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Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken delivers tender diced chicken in a velvety tomato-butter sauce, gently infused with garam masala, ginger, and garlic. Cook it low for 6 hours (or high for 3–4) and finish with butter and cream for a silky, deeply spiced result.
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Prep Time 6 hours
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 9 hours
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 470
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and sauce base
  • 2 lb boneless chicken thighs, diced
  • 1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp ginger, grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Finish and garnish
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream Add during the last 20 minutes so it stays silky.
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Slow-cook the chicken
  1. Add the diced chicken thighs, crushed tomatoes, garam masala, ginger, minced garlic, and chili powder to the slow cooker and stir to combine until evenly coated.
  2. Cook on low for 6 hours OR on high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is tender and easily breaks apart when pressed.
Make it silky and serve
  1. During the last 20 minutes, stir in the butter and heavy cream and cook until the sauce looks glossy and silky.
  2. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Notes

Pro tip: Add the heavy cream during the last 20 minutes to prevent separation from long cooking. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days in a sealed container. Freeze leftovers up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge overnight and rewarm gently. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream (the sauce will be less rich but still creamy).