Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
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Simple prep with zero fuss! Restaurant-quality butter chicken made so easily in the crockpot. Serve with rice and naan.
I’m sure some of you have already put away your crockpot for the season. Up in one of those high cupboards so you don’t have to see your slow cooker until the Fall hits.
But seeing as to how we moved to Chiberia and it’s still the dead of winter here, my slow cooker has been on full blast, especially with this butter chicken.
I mean, I have seriously made this at least four times in the last 6 weeks.
Mainly because it’s so stinking easy.
Prep work is minimal and you can throw everything right into the crockpot. And while your chicken cooks low and slow to that tender, melt-in-your-mouth goodness, you can cook your basmati rice and warm your garlic naan.
And here’s a big secret I’ll let you in on: be sure to hoard all the sauce you possibly can for naan dipping purposes.
Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons light brown sugar
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, tomato paste, curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt and pepper.
- Place chicken, onion, garlic and ginger into a 4-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken stock mixture.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Stir in heavy cream, lime juice and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately with rice.
Did you make this recipe?
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LOVE this recipe! No adjustments are needed at all. It’s a really easy meal to prepare in the crockpot during the week. I pre-cut the chicken and onions and lay out the rest of ingredients the night before, and during my lunch, it takes about 10 minutes to get it all in the crockpot and it’s ready when I get home!
This was a winner at our house. We added a southern twist and served it over cornbread. AMAZING! I wish it would get cold, cause I’m gonna make this one a staple cold weather dish. 🙂
Lovely recipe that is clearly inspired by a traditional Murgh Makhani, but more of a chicken curry. Typically, we do not use onions and would grind spices after toasting them. Ghee is required, and fenugreek is an essential ingredient as well. But it is nice to see how much this traditional dish of India has taken off throughout the world:). It is also great to a have a version in the slow cooker. As a chef and recipe developer myself, I am always looking for new twists on classic dishes.
Great recipe. I didn’t make any changes other than to use heaping spoons when measuring the spices. My husband just tried Indian food recently, so I wasn’t sure if he would like it… he ate 3 helpings! A great slow cooker recipe!
This is my go-to slowcooker recipe when we have guests over. Easy and tasty.
It’s not ~technically~ butter chicken (that would require butter/ghee), more of a curried chicken.
BUT it’s still one of my favorite things to eat after finding the recipe 4 years ago! Everyone I make it for can’t get enough, & I cook it at least once a month for my household.
I also make a lactose-free & vegan version for my friends with dietary restrictions by substituting vegan chicken for chicken thighs, vegetable broth for chicken stock, & coconut cream for heavy cream.
And I always serve it over basmati rice with garlic/cilantro-buttered naan on the side.
Tasty recipe. I doubled the whole recipe because I wanted leftovers. I only had bone-in chicken thighs but cooked them whole and shredded the chicken and discarded the bones once cooked. I thought the flavors worked well. Tasted like what I get at a restaurant. Thanks for the recipe.
Wow, I didn’t expect it to be so good! So so so delicious!!!
Excellent Recipe! Delicious
I love this recipe and make this all the time, it’s great. I double the sauce though. I double the dry spices including brown sugar, double the broth, and instead of heavy cream I add a can of coconut milk. You get a whole lot of sauce this way. Cilantro is not in the recipe but it’s a great addition.
Tip: use McCormack garam masala. I used some other good ones and they were too clovey tasting. If you like that then great but I do not.
Incredible flavor and perfect for the whole family! Love how easy it is too. Definitely double the sauce and I don’t chop the chicken- I just throw it in the crock pot and shred it afterward.
This was really really good! Feels fancy, but comes together easily. I went ahead and doubled the sauce like everyone else suggested. Also, I sautéed the onion and garlic in butter before adding it in. I added about a half a cup of frozen peas to the rice immediately after it was done cooking and it paired really nicely with the other flavors. Thank you again for another fantastic recipe!
Loved it!
I have made this recipe OVER and OVER again. It is so comforting and easy – and perfect for winter weeknight meals.
Love love love this recipe…I also wanted more sauce so I doubled the spices, added a can of coconut milk and half cup of water. Got tons of sauce and added a cornstarch slurry at the very end. Easy recipe, chicken was perfectly cooked and I am in love. It’s not butter chicken but if you love curry as much as I do this one you will be making regularly.
