Slow Cooker Butter Chicken is a delicious Indian dish with tender chicken pieces in a creamy tomato sauce that’s packed with spices and flavor! This hands-off crock pot version is perfect for a yummy dinner that's quick and easy to prep!
I think butter chicken might be my love language.
I’m just a tad bit obsessed with this dish.
It started with my easy healthy butter chicken, which is ready in just 30 minutes but has BIG flavor.
Then I made Instant Pot butter chicken that’s every bit as luscious and creamy.
And since then, I’ve been planning and testing a slow cooker version.
Here it is, folks.
This slow cooker butter chicken has all of the fabulous flavors of the classic, but it's hands-off with the beauty of the crock pot.
And holy moly, it’s going to waft throughout your kitchen and have you drooling as you wait to dive in.
The aroma, the spices, the luscious sauce… it’s just so scrumptious.
And before we dive in, let’s tackle that first question.
Butter chicken is an Indian dish of chicken in a mildly spiced tomato sauce. It’s also called murgh makhani or chicken makhani.
Interestingly enough, it’s not uncommon to not actually use butter in the sauce for a butter chicken recipe.
And it’s not needed. My version uses no butter, is made without any cream and you don’t miss it one bit.
(The creaminess comes from the Greek yogurt. )
And this rich creamy tomato sauce is so swoon worthy. It’s just begging to be spooned greedily over all of the chicken and rice on your plate.
So let’s get cooking!
(You might also like this slow cooker chicken tikka masala for another night!)
Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make butter chicken in the crock pot. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes and Tips
- Chicken: I highly recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. They have the extra fat and flavor needed to stay juicy and flavorful. I’ve made it with chicken breasts before and it just wasn’t as tasty and the chicken seemed a bit dry, despite all the spices and sauce.
- Marinade: I think this tastes best when you let the chicken marinate for at least an hour. However, you can make it in advance and let it marinate up to 12 hours if needed before cooking.
- Spices: Garam masala is a tasty blend of ground spices often used in Indian cooking. If you don’t have any, you can substitute curry powder.
- Spicy: Like it spicy? You can increase the amount of cayenne up to ½ teaspoon.
- Cornstarch: We’re using an optional cornstarch slurry (made with cornstarch and water) to help thicken the sauce at the end. I’ve skipped it when my sauce didn’t seem too liquid-y, but taking the few minutes to do it really takes the dish to the next level.
- Greek yogurt: I use a 2% Greek yogurt to stir into this dish at the end. Nonfat Greek yogurt is fine or you could try substituting half and half or heavy cream (but I’ve not tested it that way).
Oh, and I never have an issue with curdling in this dish, but milk and yogurt can curdle if it heats too quickly, or if it comes to a boil.
That’s why I recommend you turn off the heat and remove the slow cooker insert before you stir in the Greek yogurt, so it doesn’t heat too quickly.
OK, let’s get ready to eat.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve butter chicken over steamed white or brown rice, or use basmati rice.
- Or choose cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- Add some naan bread to help mop up every bit of that delicious sauce.
- Peas, broccoli or asparagus make a lovely veggie side to round out the meal.
Last thing, let’s tackle what to do with any leftovers. (Cause they keep great!)
Leftover butter chicken, once cooled, can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over medium low in a small pot on the stove or reheat individual servings in the microwave.
Yes, you can freeze leftover butter chicken. Label, date and freeze it for up to 5-6 months in a freezer-safe ziptop bag or container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
I hope you give this slow cooker version of one of my favorite dishes a try soon. The aroma will have you falling in love before you even take that first delicious bite.
Happy cooking and enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Ingredients
For the marinated chicken:
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For cooking:
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 small onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional, see notes)
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Place the chicken thigh pieces in a bowl or plastic bag. In a small bowl, combine the remaining marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the marinade to the chicken and stir to coat each piece. Cover and place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
- Add the marinated chicken pieces to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with brown sugar then top with the garlic and onion.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the slow cooker and keep warm. If the sauce is liquid-y, make a slurry. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and mix well. Add the slurry mixture to the slow cooker and whisk to combine into the sauce. Cook, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Then turn off the slow cooker, remove the insert and stir in the Greek yogurt until well mixed. Add the chicken back into the slow cooker insert and combine with the sauce. Serve immediately.
- If no slurry is needed, simply remove the slow cooker insert from the heat, stir in the Greek yogurt until combined, return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir to mix well with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Serve butter chicken over steamed white or brown rice, or use basmati rice.
- Or choose cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- Add some naan bread to help mop up every bit of that delicious sauce.
- Peas, broccoli or asparagus make a lovely veggie side to round out the meal.
SaucelessMan
I tried cooking it but when I removed my chicken there was no sauce at the bottom at all. Any idea what I might have done wrong?
Kathryn Doherty
Hmm, not sure how that could have happened as slow cooking always tends to produce plenty of liquid. (Unless maybe you didn't cover the slow cooker completely and it allowed all the steam to escape and liquid to cook out?) The chicken, onion and sauce mixture should have left you with plenty of liquids after cooking.
Bethany
I made this and it was delicious!
I want to make it again for my vegetarian family…. Have you tried using tofu instead of chicken?
Kathryn Doherty
I have not tried it with tofu and I'm not sure how that would hold up in the slow cooker. You could maybe try the stovetop version with that swap: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/easy-healthy-butter-chicken/
Would love to hear how it goes!
Carole
This didn't turn out well for me at all. The sauce didn't look anywhere near close to yours, it was brown and watery, and it didn't taste like butter chicken in the end either. Far too sweet, the brown sugar overpowered the spices.
CBrooks
This recipe was great! I do agree that it was more of a general curry chicken and not at all like a butter. Mine was brown and didn't match your picture either. The only thing I changed was I omitted the cayenne pepper since I have young kids. Everybody liked it though so that's always a win at our table! Thanks so much!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear this was a hit! Thank you for sharing!