Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
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Skip the take-out and try this super easy, lightened-up creamy butter chicken right in the crockpot – it’s less calories and tastes a million times better!
I would always pick up two tikka masala bowls on my way home from work. But ever since I relocated out to the Bay Area, I haven’t had our Indian take-out fix in so long.
My cravings have taken over for weeks so I finally made this butter chicken right at home, and boy, am I glad I did because the homemade version is so much better, and healthier, than take-out!
If you’ve never had butter chicken, it’s a very popular Indian dish, and can be made mild or spicy to taste. I kept the recipe very mild but the heat seekers can certainly add more chili powder, to taste.
Now this is a super simple crockpot dish. There is a little bit of sauteeing but you’re pretty much throwing all the ingredients into a saucepan before throwing it into the slow cooker. Easy peasy, right?
From there, you can let that cook low and slow for 5 hours, leaving you to come home to the most fragrant, most flavorful and creamy butter chicken.
Best of all, it’s lightened up with coconut milk and whole wheat flour, saving you on a ton of calories this spring season!
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, or more, to taste
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk, tomato paste, flour, garam masala, curry powder, chili powder and ginger powder until well combined and slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker. Add sauce mixture and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 hours.
- Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Oh my goodness YES. I want to devour this right now!
Is there a substitute for the coconut milk?
Thank you
Stephanie, you can try substituting milk but I cannot speak for how much this will change the taste/texture of the dish.
You could try using yogurt instead of the coconut milk Stephanie.
Thanks, Barbara! I was actually thinking of yogurt too but I worry that it may curdle in the slow cooker.
Perhaps stirring the yogurt in just before eating will help. Creme fraiche is another option that wouldn’t curdle with cooking. 🙂
As an Indian myself you can always add sour cream, this will not curdle like yogurt.
I Ran out of coconut milk and had to make this with milk. The consistency was fine, but it did lack that yummy coconut flavor and sweetness that I think this dish needs. I added a big spoonful of coconut oil and a couple pinches of brown sugar, which really helped…but it still wasn’t quite the same. I would do it again in an ’emergency’, but otherwise recommend sticking to the coconut milk.
Plain soy milk is a great substitute.
My recipe calls for whipping cream or half and half and I have had people ask me what restaurant I got it from. Mine also has a couple more spices in it
sure you can use plain yogurt or even use whipping cream which makes it super creamy and rich
Yes, use cashew / almond paste and dried fenugreek leaves is the secret ingredient in the original butter chicken 🙂 This recipe is not authentic Indian. But a healthier version for sure.
Does it matter what size crockpot you use in your recipes? Mine is a large oval, maybe 6 to 8 quarts???
Your recipes are great!
Thanks and have a great day,
Conni
A 6-8 qt slow cooker would work just fine.
What is garam masala, and can it be replaced with something else?
Thanks, Jan
Garam masala is a spice. I do not recommend substituting this as it is a crucial ingredient in this dish.
garam masala is a blend of spices, so if you do not have it, just use curry powder or a good curry paste.
That would change the taste completely though… Garam masala is essential, and easily found in almost any regular super market.
You can get garam masala in bulk at Whole Foods super inexpensively. It’s probably available in bulk at most, if not all, health food stores. It’s also in the spice aisle at most grocery stores, but it’s more expensive.
Good to know!!
Garam masala is actually a blend of spices you may already have. I don’t know proportions – cinnamon, coriander, fennel seed, cumin, black pepper, cardamom, and clove.
These proportions work well. Use ground spices
1 tbl cumin
1-1/2 tsp coriander
1-1/2 tsp cardamom
1-1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 nutmeg
Garam masala can be made 2 ways- either whole or ground- The ingredients are the same, it just depends on how much you use- Ground can be very powerful, so use sparingly. My recipe for whole garam masala is 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves, 2 or 3 green cardamom pods and a 1/2 inch thin stick of cinnamon. If the cinnamon is thick, break it in half. Never tried it, but I suppose when ground this would suffice. Some people might use mace in this too, but I don’t. Hope this helps.
Looks good! Love slow cooker recipes… is there actually no butter in this recipe? Or does the lightened version just have no butter?
The lightened version is sans butter, and it still tastes amazing!
Oddly enough butter chicken typically has very little butter even when it’s the full blown version
I love chicken!
I love butter chicken and I always order it when I have indian. No more takeaways I’m making this and it’s healthy too is a perfect excuse for me make it more often, Pinned!