Looks easy and tasty. looking at the comments has made me salivate. Wondering what needs to be changed if I am using cooked chicken
This recipe is seasoned well and makes the chicken so tender. This is a comfort dish for sure!
I love this recipe and have made it several times! Quick question for the author (or commenters). Planning to make today but my store didn’t have heavy whipping cream. I got coconut milk instead, would the measurements remain the same? Thanks!!
I know your comment is a year old at this point but as far as I’ve found, coconut cream is the perfect substitute for heavy cream! Coconut milk makes the sauce a little too thin for my liking.
Oh my goodness. So good and so simple. Absolutely delicious!!!
I have no experience with Indian food and came across this recipe. It was delicious! My adult children eat Indian food and agreed, my son would have like it spicier, but with little ones this was perfect. I did cook the onions and spices with some oil first. I doubled sauce ingredients and put 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tbsp of fresh lime juice. I served this with cilantro too. I also had to work so it cooked for 8 hours on low.
When you say you doubled sauce ingredients, what ingredients did you double and by how much? I’ve read sometimes spices you only increase by 1.5x on doubling recipes and just want to confirm. Thanks in advance!
This was fantastic. I did make a few changes. I added 4 tbsp butter… what’s butter chicken without some butter? I upped everything but the chicken cuz we love the sauce so much. The sauce amount was actually similar to what I receive at Indian restaurants.
I was trying to replicate the best butter chicken I’ve ever had. We hit on the mark by adding more brown sugar. It was life-altering.
Delicious and super easy!
Amazing! I double the sauce ingredients now because it is so delicious. Bonus it is so quick and easy to prepare ❇️
My family absolutely beloved this dish. I sneak in carrots and cauliflower with about an hour to go so there’s some extra veggies on the plates. This recipes is easy, quick, and always a crowd pleaser.
Adding this to my meal rotation! It tasted just as good as more labor intensive butter chicken recipes. So easy and delicious. Thank you!!
Instantly going into my favorite recipes folder. So delicious I couldn’t believe it. I doubled the sauce so I had extra for naan but this is truly a perfect recipe!
This came out great! However my question is: Does it freeze well?
This is so good. I took the extra step of sautéing the onions, garlic, ginger and spices in oil before adding them to the slow cooker and added some dried fenugreek, but aside from that I followed the recipe as written and it was restaurant quality.
Great easy recipe. I have made this numerous times now.
I cooked this twice and both times came out great. I used coconut milk instead of heavy cream. I was wondering if anyone used sour cream instead of the coconut milk. I am out of both coconut milk and heavy cream.
Hi there! 😀
I found this website that tells you substitutions for heavy cream. Hope it helps!
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/heavy-cream-substitutes#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6
One of the substitutions is greek yogurt, which should be somewhat similar to sour cream. So I think sour cream might be fine unless someone says otherwise. (If someone else sees this, correct me if I’m wrong!! :P)
Just realized you wanted a substitute for coconut milk! Sorry about that! 😛 Here’s this link which basically tells you the same thing as the substitute for sour cream.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-milk-substitute#11.-Silken-tofu
I used chicken breasts as that’s what I had. Very simple to make and great flavors, although mine was a bit dry. I did sauté the onions in butter before adding to the slow cooker.
I would cook the onion and spices first next time. I forgot to buy tumeric, so used mustard and ginger powder. Also lemon juice worked fine.
Is this a dish that you could freeze into portions and reheat without issues?
Delicious recipe!!!
I gave this a three because it was pretty tasty but it is not butter chicken. Also, my onions did not cook soft enough in the four hours so I would recommend sauteing them before adding to the crock pot. Tasted pretty good, though, and my family ate it. 🙂
Love your recipes – especially when I don’t have to spend days preparing the food! Quick and easy means so much (and you still get the adulation from those you are feeding!)
I was so impressed with how well this came out. My husband loved it! For the first time I made more than passable Indian. I will use this recipe over and over again!
Why doesn’t this recipe have red curry paste in it? I kinda got lost in all the slow cooker recipes I found for this but decided upon yours. I have an hour left in the cooking and added the cream, lime extract and brown sugar. Just curious about your thoughts on the red curry paste…thank you! It smells delicious throughout my house!!!!
It doesn’t have red curry paste in it. It has tomato paste.
Wait, this butter chicken recipe doesn’t have any butter??? Or ghee?
Yes! So delicious, definitely double the sauce as other comments suggested.
I substituted bottled lemon juice for lime, thought it was just as good.
