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    Home » Recipes » Meat & Seafood

    Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

    Published: Mar 27, 2022 · Modified: Oct 19, 2022 by Vanessa Vickery · 15 Comments

    27.3K shares
    • Share Me6.3K

    Contents

    • 1 INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
    • 2 SLOW COOKING TIPS
    • 3 Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
    Jump to Recipe

    This Slow Cooker Butter Chicken is a super easy recipe to make that is packed full of amazing flavour. Not only it is healthy, but it is also gluten free, dairy free and made using easy-to-find pantry ingredients.

    A bowl of slow cooker butter chicken with some fresh coriander on top.

    Making butter chicken in the slow cooker is one of my favourite meals and it is so easy to make when using a crock pot or slow cooker. This recipe only requires a few steps and the end result is an amazing tasting meal. You can serve with rice, quinoa and/or green vegetables.

    If you are wanting a quicker method to cook butter chicken then you must check out my Instant pot butter chicken or you can also try this delicious Butterfly Chicken Recipe that I made recently.

    INGREDIENTS YOU NEED

    • Chicken thighs or you can use chicken breasts
    • Coconut oil
    • Garlic 
    • Brown onion 
    • Coconut cream or coconut milk - both work really well in this recipe
    • Tomato paste
    • Tapioca flour or you can use arrowroot powder or even some gluten free flour
    • Spices and seasoning for this recipe are garam masala, curry powder, ginger powder, chili powder, Sea salt and black pepper
    • Fresh coriander - if you are not a coriander fan then you could add some fresh parsley at the end or simply omit.

    SLOW COOKING TIPS

    • Use the low setting whenever possible. This will help to bring out the flavours of this dish you are cooking. I only recommend using the high setting, if you are running short on time. 
    • Roll the meat in some tapioca flour (or other healthy thickener) to help thicken up the liquid while cooking.
    • Always add the greens towards the end of cooking, the last hour usually works well. This will ensure that they are not too soggy and/or discoloured. 
    • Make sure you keep the lid on to ensure that no heat escapes and your meal is cooked properly.

    RECIPE FAQS

    What is the best way to store leftover butter chicken?

    You can store in your refrigerator for up to 3 days or in your freezer for up to 3 months.
    When ready to eat:
    - If frozen, place the night before to thaw out in your refrigerator. Then you can either re-heat on your stove or in your microwave on low-medium heat.

    What can I serve with this butter chicken?

    I either like to serve it with quinoa or rice.

    Can I add vegetables to this meal?

    Absolutely! You can add your favourite vegetables in the last hour of cooking.

    Can I cook this on high heat?

    I do recommend cooking on low heat for 5 hours, but if you are short on time, then you can cook on high heat for 2.5-3 hours.

    Plate of butter chicken.

    Looking for other slow cooker recipes? Try these:

    Slow Cooker Beef Ribs

    Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks

    Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

    Slow Cooked Shredded Lemon Garlic Chicken

    Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Marsala

    Lastly, if you make this slow cooker meal then I would love to hear from you. You can either leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! If you do make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram! It really makes my day when I see your creations of my recipes.

    Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

    If you are looking for a super easy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken then this is the recipe for you. Not only it is healthy, it is also gluten free, dairy free and made using easy to find pantry ingredients.
    4.47 from 52 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Category: Meat & Seafood
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 hours
    Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 526kcal
    Author: Vanessa Vickery

    Equipment

    • 1 Slow Cooker or Crock Pot

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
    • 3-4 cloves garlic crushed
    • 1 onion diced
    • 1 ¾ coconut milk or coconut cream
    • ¾ cup tomato paste
    • 2 tablespoons tapioca flour or arrowroot powder
    • 2 teaspoons garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon curry powder
    • ½ teaspoon ginger powder
    • ½ teaspoon chili powder add more if you like it hotter
    • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
    • 2.75 lbs chicken thighs or breasts, cut into small pieces
    • fresh coriander or fresh parsley to serve
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Saute onion and garlic. Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook, stirring frequently for approximately 3 minutes or until the onions have become translucent.
    • Make sauce. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, tapioca flour, garam masala, curry powder, chili powder and ginger powder, stirring until well combined and the sauce has started to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
    • Cook. Add chicken to the slow cooker, then add the sauce and mix through the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 hours.
    • Serve. Serve with the coriander and your favourite sides (mine with quinoa).

    Notes

    I love to add fresh broccoli and cauliflower in the last hour of cooking and then serve with quinoa or rice.
    If you are short on time, then you can cook on the high setting for 2.5-3 hours.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serve | Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 204mg | Sodium: 423mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 715IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 3mg

    More Healthy Meat & Seafood Recipes

    • Air Fryer Chicken Wings
    • Crock Pot Cashew Chicken
    • Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
    • Slow Cooked Pulled Chicken
    27.3K shares
    • Share Me6.3K

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Regelyn

      January 20, 2020 at 12:11 pm

      I love chicken so much, can't wait to try that recipe, thanks for sharing

      Reply
    2. Michelle

      January 20, 2020 at 5:55 am

      The recipe says to cook on low for 5 hrs....would this be ok to cook low for 8hrs while at work?

      Reply
    3. Liz

      November 18, 2019 at 8:29 am

      Hi! I'm excited to try this later this week. I've never worked with tapioca flour before. Will it not thicken in the crockpot - or why the necessary step of cooking the sauce before crockpot?

      Reply
    4. Anonymous

      August 20, 2019 at 1:34 pm

      4 stars

      Reply
    5. Anonymous

      August 19, 2019 at 3:03 am

      4 stars

      Reply
    6. Anonymous

      August 08, 2019 at 10:57 am

      5 stars

      Reply
    7. Anonymous

      July 21, 2019 at 8:06 pm

      4 stars

      Reply
    8. Anonymous

      July 01, 2019 at 2:19 am

      4 stars

      Reply
    9. Whole30Newbie

      April 20, 2019 at 3:24 am

      5 stars
      Drinking this sauce, it is so yummy! Chicken is so moist and tender.

      Reply
    10. Whole30Newbie

      April 20, 2019 at 3:23 am

      5 stars
      Drinking this sauce, it is so yummy! Chicken is so moist and tender.

      Reply
    11. Whole30Newbie

      April 20, 2019 at 3:13 am

      5 stars
      Drinking this sauce, it is so yummy! Chicken is so moist and tender.

      Reply
    12. Andrea

      April 16, 2019 at 2:57 pm

      Can this be done on the high setting for less time?

      Reply
      • Vanessa Vickery

        April 16, 2019 at 10:34 pm

        Yes you can! Try 2-3 hours

        Reply
    13. ANNA

      January 22, 2019 at 7:31 am

      Hello, do you ever sear the chicken before you place it in the slowcooker?
      Thanks

      Reply
    14. Whole30Newbie

      January 11, 2019 at 10:03 am

      5 stars
      Drinking this sauce, it is so yummy! Chicken is so moist and tender.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Ness. I love to create easy-to-make, healthy wholefood recipes. I have an Advanced Diploma of Nutritional Medicine and a passion for adapting classic recipes into gluten free and dairy free versions.

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