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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
No Offence but once you use Thai Pepper, curry powder in the Butter Chicken, that no longer is butter chicken and then you add coconut milk that is BIG NO in a North Indian cooking.
This can be fusion chicken curry not please don’t label it as butter Chicken. One of the Most important ingredient of butter chicken is Fenu Greek Leaves which is completely missing. So this can be very tasty but it is not butter chicken.
I didn’t Mean any offence.
Thanks
Rahul
FYI
People can easily buy these leaves in Indian grocery store.
Its also known as Kasuri Methi
I’m so excited to give this a try! I’d like to double the chicken so I can share with guests. Do you recommend doubling all the ingredients as well?
Thanks!
-Aimee
I tried doubling this when I had a party with some friends… it was WAY too spicy! Also inedible! And i love spicy food…Next time I’d definitely adjust accordingly.. maybe put less cayenne powder or less paste.
Thanks for the tip Lisa. I’ll probably just make the normal base and add a little extra liquid and curry.
That’s a joke, right? I have to add WAY more cayenne than the recipe states for it to taste remotely spicy. “I love spicy food…” LOL PLEASE. #WhitePeople
I have every ingredient on my shelf to make this recipe. I opted to use what was in my freezer, boneless/skinless chicken thighs. I did not add the cayenne because I was making this for the very first time tonight and did not want the additional heat. In the last hour, I added a handful of raisins. I had to stop what I was doing to write a small review, my thoughts. Here I am and I must tell you that I love the ease and taste. Definitely, 100%, I will make this again and share the recipe for those who are not afraid to cook in the crockpot.
All I have is a can of Cream of Coconut… Can I use this instead of the coconut milk?
I made this today and it was delicious. I actually made it on the stove as my daughter forgot to take it out of the fridge and put it in the slow cooker this morning so I had to cook it fast after work. It still tasted great and I look forward to making it again in the slow cooker.
I make this all the time and it’s AMAZING! I actually just prepared the bread for the first time and am waiting to cook it up. (I hope I did it right, but bought a back up package just in case). Can’t wait! Thanks for all the beautiful, delicious recipes. 🙂
Btw, do you use 0% or 2% yogurt for the naan?
Thanks!
Hi! I made this tonight, haven’t tasted yet but the smell is heavenly! My question is in my crock pot by the end of it cooking there was like a layer of some oil that kept wanting to seperate, and seemed soupy. The picture it looks thicker, also I had 3 lbs of chicken so I attempted at adding more ingredients to make up for the extra chicken. Is the oil normal or did I put too much of something?
Hey Aimee, I would just leave the top off of the crockpot. That will thicken the sauce. I did not have any oil on mine, so maybe you added a bit much or was you chicken fatty? Hope you love this!
I made this recipe last night and loved it! It was a lot of first for me – first time making Indian food at home, first time using my crock pot, and first time using the red curry powder I bought ages ago.
Anyway, this recipe was absolutely delicious! I’ll definitely be making it again. I can’t believe how easy it is, either – just mix everything, chuck in the crock pot, and forget about it (though I did stir it every hour or so, mostly to check on its progress). I got nervous because the sauce seemed thin for the first 3 hours but then it thickened beautifully. Thanks for this!
SO happy you loved it! THANKS!!
Made this a few days ago with all the required ingredients. It was an easy recipe to make and tasted good, but it definitely doesn’t like butter chicken. Love all the recipes posted here and will keep trying more!
So I have just completed the amazing butter chicken recipe, get cooking the rice and I just noticed you sprinkled an additional herb on top! What is it? Also, I’m going to have to save the naan for attempt two, forgot to get yeast at the store. But the recipe is amazing, easy, and makes my apt smell divine. Thank you!
Cilantro. Hope you love this!!
My brother suggested I would possibly like this blog.
He was entirely right. This submit actually made my day. You cann’t imagine
just how a lot time I had spent for this info!
Thank you!
That is awesome! THANKS!
I’ve only had butter chicken from one place and it knocked my socks off (unfortunately it’s in Okinawa Japan and I live in Hawaii where there is not a big Indian food scene). I made this yesterday. It was good, however, it didn’t taste as sweet or tangy as the one I had in Okinawa and now it’s driving me nuts to want to perfect it. Any advice on how to make it a bit sweeter and tangier? Mahalo!
Hi!! I would add a little sweetness, maybe some brown sugar or honey? I think that would do the trick. For the tangy, what about some citrus?
I’ve made this and your crockpot ramen twice each now, and they are both so good. Thank you so much for these recipes!
SO happy you loved them! THANKS!
I made this last night during a snowstorm and it was perfect, my roommates love it too! I used 1.5lbs of chicken breast but kept all other ingredient amounts the same and I think it was the perfect amount of sauce. I also used plain white rice since that was all I had on hand. Definitely going to make this again, next time with naan. Thank you!
Thank you!! So happy it warmed you up on a snowy night!! 🙂
The comments about alcohol did give me a chuckle. Americans need to look outside this country, we took a family trip to Europe last summer and visited 5 wonderful countries known for food and in Italy and France they asked if our 13 and 15 year old kids wanted wine. We have a 19-year-old and we let him have some because 19 is legal in Canada where we’re from.
I didn’t know the blog owner is a teen!! Good for you! So proud of you that your parents raised this amazing person who has a passion for food!
AWE! Wow, THANK YOU!!