Wow, I’m really surprised I liked this so much. Usually when I try to do any Indian food on my own, I don’t like it as much as the restaurants. This is really good.
I doubled the sauce recipe and left the chicken breasts un-cut while cooking. Turned out perfect. Chicken shredded apart and was very tender after 4 hours on low. I did notice the lime-y taste after initially dumping in the last of the ingredients, but I think that goes away if you mix well and leave your crock on warm for an hour after cooking on low. This is one of those dishes that I think will taste even better the next day.
Honestly, I’m going to go to the store tonight for additional ingredients, make more of this tomorrow, then freeze in portions.
Has become one of my favorite meals! So easy and good, thank you for sharing.
Delicious! I doubled the sauce and added a bunch more brown sugar and it was so good!!! My husband was seriously impressed! We ate it with toasted naan. I will be making this again! 🙂
i am about to make this and wanted to find out do I add the cream at the end or when I put the chicken and other ingredients in?
Hey Kelley!
You add the cream, lime juice and brown sugar after the chicken has cooked for 4 hours. 🙂 This recipe is delicious!
Amazing! My whole family of 7 loved it and we have made it multiple times since. I double the sauce because we LOVE lots of sauce. Thank you so much for this simple and delicious recipe!
Such a great recipe! Everyone loves it – has become a staple meal each week 🙂
Is it ok to freeze? And how long does it keep?
Easy and tasty. Added about two tablespoons of butter, the whole sweet onion, and honey to taste in addition to the brown sugar. Cooked on low for about 8 hours.
I normally love all of your recipes and I was super excited to try this one, but mine is not as vibrant red-orange as yours and it has a distinct sort of curry powder taste that stays in your mouth after eating. I followed the recipe exactly and all my spices were brand new. Any ideas? It’s edible, but just not amazing.
Hi Andrea, mine was good but I noticed this as well. Next time I’m going to try to “bloom” the spices by sautéing them in a neutral oil for a minute or so before adding them to the tomato paste mixture. This is traditional in Indian cooking and should get rid of the slightly raw spice taste and help everything blend nicely.
Has anyone used this recipe on a 6 qt slow cooker (that’s what I have)? Did it turn out good? Tia
Yes! I’ve made it multiple times in a 6 quart and it comes out great. I’ve had better luck when I cook it a little longer (like 5 hours) to make everything more tender.
Delicious, easy recipe. Kids loved it and ask for it again.
This turned out good! I, too, originally thought there was actual butter in the recipe which was what drew me in, but I was pleasantly surprised with not only how quick this was, but also how tasty. I think I would try it the next time with bone in chicken thighs. Thank you!
Super easy AND delicious! I added just a smidge more brown sugar at the end to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon). Even my toddler at this up! Have been thinking about making it again – would it be possible to double this recipe in the slow cooker? I’m wondering how the cooking time would change if this is doable.
I adapted this recipe for a vegetarian, and it worked great! My only criticism is that the lime is overpowering. Next time, I will only use half of what is called for. I substituted the chicken broth with low sodium vegetable broth, and I also added some extra hot chili powder that we get from the Indian grocery, to give it a kick! To make enough gravy for one package of paneer, I doubled all of the ingredients. I cooked it for about 3.5 hours on low, and then added the paneer with the cream and final ingredients. I cooked it for an additional 30 minutes on low, and it was perfect! I’ve tried other variations of this recipe, and I have to say that this is the closest to restaurant style in flavor and texture. I also appreciate that there is no yogurt in this recipe, because I absolutely hate yogurt!
This was excellent! I’ve made a lot of different Indian dishes from different websites and this is the first one that tasted as good as a restaurant! Minor changes I made: my husband doesn’t like onion so I subbed onion powder. I added an extra half teaspoon garam masala because mine is getting a little old. By accident I left the thighs whole and then cubed them at the end. I let it cook for about an extra half hour to compensate. I’m not sure if that is the reason but this was the most tender chicken I’ve ever made. Love!!
This turned out wonderful. Followed the recipe exactly, and have zero complaints. Maybe I missed it somewhere… but is it typically garnished with parsley, or is that cilantro?
I still cannot believe how good this recipe is. We make it just as is, no changes. It comes out perfectly every time. I am actually about to make it again for our family, and for a family with a new baby. Even if you aren’t typically a “curry” or Indian food fan, it’s hard not to love this recipe. Crowd favorite! And SOO easy!
