Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken

By Jennifer Steinhauer

Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken
Meredith Heuer for The New York Times
Total Time
About 5 hours
Rating
4(10,238)
Comments
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Not every version of butter chicken uses butter. Coconut milk gives this slow-cooker chicken its creamy richness. This is a fast recipe for the cook: Just prep it earlier in the day, even during your morning routine, getting your onion and spices going on the stove while simultaneously making lunches for grumpy children, folding dish towels, feeding the dogs and wondering once again why no one else has done any of the above. If you're preparing pork or beef in the slow cooker, you'll want to brown the meat first, but that's not necessary with boneless cuts of chicken. The meat will be cooked within 4½ or 5 hours, but if you need to let it sit a little longer — up to 7 hours total, on low heat — it will still be delicious, though the chicken may be very soft and shred a tad.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 3tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 3tablespoons grated ginger
  • 1tablespoon garam masala
  • 16-ounce can tomato paste
  • ¾teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1teaspoon lime zest
  • 1tablespoon lime juice
  • 1cup coconut milk (if necessary, whisk to combine the liquid and solids before measuring)
  • ½cup chicken stock
  • ¼cup cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
  • Cooked basmati or jasmine rice, for serving
  • Naan, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

522 calories; 26 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 50 grams protein; 816 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions to skillet, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and ginger, and cook another 2 minutes. Add garam masala, tomato paste and salt; cook and stir 2 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Place chicken pieces in a slow cooker, then add tomato paste mixture, lime zest and juice, coconut milk and chicken stock. Stir everything together, cover and cook on low heat setting for 4½ to 5 hours, until the chicken is cooked through. (You may let it cook up to 7 hours if necessary, but the chicken may be very soft and shred.) Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati or jasmine rice, and naan if you have some.

Ratings

4 out of 5
10,238 user ratings
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Comments

Katje

FYI, you can store whole ginger root in your freezer. It makes it really easy to grate, and you just pop it back in to await the next meal!

Tracy J

I will NEVER understand why people think that critiquing a great recipe or offering alternatives that are not positive is acceptable. Be positive or be quiet.

Bob T.

Your suggestion is helpful, although your tone is somewhat less so. A quick version in a pressure cooker is a truly great alternative, and thank you for suggesting it. But many of us really do like a slow cooker: it uses very little energy, it can be left unattended, and it's very forgiving if you don't know how late you'll get home from wherever you've been.

Anissa

This was really only ok. Better the next day, but would not make again. Adding butter and cream made it good but not memorable.

prometheamoth

Here’s the key to keeping the chicken from drying out if using breasts, and overall lacking flavor: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker WHOLE. Cook 4 hours only low and then check them with a meat thermometer. 165 or above is DONE…pull it out. The sauce…brown or caramelize the onions thoroughly before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add extra garam masala…like half again the suggested amount. Add a couple extra cloves of garlic. The recommended amount of salt in this recipe is not nearly enough for 3 lbs of chicken/sauce. I used 1 heaping TB of Morton kosher salt. Everyone loved it, including 2 picky teens. Yes it’s not “authentic”—it’s missing some kind of Indian flavor that I haven’t figured out (and butter LOL but that’s great for our food allergy family..the ones who could just buttered their rice)…but this is a solid choice to put together at lunchtime and have it be ready for dinner on a workday/school day. Will definitely make this again.

Rachael Clarke

I cooked this in a slow cooker on low for just under 4 hours. The chicken beasts were really dry. Next time im going to use whole thighs and cut them up at the end. Also at the end, i will add a cup of peas and a couple handfuls of baby spinach. Did that the first time when reheating leftovers and it was great. I liked the flavor even though it is mild, because kids. No idea why this calls for breasts (or maybe my slow cooker is too hot)

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