Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
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Published Jan 25, 2022, Updated Apr 24, 2024
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This slow cooker dairy-free butter chicken is a lightened-up take on a classic Indian dish. Chicken breasts are cooked to juicy perfection in a creamy coconut milk and tomato sauce that’s packed with flavor.
In case you haven’t noticed, we LOVE Indian food over here! I basically add curry to everything. Prime example = my curried shakshuka. One of Isaac’s favorite Indian dishes is butter chicken so I took a stab at an EBF version and it’s so delicious! This is now on regular rotation in our house.
What is Butter Chicken?
Butter chicken is a traditional Indian dish made with chicken in a spiced tomato, butter and cream sauce. The butter and cream cut a lot of the spice so it’s a wonderfully balanced dish! I decided it would be fun to create an untraditional, lightened up version so my recipe doesn’t include butter or cream.
In traditional butter chicken recipes, the chicken is marinated in a yogurt mixture. I wanted this recipe to be 100% dairy-free so we’re using the coconut milk and skipping the marinating process altogether. Don’t worry, slow cooking ensures the meat has plenty of time to soak up lots of flavor from the spiced tomato sauce!
Side note: we have an awesome Indian restaurant in Richmond called Lehja that makes really delicious Indian cuisine. They’ll even make things dairy-free if you request it.
Ingredients Needed
- coconut oil – in place of the butter, we’re using coconut oil and it works like a charm! It provides the same robust richness as butter and works perfectly for sautéing.
- yellow onion, garlic and fresh ginger – create a wonderful savory base for the recipe. You’ll start by sautéing the onion, garlic and ginger in the coconut oil before adding to the slow cooker!
- spices – turmeric, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper. Even though there are a ton of spices in this dish, it isn’t necessarily spicy. If you don’t want it to be spicy at all, simply omit the cayenne powder.
- chicken breasts – boneless, skinless, chopped into chunks.
- full fat coconut milk – instead of using heavy cream we’re using coconut milk in the sauce. I recommend using canned, full fat coconut milk as opposed to coconut milk you find in a carton. Full fat canned coconut milk is thick and creamy and perfect for the base of this recipe.
- tomato sauce – canned tomato sauce is the other main liquid base of this recipe. It’ll transform with all of the spices you add to the dish.
- lemon juice – this might sound like a funny addition but lemon juice cuts through the rich flavors and brightens the dish.
- green beans – not in traditional butter chicken and completely optional but I love the added veggies! I used frozen green beans and thawed them before adding to the dish. They add another texture and volume to the final product but you also get a pop of color and additional nutrients!
- cilantro – I love serving this dish with fresh cilantro. Fresh herbs pack so much flavor!
How to Make Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Before adding everything to the slow cooker, you’ll sauté a few ingredients! Add oil to a large skillet and cook the onion and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add the fresh ginger, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cayenne and toss to combine. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. This roasts the spices a little bit and builds a deep, rich flavor which is perfect for the base of this recipe!
Transfer the onion mixture into your slow cooker and add the chicken, coconut milk, tomato sauce, lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Add the thawed green beans when there’s about 1 hour left in the cooking process. Serve butter chicken over cauliflower rice (or regular rice) with fresh cilantro and a wedge of lemon for squeezing.
pro tip! If you prefer a thicker sauce, whisk together 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot power with 2 Tablespoons water and add it to the slow cooker right before adding the green beans.
How to Serve Butter Chicken
I recommend serving this butter chicken over cauliflower rice with a heavy sprinkle of chopped cilantro, but it would be delicious with more traditional sides like basmati rice and naan. Here’s a homemade naan bread recipe if you’re looking for one. If you skip the green beans and are looking for a vegetable side dish to serve, this roasted broccoli or spinach salad would be delicious additions.
How to Store Leftovers
Want to know the best thing about this recipe? It gets better with time. We enjoyed this dish for dinner three nights in a row and each night was better than the previous. It stores so well! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you’re looking for longer storage, let the chicken cool completely and store in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, take the chicken out of the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw the night before you’re wanting to eat it.