This tastes good, but my sauce is quite watery-like. I’m going to leave the lid off the slow cooker for an hr and see how it goes. Also, something silly, but my sauce is also not as vibrant as the picture. Is this correct? I feel like I’ve gone wrong somewhere?
For direction step number 4, when exactly do you stir in the heavy cream and brown sugar? After it has cooked for 4 hours? Or during the cooking?
After it has cooked 4 hours. Right before serving.
Every recipe I make from your site is absolutely amazing, including this one! Thank you for being my number one go-to for new recipes!
Very tender meat. Not too spicy. Rich taste. Always like something I can put together and leave while I do other things. Didn’t understand though why directed to make rice first and set aside. Four hours is a long time for rice to sit around. I waited til last half hour of cooking time to make mine. I think coconut rice might add a little something or add green peas for some crunch!
I made this for the first time last night, my entire family loved it. This will definitely be one of our regulars…
Thank you!
P.s. Did i mention that it made my whole house smell good?
I am in Australia and our tomato paste is very thick, strong in flavour. Is ours the same as what is in the recipe, as I think it would be way to overpowering?
Yes, it sounds the same. When you take tomato paste out of its tin here, it still holds its shape. It’s very thick.
is there a calorie amount? how many servings does this yield?
Where’s the butter? Why is there no butter?
I wondered this too lol
I add 2 (or more!) tablespoons of butter at the end when I add the cream. Sooo good!
I made this last night and LOVED it! I especially appreciate the fact that it was a slow cooker recipe. I also made a palak/saag paneer recipe that paired well with this. We played some Indian music during dinner to add to the mood of the meal.
I tried to make this in an instant pot and added tomato sauce. Is this recipe supposed to be more on the tangy side? If not, any tips on how to make it not tangy and more sweet side? Will making it in slow cooker vs instant pot be that big of a difference?
Just add more sugar! That’s what I do.
I make this often. It’s unbelievably good! My husband had never had Indian food and he absolutely loves it. Your recipes are always fabulous!
Beyond easy…and the best Indian butter chicken recipe I have tried. Really delicious!
This was so good! I doubled the recipe for D&D night and everyone loved it. I do have one question though:
Why is it called “butter” chicken when there’s no actual butter in the recipe?
Normally there is butter in the recipe, but in indian the recipe is called Murgh Makhani which literally translates to butter chicken. Their use of the word butter doesnt just mean the ingrediate but also the velvety smooth texture. Normally the “gravy” created here is ran through a sieve to make sure no chunks get through.
This was so good! I doubled the recipe for D&D night and everyone loved it. I do have one question though:
Why is it called “butter” chicken when there’s no actual butter in the recipe?
There is nothing more delicious than a well made butter chicken. Authentic recipe includes curd to marinate chicken.
Delicious! I brought it to a potluck and it was a huge hit. Will def make again
AMAZING!!! This is absolutely spot on delicious! I was originally going to double it but decided not to just in case it did not turn out well, now I regret it. Tastes exactly like what you get in the restaurant, SO GOOD! Thank you!!
Made this tonight and it was a hit with the family.So delicious!!! Will make again.
My first time making it, I accidentally quadrupled the broth, reading 2 c. instead of 1/2 c. Despite that and not having the garam masala that I thought I had on hand, it was good.
This time I used about 3/4 c. broth, and subbed whole milk for the cream. It is excellent. Thumbs up all around our table!
Love this recipe! I double all the spices and add cayenne because I like it spicy! I use swerve brown sugar and cauliflower rice which makes this a perfect keto meal! I also think this is much like soups it is better the next day and just keeps getting better everyday after, which makes it perfect for meal prep!
Thanks. This was excellent
My son Max makes this it’s Delish’
Great recipe and a family favorite! We added a little more brown sugar to balance the lime and some red curry paste for extra heat. Store bought naan baked and brushed with garlic and melted butter. YUM
Great recipe – I doubled the sauce and subbed out coconut cream for the regular cream. Had it for dinner but now dehydrating a couple of serves for hiking (after shredding the chicken). Thanks for another winner!
Made this recipe tonight here in Australia and it was wonderful! So much better than my previous attempt with a different recipe. I think with a few minor tweaks it’ll be perfect (for me)
Next time I’ll use thighs instead of breasts (as the recipe suggests!) and I’m wondering whether cooking for 6 hours might be better than 4 hours. When I first tasted it, it felt far too sour from the 2 tablespoons of line juice so I added more cream (a lot more) and kept adding sugar until it didn’t taste so tart. I probably added about 4 more teaspoons of sugar. Next time I’ll definitely add double the mixture of sauce as I prefer butter chicken sauce to the actual chicken itself, prefer everything saucier.
