Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

The combination of spices plus a hint of citrus goodness make this Butter Chicken totally delicious!  Easy, simple, tried and tested recipe made in your slow cooker!

Every time our friend Samuel comes to the US for a visit he brings with him some delicious spices from his beloved country India!! One time he brought back with him nearly a kilo (2+ pounds) worth of authentic and homemade curry powder made by his mom. Wow! That was and still is, for me, the best curry powder ever, It was vibrant, spicy and made everything I add it to totally yummy! As a result, I have been cooking curry a lot and, as you can imagine, using it a lot, too. What I love about it is that it's so robust in flavor that even a mere teaspoon can truly do wonders to any dish that needs curry powder.

He came again for a visit and just left this morning. Before he left, he gave us another big load of curry powder plus cardamom pods and other spices - my yearly supply from India! We will miss his company especially the kids who enjoy talking and playing with him. Thankfully, every time we make a curry dish, we will remember him and his mom and their kindness for sharing with us their homemade spices!

Certainly, this butter chicken is made with that yummy curry powder! But don't fret, if you're not able to get freshly made curry powder from India as you can certainly use any good quality curry powder for this. It is actually the combination of different spices that give this dish it's delicious flavor. I have been experimenting a bit on what kind of spices to add here and I finally got a good combo for this - curry powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cumin and paprika -- it may seem a lot but these spices are pretty common to find and would often be in anyone's pantry anyway. These spices, plus the butter, freshly pureed or crushed tomatoes and a little squeeze of lemon juice truly give the dish a palate-pleasing flavor! Feel free to use either yogurt, heavy cream or coconut milk for this - whatever suits your diet. We've tried them all and they're all good - simply adjust the amount to your taste and let the measurement be a guide. I don't add too much as I don't want the taste to be diluted. Most of all, it's made in the slow cooker so prep and cooking is truly a breeze! Enjoy and serve with basmati rice or naan bread!!

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken

By: Manila Spoon
Published: 03/27/2017

The combination of spices plus a hint of citrus goodness make this Butter Chicken totally delicious! Easy, simple, tried and tested recipe made in your slow cooker!

Ingredients

• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 2.2 pounds (1 kilo) skinless but bone-in chicken thighs ((boneless are fine but they tend to fall apart)
• 3 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons each red Curry powder, ground Cumin and ground Paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground Ginger
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt, or adjust to taste
• Ground Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons brown Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons Butter, sliced
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups freshly pureed or canned crushed Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup plain Yogurt or (1 cup heavy cream or coconut milk or adjust to taste)
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice (half a lemon or more to taste)

Instructions

1. Place the sliced onions at the bottom of the slow cooker. Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer on top.
2. Sprinkle all over with the spices (ground cinnamon, cumin, curry powder, paprika and ground ginger). Season with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Distribute the sliced butter all over.
3. Pour the crushed or pureed tomato all over. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or until the chicken is cooked and tender.
4. Uncover and stir in the yogurt, cream or coconut milk (whichever you prefer to use). Gently stir. Cook for another 30 minutes or until the sauce is fully heated through. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon (or to taste) all over. Serve with basmati rice and naan bread!

Yield: 6-8 Servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 07 hrs. 00 mins.
Total time: 7 hrs. 10 mins.
Tags: Slow Cooker, Butter, Chicken, Indian, Asian, Food, Recipe, Dinner