How to Cook Butter Chicken in a Slow Cooker
Inspired by my favorite Instant Pot Butter Chicken, this recipe is as easy and flavorful as possible. All you have to do to get started is sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Then you add it to the bowl of your slow cooker, along with the rest of the ingredients.
Chicken cooks surprisingly fast in a slow cooker, so it can be ready in less than 2 hours if you want to prepare this right after work, while you’re getting something else done around the house. You can also let it simmer longer on low heat, if you want to prepare this over a lunch break and have dinner waiting for you when you get home from work. Either way, it’s easy and delicious!
What Makes this Recipe Healthy?
Traditional butter chicken recipes call for heavy cream and butter, so this version is made healthier by using canned coconut milk for dairy-free creaminess. No butter or dairy is needed, but feel free to make substitutions based on what you have on hand. Cashew cream would work here, too!
If you’d rather make a vegetarian version of this meal, you can use cooked chickpeas or canned jackfruit that has been rinsed really well. Since both of these options are already cooked, they can simmer in the sauce as long as you’d like them to, but I’d recommend at least 1 1/2 hours so that the flavors can develop.
How Long Does it Take Raw Chicken to Cook in a Slow Cooker?
Slow cooker timing can vary based on the size of your machine and how full it is. If the individual chicken breasts are under 2-inches thick and are not piled on top of each other, they will usually reach a safe internal temperature of 165ºF in about 3 hours on a low setting, or in 1 1/2 hours on a high setting.
Thicker chicken breasts will take longer to cook and thinner ones will cook faster, but one thing I’ve noticed about cooking chicken in a slow cooker is that it still remains tender, even if you over-cook it past the 165ºF temperature. When I checked on my chicken after 3 hours in this photo, the chicken reached nearly 200ºF and was still very tender when I shredded it and added it back into the sauce.
If you’re not able to check on the Butter Chicken in your slow cooker right away, this recipe is pretty forgiving. Which is the whole point of using a slow cooker, right? Serve the finished dish with cooked white rice, or cauliflower rice for a Paleo and grain-free dish, along with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience. – Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite thing to cook in a slow cooker? Let me know if you have any requests!