I think if I used breasts again & id see if it was better after more time and more shredded/falling apart. As the chicken it in was quite hard and laborious chewy on it. The only weird thing I thought was step one, cool rice and set aside. I mean who in their right mind would rice first and leave it sitting there for 4 hours!!? Totally bizarre. Wouldn’t everyone just cook rice 30 mins before meal is ready and serve it fresh and hot! 🙂
Great recipe. I added in chilli flakes, siracha sauce, cumin, garlic powder, ginger powder and onion powder. Dry fried all spices before putting in. Was more generous with spices. Doubled onion quantity from recipe. Also put half as much tomato paste. Plus some onion relish we had in fridge. At 3.5 hours, took from the slow cooker and put in the pan/wok for half hour to thicken. Delish.
Super easy and very tasty.
Amazing! Used quinoa instead of rice. Very easy to make and tastes SO good.
Bam .. soooo good and soooo easy
Trying this tonight and really looking forward to it just one thing was if it’s called butter chicken why is there no butter in the ingredients
This was so good and easy. Nice bit of bite after each mouthful. May experiment with mixing the cream in and giving it another 10 minutes to thicken, though with the rice everything was coated nicely.
This was really really delicious and the chicken was super soft. A real winner.
Fantastic. Too easy too tastey. Yummo
This was dead easy and really tasty. It was ready before the 4 hours, but that could be my slow cooker.
Recipe has been bookmarked to make again – will double it next time!
So easy and so delish thank you ! I made it in a large slow cooker and worked out great 🙂
Seems like a good recipe, looking forward to trying it. Just had a question, do we add the brown sugar, lime juice, and whipping cream after it has cooked for 4 hours?
Hello I am going to try and make this but may I ask what a sweet onion is? Is it a brown onion?
Yes, it is a brown or yellow onion. No big deal. Some places call them Spanish onions, but they are just those big onions usually heaped into a big bin at your local grocery store in the produce section.
Sweet onion is Vadelia onion or Walls Walla onions, the usual brown/white are fine to use also.
One of my all time favorite recipes. I swap the heavy cream for full fat coconut milk for a dairy free version.
Amazing! This was my second time making this. I added raisins and almonds to make it more of a korma. So good!
I loved this! I’m dairy free and wanted to add some veggies so I put in a bell pepper and an acorn squash, frozen chicken breasts (they shredded beautifully when done) and used coconut milk instead of cream. I freeze this in individual servings in zip lock bags and it makes for a delicious quick lunch or dinner. Thanks got another great recipe!
Made this with a couple changes… added a 6 oz can of tomato paste to the chicken stock and spice mixture, and I didn’t have any turmeric so we skipped that. Also substituted the heavy cream with coconut cream to make it dairy-free. So delicious!!
Not sure what you meant by change? The recipe calls for 6 oz added to stock/spice mixture??
In my crockpot now. Fingers crossed.
Tastes as good as it smells. Fun to prepare and little effort for scrummy results. Great recipe. Made it twice in first week.
Only question is, why cook the rice first? And how do u re-heat it? Cooked our rice fresh when the curry was almost done.
Hi!! I’m so excited to make this recipe with all these great reviews. However, I would like to add some vegetables such as green beans! At what time out of the 4 hours should I put them in the pot with everything else? Thanks!
Very easy and delicious but this is a VERY MILD butter chicken. We have a large Indian population where I live and I’m used to a lot more kick.
I think I will also saute the onions a bit before adding them to the chicken. After 4 hours they were still bit crunchy and my preference is softer onions.
I agree that it is delicious but mild. What would make it spicer?
Perfect recipe as is! I triple the recipe so we have lots of dipping sauce. For an extra kick my husband adds cayenne to his.
Amazing!!! My entire family love it and is a new family favourite 🙂 thankyou so much for sharing! Even good for fussy eaters!
Excellent! It tasted every bit as good as the best Indian restaurant in town! I did add frozen corn and peas to the rice, as well as used chicken broth for half the liquid content, and a pinch of garam masala. Yummm! The family loved it!
Does it matter if I’m using a slightly bigger slow cooker?
