Slow Cooker Butter Chicken With Tomato Cream Curry Sauce
By Ethan Parker
Prep
45 min
Cook
420 min
Total
465 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Choose boneless chicken breasts or thighs cut into two-inch cubes; the yogurt marinade seasons the meat before slow cooking and helps it stay tender. This slow cooker butter chicken pairs seasoned chicken with a tomato, evaporated milk, and heavy cream curry sauce that cooks up rich and creamy.
Plain Greek yogurt brings mellow acidity to the chicken marinade, while fresh ginger, garlic powder, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, red chili powder, and paprika build its spice base. Brown the marinated chicken in batches before it enters the cooker. In the same skillet, butter, onion, garlic, ginger, spices, and sugar form the sauce foundation before tomato sauce and evaporated milk are added.
The chicken should brown on both sides in the skillet rather than steam, so avoid crowding the pan. During the long cook, the tomato sauce, dairy, and spices meld around the chicken. Stir in the heavy cream about 30 minutes before the end, as directed. Adding cream or butter too early, or cooking the sauce too long after adding them, can make the sauce separate.
Serve the saucy chicken with rice and naan for soaking up the tomato cream sauce. The source notes that leftovers are especially good the next day, and extra sauce can be useful when reheating or spooned over tacos, pasta, or bread.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Greek yogurt, fresh ginger, and layered dried spices give the chicken a seasoned base before slow cooking, so the flavor is built into each cube.
- Boneless chicken breasts or thighs both work here, letting shoppers choose the cut available while keeping the recipe centered on tender two-inch pieces.
- Good unsalted butter, tomato sauce, evaporated milk, and heavy cream make a substantial curry sauce from a concise pantry-and-dairy ingredient list.
- Fresh onion, garlic, and ginger are sautéed in the skillet, giving the sauce a bold aromatic base before it spends hours in the cooker.
- The recipe uses garam masala twice, once in the marinade and once in the sauce, so one spice blend carries flavor through every stage.
- Leftover sauce goes further than one dinner because the source suggests using extra when reheating or serving it over tacos, pasta, or bread.
Ingredients
- •2 lb chicken breasts or thighs (cut into 2-inch cubes)
- •1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- •1 tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
- •1 tsp garlic powder
- •1 tbsp garam masala
- •1 tsp turmeric
- •1 tsp ground cumin
- •1 tsp red chili powder
- •1 tsp paprika
- •1 tsp salt
- •2 tbsp olive oil
- •2 tbsp butter
- •1 large onion (diced)
- •5 cloves garlic (minced)
- •1 tbsp ginger (minced)
- •1 tsp ground cumin
- •1 tsp garam masala
- •1 tsp paprika
- •1 tsp red chili powder
- •1 tbsp sugar
- •14 oz tomato sauce
- •1.25 tsp salt (or to taste)
- •black pepper (to taste)
- •1 cup evaporated milk
- •0.5 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- 1
Combine the chicken pieces with all marinade ingredients in a bowl or large ziplock bag, cover, and refrigerate to marinate overnight or for at least 30 minutes.
- 2
Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in batches without crowding the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until browned on each side.
- 3
Add the butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add the garlic, onion, and ginger, then add the paprika, sugar, red chili powder, garam masala, and cumin; cook for 1 minute.
- 4
Pour the sauce into the slow cooker and stir in the browned chicken. Add the evaporated milk, tomato sauce, salt, and black pepper to taste.
- 5
Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in the heavy cream about 30 minutes before the cooking time ends.
- 6
Serve the butter chicken with rice and naan.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
368
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