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Turn plain chicken into this delicious Crockpot Butter Chicken Recipe. Your family will enjoy this flavorful and creamy sauce with tons of curry flavor and more. Enjoy over rice for a simple but fantastic weeknight dinner.

Butter Chicken on white rice in a bowl
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Do you love Indian food but need to save money and make it at home? Try this easy Crock Pot Butter Chicken Recipe. Not only will it save a ton of money but it is SO simple in the crock pot.

Make sure to also check out this other family favorite recipe – Crock Pot Beef Curry Recipe.

Why This Recipe Works

We love this slow cooker chicken recipe. The creamy sauce that the chicken cooks in gives it so much flavor. It cooks with amazing flavor and even better served over rice and topped with fresh cilantro for delicious meal idea.

Make this simple ingredient recipe that the whole family will love.

Ingredients

Butter Chicken Ingredients - cooked rice, chicken stock, tomato paste, curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt, chicken thighs, onion, minced garlic, ginger, heavy cream, brown sugar, lime
  • Cooked Rice
  • Chicken Stock
  • Tomato Paste
  • Yellow Curry Powder
  • Garam Masala
  • Ground Turmeric
  • Salt
  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • Onion, diced
  • Minced Garlic
  • Ground Ginger
  • Heavy Cream
  • Brown Sugar
  • Lime, juiced

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Variations Ideas

  • Chicken – You can make this recipe with chicken breast or chicken tenders.
  • Coconut Milk – Substitute the heavy cream with coconut milk for a delicious swap.
  • Spices – The spices can easily be changed to what you prefer. We have used cloves garlic instead of minced garlic. Add in a ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a hint of spice.

Step by Step Instructions

Combining the sauce in a bowl with a wooden spoon

Step 1 – In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, tomato paste, curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt and pepper.

Placing chicken in the slow cooker and topped with the sauce ingredients

Step 2 – Place chicken, onion, garlic and ginger into a 4-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken stock mixture.

Pouring the heavy cream into the cooked butter chicken in the slow cooker

Step 3 – 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.

Cooked butter chicken in the slow cooker

Step 4 – Serve and enjoy immediately with rice.

Recipe Tips

  • Chicken – When we make this recipe, we like to go ahead and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. But if you prefer you can cook the chicken whole and then shred it with a hand mixer or two forks.
  • Combining Ingredients – We like to combine the seasoning and sauces together in a separate bowl before pouring over chicken in the slow cooker. This helps to completely combine everything.
  • Heavy Cream – Add in the heavy cream, lime juice and brown sugar towards the end of cooking time. This helps to keep the sauce creamy.
Close up image of butter chicken over white rice in a bowl with a wooden spoon

Serving Suggestions

This traditional butter chicken recipe is delicious served over Instant pot White Rice Recipe. You can even serve over basmati rice or cauliflower rice. To make sure you get all the sauce, make sure to serve with a side of warm naan bread.

This flavorful dish is a twist on a classic chicken recipe. If you make a lot of chicken recipes like we do, then you this recipe is for you.

Close up image of butter chicken in a slow cooker with a wooden spoon

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you thicken butter chicken in a crock pot?

You can make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce in the butter chicken. You typically want to use one parts cornstarch to 2 parts water to form the slurry.
Add to the slow cooker to thicken the sauce if desired.

How long can butter chicken be frozen?

This makes a great freezer meal and can be frozen up to 3 months.

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. When you are ready to serve again, reheat in the microwave in 1 minute intervals until heated through.

More Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

If you love this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review. We love to hear from you.

Crock pot butter chicken recipe

4.93 from 14 votes
Turn plain chicken into delicious Crock pot butter chicken recipe. Your family will enjoy this flavorful and creamy sauce with curry flavor and more.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6
Cuisine Indian
Course Main Course
Calories 422

Ingredients

  • 2 cup cooked rice
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 6 oz. tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 lime juiced
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Instructions

  • 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.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 422kcal, Carbohydrates 25g, Protein 36g, Fat 19g, Saturated Fat 10g, Cholesterol 152mg, Sodium 833mg, Potassium 960mg, Fiber 2g, Sugar 4g, Vitamin A 1061IU, Vitamin C 12mg, Calcium 58mg, Iron 2mg

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

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Comments

  1. Carrie Barnard says:

    I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

  2. Catherine says:

    We absoultly LOVE this recipe. My husband asked for it only two days later.
    This has been shared with my Daughter and my sister . We All Love the spices and the tenderness of the chicken. No butter in the recipe, cuz once you taste this chicken and how tender it is It melts in your mouth like Butter. Love this Thank You Aloha

  3. Kathryn Canty says:

    5 stars
    I could not get over how delicious this recipe is! It smells so good, and the flavor is so unique.

  4. Jennifer says:

    4 stars
    Great recipe. I wasn’t sure about making it at first. I’m not usually a fan of anything with curry. This was actually really good. One of my daughter’s favorite.

  5. MICHELLE L BAKER says:

    5 stars
    One of the family favorites!

  6. Carrie says:

    I’m sorry about that Donna. I have updated the recipe, it’s 1 Tbsp brown sugar for this recipe. Thank you!

  7. Donna says:

    I also noticed no brown sugar listed in the ingredient list. Can we find out how much to use?

  8. Deanna says:

    How much brown sugar is used, it’s not listed as an ingredient, but it is included with the heavy cream and lime juice