I’m a busy, homeschool momma of seven children. Slow cooker meals are a survival tool. We make this every two weeks and it’s a favorite. Thanks for making such a flavorful recipe to share.
I Love this recipe! My husband, who hasn’t ever liked Indian food or curry requests this at least once a month! lol
I’ve made it a few times, switching up between breasts and thighs.. Im making it again tonight and got a little cocky throwing it together from memory and accidentally added 2 TABLESPOONS of curry powder instead of teaspoons!!!!
Did I just ruin dinner? Can I add more of something else to balance it all out?
Thanks!
Did this in an instant pot – 12 mins on high – and yum! My 3yo didn’t want to eat it at first, and then after she tried it, asked me how did I make it yummy. Will definitely be making this again.
My friend sent me this recipe and she (and her picky 2 year old twins) loved it! I don’t have a slow cooker. What do you suggest for a regular crock?
Yum! Thank you for this recipe.
I made this over the weekend, followed your recipe exactly except I felt wired making butter chicken without adding butter so I ended up adding 2 Tbsp of butter. It turned out so good and it was so easy to make. I tried a couple of your recipes now and I think this one turned out the best. Will definitely make this again.
Question: For a particular diet I’m on, I want to swap in a legume (bean, lentil etc.) for the rice. Any suggestions? A web search of legumes commonly used in Indian cooking pulls up a very large list. Ideally I’d just add this ingredient into the pot.
Would love your thoughts. Thanks!
Hi Amanda! The cooking time would probably vary as rice and legumes have very different cook times. As far as which one to choose, you can pick the one you like the best. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications. Good luck!
I’m going to make your Indian Butter Chicken recipe. Looks very good. My question is, do you have a recipe for naan or do you purchase naan at a store?
Thank you
Not at this time. 🙂
Love this recipe! Best homemade Indian that I have tried. Get the garlic naan from Trader Joe’s and it is perfect with it!
Could you use Greek yoghurt instead of heavy cream??
The consistency of Greek yogurt may be a little too thick here.
Bella, I’ve mixed milk and Greek yogurt in equal proportions for recipes that call for cream and it’s worked just fine! Last time I made Indian butter chicken in a crock pot it was a different recipe that called for scooping out the liquid from the crock pot and mixing it into the dairy slowly then stirring – perhaps to keep the yogurt from cuddling?? Looking forward to trying this recipe!
I haven’t yet tried this recipe but I bet you could sub coconut milk for the heavy cream?
Gurrrrl…this was so good!!! Even my British curry snob husband liked it. Winner, winner. Curry chicken dinner! Thank you!!!!
Is the cream heavy whipping cream ?
Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are essentially the same thing with small differences in fat. But both types of cream are interchangeable for the most part. 🙂
My boyfriend is from Pakistan and I surprised him with this dinner (his favorite Indian dish) and he gave it a 10! Thanks for sharing – this was so easy and so delicious!
RE: Cooking chicken longer in slow cooker and not drying out: Use frozen chicken breast, or even chicken thighs, but don’t cut them up. Leave them whole. Then, you can cook chicken in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours without drying it out. You may even need to cook it a bit longer depending on your slow cooker. I do this a for a lot of my chicken recipes. I want to set it and forget it while I’m at work. You end up shredding the chicken because cutting it into chunks is hard at that point, but it’s not dried out.
I quadrupled the recipe and used Thai yellow curry paste (by accident) and added butter. Still turned out delicious.
Hi I notice you have another slow cooker version from 2014 and the ingredients is more and different than this version. Is this a more simpler way but will get the same taste or is the other one more for calorie purpose?
Hi Keya! This is a completely different recipe from 2014. 🙂
At the 2 hour mark I checked the pot and saw that the chicken was completely cooked, so I added the cream etc.. to finish the dish. I was afraid to keep cooking the chicken and risk it getting too overdone. This recipe turned out great!
Fantastic recipe! I used what I had on hand so I actually used madras curry instead of regular yellow curry and full fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream. I have no doubts that your recipe as written is delicious…but I’m certainly not mad at the substitutions I had to make!!! Thank you for your recipe!!!!
One word- Ah-mazing!!!! My 2 year doesn’t eat a thing, but cleaned her plate on this one. Easy and delicious! One for the recipe book….
