My kids love butter chicken but before we all decided that butter was a good thing (happy days), I used to panic at the thought of them eating it. It just sounds so… lardy.
Then I discovered that butter chicken needn’t have butter in it at all to taste great. In fact, this version of butter chicken is actually rather good for you. Served up with some homemade naan and a little tomatoey/ cucumbery/ rockety salad, you’d be hard-pressed to fault it at all. Oh, who am I kidding, lately if food isn’t conjured out of activated green air, someone, manyone,is going to find fault with it.
But our whole family likes this dish just as much as they like theone made by our local Indian restaurant. I can also put it into the slow cooker before a busy afternoon strangles anychance of a decent dinner. Both these things count for an awful lot in my book.
Slow-cooker butter chicken (that tastes like the real deal)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1kg chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
2 tbsp mild curry powder
3 tbsp tandoori paste
2 tsp garam masala
1 cup tomato paste
10 green cardoman pods
1 can (400ml) coconut milk (can use lite if you prefer)
1 cup natural Greek yoghurt (can use lite if you prefer)
Heat the oil in a large fry pan to medium heat. Throw in the chicken thighs and onion and cook gently until just starting to colour.
Now add the curry powder, tandoori paste, tomato paste, garam masala and cook for 2 minutes, turning continuously. Pour the lot into the slow cooker and stir a little.
Pour the coconut milk, yoghurt and half a cup of water on top of the chicken mix and stir to combine. Add the cardoman pods and stir lightly.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Remove the cardoman pods (if you can be bothered, otherwise the kids will find them for you quick smart!) and serve over a bed of rice. You can add some homemade naan bread for sopping up all of that delicious sauce.
Freeze any leftovers for another rushed day – will keep for about a month.
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Click here for a super-easy recipe for homemade naan bread.
Homemade naan! Who even am I?!
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Mandy Barbie Bieber and Beyond says
Yum Bron, that looks delish. Slow cooking is my favourite.. Love getting home and dinner is just about done.
Maxabella says
I totally agree. The ONLY trouble with this recipe is that it’s more of an ‘afternoon into evening’ slow cook job. It’s only 3-4 hours in the slow cooker. So not one to set in the morning and forget about. Are most chicken recipes like that? x
Shannon @ Oh Creative Day says
My hubby is mad for butter chicken. I think I may leave this post open on his desktop to reinforce my argument on why I need a slow cooker…… thanks for the scrumptious recipe.
Maxabella says
You definitely need a slow cooker. I probably use mine once a fortnight, which I think is pretty good. GREAT for making soups especially. x
Jodie@Fresh Home Cook says
This looks so delish Bron! I love butter chicken so much. My slow cooker gets so much use during Winter – such a fab machine!
I find leaving the chicken thighs whole allows me to cook them for longer, along with a bit of extra liquid.
Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
Curry and the slow cooker – two of my favourite things! And I love that it’s freezer friendly. I can’t wait to try!
Belinda @ bindybee says
I love butter chicken too but always feel a bit guilty eating it. This version sounds great!
Kate (Kate's Weekend Kitchen) says
OMG! LOVE LOVE LOVE! I will be trying this on the weekend. The other half loves curry. Thanks for the great recipe 😀 Kate
Helen K says
Guess what we had for dinner??? (My husband and you must be on the same wavelength, as he prepared this last night, but still, a slow cooker recipe). Slightly different recipe though, one he found on line which I now see is from Nicole at http://Planningwithkids.com (blogger recipes abound – we’ll have to do a comparison with yours next week!) x
Mother Down Under says
Perfect timing…I was just thinking about what to cook next week…butter chicken it is!
Lizzie {Strayed Table} says
Looks amazing and the naan bread is super easy too, I have been looking for a cheats version instead of an overnight one. Going to be adding this to the menu this week. Have a great weekend.
Maxabella says
The naan is really good. It’s hard to work with the sticky dough, but totally worth it. x
Lauren @ Create Bake Make says
Isn’t it sad how people just seem to enjoy looking for faults? I’ve always given our boys butter right from when they were bubs and we needed to get some good ‘fat’ into them. This look really yummy, and I love that it can be frozen too.
Thanks for linking up with us this week, have a great weekend x
Maxabella says
I think lots of people have just forgotten that food is food. If you eat ‘real’ food and not processed crap you can’t really go wrong. I think our bodies instinctively know what they need and sadly it’s not a mars bar. x
Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life says
Have saved this recipe for making this weekend! Yum! Our family loves butter chicken too!
Maxabella says
Let me know how it goes down, Ingrid! x
Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life says
I made this last night. The family loved it, as expected. This recipe will now be on high rotation in our household. Thank you 🙂
Maxabella says
Awesome! Thanks for checking back in, Ingrid. It’s always so good to hear when families like the same food we do!! x
jess says
Looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it!
But 3-4hrs on low? I usually do chicken 3-4hrs on high. But I could be overcooking, let me know!
My husband loves butter chicken so much but we rarely get it takeaway. This way I can make it healthy, fab.
Maxabella says
You’ll note in the recipe that you are pretty much cooking the chicken for more than 2 minutes in the pan, so by the time you throw it in the slow cooker, it’s almost cooked through anyway. The pieces are not chunky. If you wanted to cook it for longer on low you can just put larger thigh pieces in (same for high for 3-4 hours, I reckon). x
Monique@The Urban Mum says
My kids LOVE Butter Chicken and I am falling more in love with my slow cooker (vege soup yesterday). I hadn’t thought to combine the curry/cooker love – fabulous suggestion – thank you. Xx
Rachael says
I love butter chicken! We cook it often and I love finding new ways to keep iton the healthy side. Hands down, one of my favourite dishes. Thankyou!