Restaurant Style Butter Chicken in Slow Cooker Recipe | ChefDeHome.com (2024)

How about coming home from work, and a restaurant quality Indian Butter Chicken dinner is waiting for you?! Sounds tempting? Isn't it? This is the charm of slow cooker, my friends. Today, I'm giving you one more reason to dust-off your slow cooker, for this easy Indian homemade Butter Chicken dinner!!

Ready to ditch the delivery?! :-)

If you like Indian Food, this Slow Cooked Butter Chicken will be your new family favorite! I promise!

Just like you, I also get so busy or lazy some days that it just not feel like to stand in kitchen. Specially these days, when Sun is shining so bright and my apartment kitchen is often 100+ degrees due to sun-facing from 2 directions. Since it is still little pleasant during early morning hours.... I love finishing the dinner prep in morning and then just enter kitchen for sometime in evening.... and dinner is ready! To fit my life-style, I have adapted many of Indian Curries or our other chicken dinner favorites, to cook in slow cooker.

Slow Cooker gives me option to serve my family homemade dinner... no matter how day goes! and that's one of the BEST thing in my book.

Restaurant Style Butter Chicken in Slow Cooker Recipe | ChefDeHome.com (1)

All effort needed to make this Butter Chicken is in blending the marinade and sauteing some onions in butter! Obviously! You can't have authentic Butter Chicken without butter. Right? However, butter chicken is not about butter and butter only... In-fact, it does not need a LOT of butter, at all!

I'm an instant cook and often, especially with curries, it all depends on available protein and mood! :) It all starts with phrase "Let's eat Butter Chicken Today!" Hence, no time to marinate chicken... So, I skip long marination. Just mixing marinate in chicken and then leaving on kitchen counter, while I slice onion, and saute. At the max, make breakfast tea for Vishal..... about 15-20 minutes and then I add chicken to the pan. And frankly, those 2-3 minutes in pan with butter, garam masala, and onions brings out lot of flavor. Plus slow cooking does the rest job for me. For the record, I never have missed long-marination in flavor.

Restaurant Style Butter Chicken in Slow Cooker Recipe | ChefDeHome.com (2)

Butter Chicken as name suggests, is Indian chicken main course, cooked in butter and Indian spices.... because butter and spices make everything taste better! :) These two key components are must to make a delicious Butter Chicken. However, you don't need a stick of butter to make butter chicken flavorful.Butter does add distinct flavor, but there are also other ingredients that make Butter Chicken so flavorful.

Garam Masala is one main STAR spice (spice blend) used in classic Butter Chicken. This only spice is king of Indian Spices and adds ton of flavor!Just like Italian Herb De Provence or Chinese Five Spice, Indian Garam Masala is blend of potent Indian spices that alone can make or break a dish!

So, to get restaurant style flavor in Butter Chicken, you have to add one main Indian spice - Garam Masala, to it!

Few other ingredients that give Butter Chicken, a lush and creamy, restaurant like texture are tomatoes, almonds, yogurt, and finishing touch of little heavy cream. A very complex tasting dish sums up in these simple ingredients..... Each of these equally contribute to that addictive "restaurant-style" creamy and fragrant chicken.

TIP: I avoid using a lot of butter... However, just before serving, you can add a teaspoon of salted butter in hot bowl of Butter Chicken, for that extra punch of flavor.... exactly like it is served in restaurants. :)

Restaurant Style Butter Chicken in Slow Cooker Recipe | ChefDeHome.com (3)

This butter chicken recipe is very simple. Also, I have kept method of preparation very simple and standard. You can say, this recipe has evolved over-time from my earlier Butter Chicken recipe. From standard I mean, using this recipe, now you can make butter chicken, at home, with any cooking method of your choice.

1. Slow Cooker - Follow the recipe instructions as-is below.
2. Oven - Follow up-to step 4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After step 4, transfer the chicken to an oven-prove dish, cover with aluminium foil or a heat-safe lid, cook in oven for 25 minutes, then uncover lid and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Stove Top:Follow up-to step 4 using a deep heavy bottom pan (like a dutch oven) instead of a saute pan. Then add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook covered on medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

You know, after looking at so tempting pictures, I'm drooling and famished too! Time to grab some lunch! You all have a great day! - Savita

Restaurant Style Butter Chicken in Slow Cooker Recipe | ChefDeHome.com (4)

Homemade Naan or Rice are quintessential side for Indian Butter Chicken Dinner!!! Here as few recipes for you:

Restaurant Style Butter Chicken in Slow Cooker Recipe | ChefDeHome.com (2024)

FAQs

Should you put raw chicken in a slow cooker? ›

Yes, you most certainly can cook raw meat in the slow cooker! You put it in “cold”, with whatever liquid your recipe calls for, turn it on either “low” or “high” depending on your recipe (I usually start it on “high” for a couple hours, then turn it to “low”), and in 6–7–8 hours, it's now COOKED meat!