Hello! This looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it. Im hosting a dinner party for 12 people and I was wondering, if I double the recipe do I keep the cook time the same or would I need to change it? Thank you!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Hello, I am just wondering is it possible to cook this recipe in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low heat? I am wondering if this would be ok while I am away at work during the day.
Thanks for all the lovely recipes Chungah….I love that they are easy, quick and tasty 🙂
I worry that the chicken will be overcooked if cooked for 6-8 hours. 🙁
Oh my goodness, this is delicious! I’ve made it three times in about two weeks for my family and for guests, and everyone, young and old, loves it. I have shared the recipe with so many friends as well. I’ve tried making Indian dishes before and was never totally pleased with how they came out. This one is perfect just as is. Love that it’s done in a crock pot! Thanks for the great recipe!
Wow, 3 times in two weeks is awesome! So glad you and your family enjoy this recipe so much! 🙂
Delicious! I did not have heavy cream, so I used half and half instead. Thank you for the tasty crock pot recipe!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this, Billie!
This is in my crock pot right now, and I have been taste testing! It is sooooo yummy! It is my first try at an Indian dish, and it is delicious! It was very easy to prepare, and I know my family is going to love it!
We hope you and your family enjoy this one, Michele!
I am always so happy with your recipes. Everything I have ever made from you has been damn delicious. This recipe was delicious and I hate it when people manipulate the original. The only thing I did differently from you was I added a couple tablespoons of butter – a suggestion from a commenter. I will be making this over and over. Thank you!!
I’m always impressed by the simplicity and flavour of your recipes, and I’m impressed as ever with this one (who knew it was so simple???) but for me it did lack a step – or, more specifically, an ingredient! When I tasted it after following the directions as written, thr seasoning was excellent, but it lacked the richness of butter chicken that I love so much. I wound up adding 3 tbsp unsalted butter incrimentally, as well as a splash of extra cream and a couple tbsp yogurt (you know, since it was in the fridge and I was already altering…). I didn’t quite find it spicy enough after all the additions, so I popped in some harissa paste and I’m delighted by the end result now!
Still love the recipe, it’s just the first I’ve felt the need to alter to my tastes.
I do wonder, do you make your own garam masala, or buy it? I make mine, and it already has turmeric and ginger in it. Not that extra turmeric or ginger ever hurt anyone! And the flavour of this recipe speaks to that, even if it didn’t have quite the texture and, I guess fattiness, that I wanted.
Absolutely! I use store-bought garam masala but I’m all about adding more butter and cream, Alex! 🙂
What brand of yellow curry powder do you use? Thanks!
I used an organic one from Whole Foods, but any brand should work just fine, Judy! 🙂
Hello! I am thinking of making this this weekend but I want to confirm I’m reading this right (sorry in advance this is a silly question haha) – so for steps 3 and 4, I put the chicken/garlic/ginger/chicken stock in the slower cooker, cook all that for four hours, and then after the four hours add the heavy cream/brown sugar/lime juice? Thanks in advance for the help!! 🙂
Yes, that is correct, Rachel. 🙂
3. Place chicken, onion, garlic and ginger into a 4-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken stock mixture.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Stir in heavy cream, lime juice and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Thanks for asking that, Rachel. I was wondering the same thing! =)
Hi! I’m just wondering how this would do as a freezer meal? Pack everything in a ziplock and freeze until ready to put in the crockpot. Do you think it’d come out okay?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Followed recipe exactly as described…so delicious
Thank you so much and keep up the awesome work!
Thank you, Cliff! We hope you’ll enjoy many more! 🙂
Another triumph. I never thought I could cook this well. I hadn’t made anything with garam masala before. The addition of the cream, sugar, lime juice really changed what otherwise seemed a bit sour. It made the house smell great for hours.
You read comments – have you noticed that Chunga’s recipes rarely elicit corrections/ improvements? I often get enthusiastic about a recipe from the NY Times, for example, only to find users liked the dish after major tweaks.
Anyone else notice this?
Thanks for such a great compliment, Azlynne!
Made this last night and it was a big success.
The entire house was filled such a delicious aroma…… So good! I substituted coconut cream due to dairy restrictions and it was delicious…. And two days ago I made your instant pot red beans and rice recipe and my entire loved it!!!! Keep the great recipes coming..
Thank you, Robin! We’re so glad you’re trying and enjoying many of our recipes!
Made this last night exactly as written and it was great. The sauce was fantastic.
I do recommend rinsing the basmati rice until it’s clear, then cooking it with a tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt.
