Crockpot Butter Chicken (Printable Version)
Tender chicken in a creamy, spiced tomato-butter sauce made effortlessly in your slow cooker.
# What You Need:
→ Protein
01 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
→ Marinade
02 - 1 cup plain yogurt
03 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
04 - 2 teaspoons ground cumin
05 - 2 teaspoons garam masala
06 - 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
07 - 1 ½ teaspoons salt
08 - 2 teaspoons ground coriander
→ Sauce
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 - 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
11 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
13 - 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
14 - 1 cup heavy cream
15 - 2 teaspoons paprika
16 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjusted to taste
17 - 1 teaspoon sugar
18 - Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
# Directions:
01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, salt, and coriander. Add the chicken pieces and toss thoroughly to coat evenly. Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate overnight for deeper flavor penetration.
02 - Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chopped onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and softened, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger, stirring constantly for 1 minute until fragrant. Transfer the entire mixture to the crockpot.
03 - Add the marinated chicken along with all of the marinade to the crockpot. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, paprika, cayenne pepper, sugar, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir everything together until well combined.
04 - Cover the crockpot and cook on the low setting for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is fall-apart tender and the sauce has thickened.
05 - Stir the heavy cream into the crockpot until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust the salt and spice level as needed. Cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the sauce to reach the desired consistency.
06 - Ladle into bowls and garnish generously with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve alongside steamed basmati rice or warm naan bread.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The crockpot does almost all the work while you go about your day, and the sauce develops a depth that surprises people every time.
- Chicken thighs stay incredibly juicy after hours of slow cooking, so there is no dry chicken problem here.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, which means lunch suddenly becomes something worth looking forward to.
02 -
- If you rush the onion step and pull them before they go golden, the finished sauce will taste flat no matter how many spices you add.
- Marinating the chicken overnight in the fridge transforms this from very good to genuinely restaurant quality, so plan ahead when you can.
03 -
- Blot the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel before adding them to the marinade so the spices actually adhere instead of sliding off wet surfaces.
- A pinch of dried fenugreek leaves stirred in at the end with the cream is the secret ingredient that will make people ask what restaurant you ordered from.