More Indian-Inspired Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Tempeh Tikka Masala
- Mattar Tofu
- Curried Tempeh Salad
- Coconut Curried Eggplant
- Easy Channa Masala
- Mango Curry Trail Mix
- Chicken Curry With Vegetables
More Slow Cooker Recipes to Try
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Fajita Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Vegan Sweet and Sour Tempeh
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne, optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped into chunks
- 1 15 oz can full fat coconut milk
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups thawed frozen or fresh green beans, optional
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Add oil to a large skillet or saucepan and cook onion and garlic until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add fresh ginger, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cayenne and toss to combine. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. This step can be done in the base of your slow cooker if it allows.
- Transfer onion and garlic mixture into your slow cooker. Add chicken, coconut milk, tomato sauce, lemon juice and cinnamon stick to the slow cooker as well.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Add green beans when there's about 1 hour left in the cooking process.
- Serve butter chicken over cauliflower rice (or regular rice) with fresh cilantro and a wedge of lemon for squeezing.
Notes
- Thicker sauce: If you prefer your sauce thicker, whisk together 1 Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder with 2 Tablespoons water and add it to the slow cooker right before adding the green beans.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this dish two nights days ago. I followed everything except I accidentally grabbed Lite coconut milk instead of full fat I was nervous it would make it more thinner, since some other commenters were saying the sauce was thin, I didn’t have much of an issue. I did not add the cinnamon stick since it already calls for ground cinnamon and my sticks expired in 2019. Oof. It tasted great. I also wanted to share, I saw from another recipe somewhere, for thickening, if you take some of the actual sauce you’re using from the crockpot and mix it with like a tablespoon and a teaspoon of cornstarch (or whatever) in place of water and then pour it back in, that works great too. That’s what I did and do for soups and stuff. Also, a lot of people are worried about spice, I thought it was ideal. I have a 16, 14 yo twins and a 12 year old I used the cayenne (barely any anyway) and the chili powder (its not Cajun, not spicy) and it was just fine. Something else has a bite I don’t know if its the tumeric or garum but whatever, its super good. I did the green beans in it and the white jasmine on the side. Along with warmed Naan. Husband, everyone loved it. Way better than Patak’s jar stuff.
I have been looking for a dairy-free curry recipe and stumbled on this one today. This may be the best curry I have ever had and by far, the best I have ever made. I substituted peas for the green beans and was not disappointed. Thank you so much.
Wow! Thank you for your comment and review, Julie! So glad you like this recipe.
Very easy to throw together and super delicious!!
Yay! Glad to hear this was a success Heather! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Cooked this yesterday and it was delicious. I was worried about the consistency when it was in the slow cooker, but once it cooled down a bit, the sauce thickened and there was no need to add cornstarch.
Woo! So glad to hear that, Joanne. Glad this recipe was a hit. Thank you for sharing your review.
This was absolutely delicious. It was super easy.I use broccoli instead of green beans because it was what I had. I also used jasmine rice. It was so good, but everything I have ever had from this site has been incredible and repeated several times.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Katianne, and I appreciate you sharing your swaps, it helps to inspire other readers. Thank you for coming back to leave a review and star rating, I really appreciate it!
This is amazing! I recently found out I had allergies to a bunch of stuff and I have been struggling to find things that I can eat, that also taste good. This is a winner. I’ve been making it once a week and the kids and hubby love it as much as I do. Thank you!!
Woo! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe is a hit for you, Amber! I appreciate you coming back to leave a review, it means the world to me.
I loves this and thought the flavor was delicious. But, I couldn’t get it to thicken, even with extra arrowroot—any suggestions?
Hi, Jenny. The sauce isn’t supposed to get super thick for our version of this recipe. Though, I think traditionally it is thicker.
Absolutely amazing! I served to my family (hubby, kids ages 9,12,14) and everyone devoured it! I followed the recipe except skipped cayenne pepper. Served with instapot long brown rice, warmed naan bread, and steamed green beans. Will be a regular for us! Flavorful but not too spicy and perfect for my son who cannot have dairy.
Woo! I’m so glad to hear this recipe was a hit with your family, Ali! Thanks for making it and coming back to leave a review.
Made this just as outlined except for green beans as didn’t have them. It is very good. Will make again for sure.
Woo! So happy to hear that, Karen! Thanks for leaving a review, it means the world to me!
This is a wonderful dish! So delicious!! I will be making this again and again!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Lynda! Thank you for coming back to leave a review and star rating, I really appreciate it!