Thank you for sharing your feedback, Kevin!
is it possible to make this on High in a faster time?
Yes, you can try to cook on high for 2 hours but as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Hi can i substitute coconut cream ( not milk) for the heavy cream?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I made this last week and it was amazing. I added a bit more spices but I’m a curry junkie. 🙂
Love that! Thanks for sharing, Brittany! 🙂
How would you make this in an instapot?
Tara, you can try this Instant Pot recipe instead: https://damndelicious.net/2018/03/10/instant-pot-butter-chicken/.
I made this for dinner tonight and it came out pretty good! The sauce came out a little on the thinner side, so I was wondering what I could do to make that more creamy? Also, would you recommend adding any butter to this dish? I’m just wondering if doing so would throw off anything.
Yes, you can absolutely add butter, if you wish. You can also try to add a cornstarch slurry until the desired consistency is reached.
Hope that helps, Mariam!
Just wanted to check , theres no butter in it? Haha Im making it for dinner guests tonight so want to make sure Im not missing out the ingredient in its name. Does a half cup of stock make enough sauce for 4 hungry people? Thanks so much, dying to try this, sounds delicious.
Hi Ann! Yes, that is correct. The heavy cream takes care of the creaminess. And the recipe yields 4-6 servings. Have a great dinner!
This looks delicious! I normally cook chicken in my slow cooker for 8 hours. For this recipe, would 8 hours be too long?
Kristi, we recommend cooking it on low for 4 hours for the best results possible.
How do you manage to avoid your chicken getting super dry? Anytime I make chicken in the crock pot it’s dry and no fun to eat.
Kim, to prevent chicken from drying out in the slow cooker, you can use chicken thighs instead. They have more fat and won’t dry out as quickly. 🙂
This is excellent! Love how easy it is to throw it in the slow cooker and how delicious it turns out! I used breasts instead of thighs and it wasn’t dry at all. Husband loved it, guests loved it and I did very little work and still received raves! I will definitely make this again.
That’s the goal! Minimal work and maximum raves. Thanks, Jennifer!
Love butter chicken! My sister in law gave us your cookbook and we are in love with it! Also we love your red thai curry! We like to add veggies to our sauces… any recommendations or are they better as a side in this meal?
You can definitely add any type of veggie to your liking! 🙂
I made this today. Using one pound breast and one pound mixed diced up Turkey as that is what I had. It has nice flavor combinations. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome, Fern!
Would it be ok to substitute chicken breasts for the chicken thighs? I love your recipes and your cook book. Can’t wait to try this!
Absolutely!
Made this tonight. SUPER easy, amazing flavour, and threw it together in no time. My favourite butter chicken so far. Will make this over and over. Thanks for making it SO simple and tasty. We were able to sit, relax, have a glass of wine while it cooked away, and smelled awesome. Guests raved. I had to mix breast and thighs and it was all perfect. Can’t wait to enjoy leftovers! Thanks, and keep ’em coming.
We love that, Judi! Thanks so much for sharing with us! 🙂
Makes me hungry just reading your recipe and looking at the pics! Chungah, sadly I don’t have a Crock Pot anymore. Ours kicked the bucket and was replaced in our small kitchen with and Instant Pot. Do you think I could use the I.P. on the ‘slow cook’ function to get a similar result?
I know it’s not the same as a specific “slow cooker” per se (esp since I don’t have the special slow cook function lid for the I.P.), but I want – no need! 😉 – to try your gorgeous looking recipe, Chungah.
Thanks.
I haven’t tried this in the IP using the slow cooker function myself but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! 🙂
I made it using the IP on slow cook function and it turned out great!
Loved this! It was so simple and Yummy! Even my 4 year old wanted seconds which is a miracle at her age.
I don’t do milk…so I doubled the recipe and added 3/4 milk to a 1/4 olive oil. – So good!
Great! You can also try coconut milk for next time. 🙂
We doubled the recipe for a larger crockpot, and it worked beautifully, although the cooking time on low heat was closer to 3 hours 15 minutes. I will say that we used 2 cups of heavy cream and about half a cup of butter in our doubled recipe because we found the tomato flavor to be a bit overpowering. We also used a lot more of the spices than the recipe called for, but we also like very spicy food. Thanks for the recipe!
Nice!! I bet it tasted even better due to the fact that you let it slowly cook and you just let those flavours infuse into the curry over a longer period of time. will have to make curries more often with slow cookers (: