Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
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Published Jan 25, 2022, Updated Sep 18, 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 chicken salad. 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 Shredded BBQ Chicken
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
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.
This recipe is fantastic! My husband declared it a keeper after the first few bites! I reduced the cayenne pepper to 1/8 tsp and even my 3 year old gobbled it up. I didn’t have time for the slow cooker, so I made it on the stovetop and it worked beautifully. I followed the instructions for making the sauce, but did it in a Dutch oven on the stove. After adding the liquid, I browned the chicken separately and then added it to the sauce to simmer. We are the green beans on the side. Delicious!
Oh yay, this makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to share your notes + leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I made this for dinner last night and my husband and I loved it. I forgot to add the green beans in soon enough, so I just steamed them separately. Thank you for sharing healthy low carb dinners.
Flavours are great in this, and feels like a real accomplishment making it from scratch! 👍
The only issue I have is I struggle to get a thicker sauce. I’ve made it three times now:
1. As per recipe
2. Substituting coconut milk with coconut cream and adding the cornflour
3. Same as 2, but also replacing the tomato sauce with tomato paste, and leaving the slow cooker on without the lid for an extra 15 minutes at the end to try to allow some evaporation.
Each time saw a slight improvement in thickness, however it’s still not as thick as I would like. Would love to hear any other tips and tricks people may have. This is the only reason I haven’t given 5 stars.
Hi Matt! Thanks so much for your feedback. Have you tried adding cornstarch or arrowroot powder when thickening?
Not one to comment on recipes but this was incredibly easy and even more delicious.
Thank you
I added the coconut cream at the very end as it as told it could split otherwise?
And used on the bone chicken because that’s what I had.
Happy MIL happy hubby and even my most strict critic (myself) was 100% happy
amazing
WOO! This is so great to hear, Luise. I am happy you gave this recipe a try and it turned out amazing for you. Thanks for taking the time to share your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
My family devoured this! Super simple to make and really flavorful. My kids enjoyed it over rice noodles (because everything tastes delicious to kids with noodles!) and my husband and I did basmati rice. Thank you! Will be making this often.
YUM! I am so glad you and the family loved this recipe and it turned out great for you, Kristen. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
My slow cooker is on the fritz! But we’re all craving this (it’s one of our favorites!) Can I just make on stovetop? How would I adjust the cooking times? Thanks!
Do you think there is a way I could just make the sauce and not have chicken? so I could use it as a topping on whatever meat or veggies I want? I’m thinking if I had leftover rotisserie chicken to top with this or a vegetarian dish.
Hi Grace – I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could make it on the stovetop without the chicken and just simmer for 20-30 minutes. Let me know how it turns out for you, enjoy!