Does chicken breast get softer the longer you cook it in a slow cooker? ›

The connective tissue is turned to gelatin after slow cooking in moist heat for several hours. That is why tough meats become “fork tender” in the slow cooker.

Why do you brown chicken before putting in slow cooker? ›

Sear the Chicken Before Adding It to the Slow Cooker

A caramelized piece of meat will always taste better in your dish.

How long does chicken stay in the crockpot on high? ›

Cover your crock pot and cook chicken breasts on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. Use chicken in your favorite recipes. Perfect for shredding!

Is it better to cook chicken on high or low in crockpot? ›

Always cook your boneless skinless chicken breasts on LOW for the best results. I do not recommend cooking boneless chicken breast on HIGH, as it will become very dry and tough, even if you check it early. On high, the chicken turns out drier; I consistently have the best results with low.

Should chicken be covered in liquid in slow cooker? ›

When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full. Follow the manufacturer's recipes and directions for best results.

Why is my chicken rubbery after crockpot? ›

Aside from accidentally overcooking the meals, the most common reason we see for tough, rubbery, or overdone chicken is customers using a Crockpot that is far too big. Each of our meals comes with a recommended slow cooker size.

How long can you leave chicken in the crockpot on low? ›

You certainly can, the meat will simply fall to bits, which might be desirable for some recipes like “Chicken and Dumplings” which will take 8–12 hours on “Low” setting. As long as the temperature remains above 140 F you can leave your chicken in the cooker all day but try to avoid more than 12 hours…

Why does chicken get rubbery in slow cooker? ›

It's easy to throw in an Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup or shred it in Healthy Chicken Enchiladas. Rubbery chicken is usually an indicator of overcooked chicken. The longer the chicken cooks, the more moisture it loses, and without moisture, the protein fibers become elastic, AKA rubbery.

Should I flip chicken in slow cooker? ›

Should you flip the chicken in the slow cooker? No, all you need to do is add all the ingredients into the slow cooker, cover and cook. Chicken is such a delicious, versatile and healthy option and there are a variety of ways to cook it.

How long does it take for chicken to cook in the crockpot? ›

Cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove lid and let chicken cool for 10 minutes or so before shredding (so we don't burn ourselves!) Use two forks to shred the chicken right in the crockpot. The chicken will absorb any liquid in the pot as you shred it.

How do you keep chicken from drying out in a slow cooker? ›

To prevent poultry from drying out, use chicken thighs—they have more fat and won't dry out as quickly, says Finlayson. Cook thighs for about 6 hours and breasts for a maximum of 5 hours on low heat.

Is it OK to leave chicken in crockpot on warm overnight? ›

Don't leave it on 'warm' all day

Most appliances will automatically shut off after 20 or so hours on this setting, but you shouldn't leave food in a slow cooker for an extended length of time. The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm.

Can I leave chicken in crockpot for 8 hours? ›

You're going to compromise the texture of chicken a bit when you cook it for 8 hours in the slowcooker. It's going to be super tender, but not “sliceable”, so use this to your advantage and shred the meat using two forks and toss it with the cooking liquid.

Can you slow cook chicken for 8 hours? ›

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker, and sprinkle with seasonings (and liquid, if using). Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork. (*If making a smaller batch, keep an eye on your slow cooker as the chicken will likely need less cooking time.)

What should you not cook in a slow cooker? ›

​11 things you shouldn't put in your slow cooker
  1. Lean meats. ...
  2. Raw meat. ...
  3. Too much liquid. ...
  4. Delicate vegetables. ...
  5. Too much spice. ...
  6. Dairy. ...
  7. Too much booze. ...
  8. Meat that has the skin on.
Oct 12, 2022

When not to cook raw chicken? ›

If the color of your raw chicken begins looking duller, cook it immediately and do not wait any longer to use it. Check to see if any fatty parts have turned yellow or bright yellow, too. Fat with bright yellow spots is another sign chicken is no longer safe to eat.

How do you keep chicken from getting watery in a slow cooker? ›

okay, secondly, you can put a tea towel under the lid. that will capture some of the moisture, it stops it circulating in the slow cooker. and then thirdly, you can use a corn flour slurry, so into a bowl, a little bit of corn flour, cold water, mix it with your finger, pour it in, stir it. you're done.

Does cooking chicken in a slow cooker make it tough? ›

Those slow cooker cook times tend to work for the proper cook time, but every slow cooker runs a bit differently so you'll need to adjust for yours. But, I will say chicken (and most other meats) do best when cooked on LOW. I find that if you cook at high temperatures the chicken can become a bit tough or rubbery.

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