Almost everyone loves Indian food. In fact, it’s consistently ranked as one of the most popular cuisines in the world, recently placing No. 12 in Taste Atlas’ 100 Best Cuisines report. Yet it’s also one that people generally prefer to eat out — being ranked the “most difficult” cuisine to master in a 2021 British study of 2,000 adults. It may have something to do with the rarely used but key spices needed in Indian food, or even the fact that Indian food’s combination of flavors have nothing in common with each other — something science says actually enhances its appeal. But in case you have been avoiding making Indian food in your own home, we have good news: You can use your slow cooker to make an easy, delicious butter chicken.
While the origins of butter chicken, or chicken makhani, are the subject of much debate, there’s little doubt that it’s one of the world’s most popular Indian dishes, despite only appearing on menus since the 1950s. It consists of bite-sized pieces of chicken braised in a thick, buttery tomato sauce. This is precisely why a slow cooker is the ideal tool for preparing this dish. A low-and-slow cooking method keep the chicken moist. Chicken thighs, in particular, can stand up to slow cooking without becoming tough and rubbery like chicken breasts often do. Slow cooking also helps the spices meld and infuse into the chicken over several hours. The final result comes out creamy and flavorful, with minimal effort.
How to make butter chicken in the slow cooker
Recipes for slow-cooker butter chicken vary widely. Several call for searing the chicken with the spices or the full sauce in a skillet first before adding them to the slow cooker, while others only suggest cooking the onions in the skillet. Still others call for making the sauce in a separate bowl and then placing all ingredients, including the raw chicken pieces, into the slow cooker. With that said, searing the chicken first will brown and slightly crisp up the outside of the chicken pieces, which can add another layer of flavor. However, this also adds to the amount of hands-on time involved in making the dish. If you’re looking to save time on dinner prep by dumping everything into a slow cooker and walking away, there are a number of recipes out there for that method.
In general, a slow-cooker butter chicken recipe contains chicken thighs, coconut milk, garam masala, ginger, coriander and/or cilantro, garlic, onions, curry paste and/or powder, tomatoes, a dairy option — milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream — lime juice, and, of course, butter. Cooking times can vary, but, generally, you’ll cook the meat with the sauce on your cooker’s low setting for anywhere from three to six hours, or on high anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours. Serve it over rice or with plenty of naan (perfect for sopping up the sauce), and voila, you have delicious, easy butter chicken — and you never even had to put your shoes on.
