Description
Creamy, comforting crockpot butter chicken simmered in a rich spiced tomato-butter sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced (1½ cups)
- 1 tbsp ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced or crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted preferred
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, sliced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
- naan and cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
1. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add oil, then sauté onion, garlic, and ginger until golden, 3–6 minutes.
2. Add paprika, cumin, turmeric, salt, garam masala, and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly 1–3 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add tomatoes, scrape the pan, and transfer mixture to the Crockpot once slightly cooled.
4. Trim excess fat from chicken thighs. Add to the Crockpot and coat with sauce.
5. Cover and cook on High 2½–4 hours or Low 4–6 hours, until chicken reaches 165°F.
6. Remove chicken and blend the sauce using an immersion or regular blender until smooth.
7. Stir in butter and heavy cream until the sauce is silky and cohesive.
8. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces, return to sauce, stir in cilantro, and serve hot with rice or naan.
Notes
For meal prep, divide into portions and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
If sauce is too thin, uncover and simmer 15 minutes to reduce.
For dairy-free, replace cream with coconut cream and butter with vegan butter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 3329mg
- Fat: 39g
- Saturated Fat: 20g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 10.8g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 423mg