Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Making Indian food the truly authentic way could take a whole weekend and I don’t have that kind of time. But I LOVE the flavors too much not to try to make simpler versions of my favorite dishes. The Chicken Makhni (aka Butter Chicken) from The Chutney Life cookbook was literally life changing. I knew I was going to want it again and again, but sadly this “weekend project” as Palak calls it just isn’t doable with a one-year-old. 

So I had to adapt it into something less time-consuming and that’s where my slow cooker comes in! I took the liberty of taking the core elements of butter chicken, removing the hard to find ingredients, and letting the flavors build in the slow cooker to give it that classic lazy girl factor almost all my recipes have.

You can find all the essentials like my slow cooker, cutting board, spices and more I used for this recipe here!

Watch Me Make Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Table of Contents

Butter Chicken vs Tikka Masala
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make It
Storing and Reheating
Tips
Reasons to Love It
Butter Chicken Recipe

Butter Chicken vs Chicken Tikka Masala

Sometimes butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are confused as the same thing, but there are some key differences between the two. In butter chicken (Murgh Makhani), the key ingredients for the sauce are tomatoes, butter, cream, and a mix of spices like garam masala and fenugreek. This creates a rich, creamy, and slightly sweet sauce. For chicken tikka masala, the sauce also includes tomatoes but is made with onions, cream, and a blend of spices such as garam masala, paprika, and turmeric. This sauce tends to be tangier and slightly spicier compared to butter chicken. It’s also not quite as luscious.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Chicken

Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts.

Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Jalapeño

The onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño really help build a lot of flavor into the sauce. The jalapeño is totally optional depending on how spicy or mild you want it. You could also use other chiles like serranos. Seed the chiles for less heat or leave them in for more heat.

Tomato Paste

Any kind of plain tomato paste works in this recipe.

Honey

Honey adds just a touch of sweetness to balance all the flavors. You can sub brown sugar or coconut sugar instead.

Butter

I use unsalted butter to make sure I can control the level of salt in the dish, but if you prefer salted, that works too! Since this is called Butter Chicken, getting good butter makes a difference.

Heavy Cream

This helps the sauce get thick and creamy as it simmers in the slow cooker.

Spices

For my spice mixture, I use garam masala, cumin, coriander, bay leaves, and cinnamon (1 stick or ¼ tsp ground cinnamon). Star anise and kasuri methi are optional. Some of these spices might be easier to find than others.

Garam Masala is an Indian spice mix that brings warmth by blending spices like cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and more, adding a rich, cozy flavor. Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is a go-to in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking with a unique herbal taste—kinda earthy and a bit bitter—that’s perfect for boosting the flavors in curries and veggies.

You can totally find garam masala at most grocery stores, but if you’re not near an Indian market, getting your hands on kasuri methi might be more of a challenge. You can order garam masala and kasuri methi online.

Storing and Reheating Butter Chicken

You can store your slow cooker butter chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat leftovers, microwave each portion in a microwave-safe bowl for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so to ensure it heats through evenly.

Health Benefits of Butter Chicken

• Chicken Breasts: Lean protein, supports muscles and provides essential amino acids.
• Onions, Garlic, Ginger, Jalapeño: Antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, boosting immunity.
• Tomato Paste: High in antioxidants like lycopene, can protect against diseases and support heart health.
• Honey: Contains antioxidants and antimicrobial properties.
• Spices (Garam Masala, Cumin, Coriander, Black Pepper): Aid digestion, provide antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Kasuri Methi: Antioxidants, digestion aid, and heart health support.

Tips for Making the Best Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

• The fresher your spices, the stronger their flavors will come through in the sauce. Old spices that have been sitting in the pantry for a while start to lose their flavor and aroma after a few months.
• You can either cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, which is more authentic, or you can put the chicken thighs or breasts in the slow cooker whole and shred it in the sauce once it’s cooked. 
• To save time on prep and give the sauce a smoother texture, add the onion, ginger, garlic, and jalapeño to a food processor instead of chopping by hand.
• Adding the cooked tomato mixture to a blender or pureeing with an immersion blender will give your sauce a much smoother, silkier, more authentic texture, even though it is a little more work.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Using a slow cooker to make Butter Chicken is a great way to build a lot of flavor with a lot less effort than what authentic Indian food usually requires.
• Aside from the spices, most of which you probably already have on hand, there really aren’t that many ingredients in this recipe.
• This recipe totally proves that easy recipes don’t have to compromise deep flavor.
• I love a slow cooker meal any time of year because it allows me to prep my dinner in the morning or mid-day so that when dinnertime comes around, all I have to do is serve it up! It saves me so much time and stress.

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