow curry powder. Thanks so much and and hope you guys both love this!
I stumbled across this recipe on pinterest and thought I’d give it a go…… OMG so glad I did! It was delicious, even my 5 year old loved it! It will become a staple in our menu for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Oh yeah!! Thanks Kirsty! This makes me so happy!
Hi Tieghan, I made this last night and I am now addicted to it. Amazingly good and as you say sooo easy. Great website too.
YA!! Thanks Nicole!
Hi, can this recipe be made without the dairy? Can I substitute more coconut milk for the heavy cream?
Hey Rachel, that should work fine. Hope you love this!
This looks delicious! I’m going to try it this week! Do you think you could chop up a potato and add it to the crock pot with the chicken? And maybe some frozen peas at the end? Just wondering if you think it would still turn out as tasty! Thanks for Sharing!
I think it would still be great!! Hope you love this, Cassie!
This sounds awesome! I would love to try but my husband is allergic to coconut. Any ideas on what I could substitute?
Hey Jeannine!
Use can use almond, whole milk or heavy cream. No big deal at all. Hope you love this meal!
I have made this twice & it’s great. I used 1/4 tsp of cayenne and it was still pretty spicy, and lite coconut milk. Served it with basmati rice & garlic naan. Thanks for a great recipe!
YAY!! This makes me so happy! Thanks Jody! Basmati + Naan are a must for this meal!
Hi there Half Baked Harvest – what a gorgeous write up of this dish! Great photography and LOVED that it was a crockpot recipe 🙂
I made this last night and just wanted to weigh in for people who might be making this for little ones/ toddlers in their family. My 18 month old loves all kinds of spices and ethnic flavours (Moroccan and Thai being her favourite!) But I found this to be MUCH too spicy for her, and she can handle spice.
So- some things I would do differently:
– significantly reduce the amount of cayenne pepper – 1/4 or even 1/8 of a tsp. should do it.
– I would add red or yellow curry paste next time instead of the green that I had on hand. I should have known using the green paste (the hottest of the thai curry colours!) plus the cayenne would be too much.
-bump up the amount of greek yoghurt a little bit.
I also added chopped carrot at the beginning with the sauce and chicken to cook. Then added frozen peas about 30 min. before it was done. Would have been a great “complete” meal had it not been so spicy!
Looking forward to exploring your blog more 🙂
Thank you so much! I cannot believe you got your 18 month old to eat this. Amazing!
🙂 Thanks again!
I’m trying out this recipe as we speak! I wanted to make something truly scrumptious for my new crockpot ^__^
~Thank you for this recipe~
YAY!! Hope you loved it!!
Thanks Nicole!