Slow Cooker Butter Chicken uses pantry spices, and has all the creamy deep flavors you’d expect from your favorite Indian restaurant.
This is not your average Chicken Dinner recipe! Making Indian Butter Chicken is even easier in the slow cooker, and it will make you want to try Easy Tandoori Chicken or Slow Cooker Tikka Masala Chicken next.
Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken is the perfect recipe to make when you’re in a hurry but also in the mood for something different. When cooking Asian or Indian cuisines, you’ll often find that the spices you need are unique, expensive and not readily available. This recipe uses common pantry spices like cumin, paprika, cinnamon and cayenne along with easy to find ingredients like canned tomato sauce, fresh cream, jalapeño and cilantro, to provide layers of rich authentic flavor without searching for obscure ingredients.
This delicious Indian Recipe can be served over steamed rice as a main dish. Pair with Easy Vegetable Biryani, Saag Paneer, and Indian Raita for an easy and delicious Indian feast! And if you’re looking for an amazing Naan to go with it, check out this Homemade Naan from Domestic Superhero.
What is Butter Chicken?
Butter Chicken, also called Murgh Makhani, is an Indian dish made of chicken marinated and tenderized in yogurt and spices. It is then cooked and served with a creamy, slightly spicy tomato based curry sauce. Butter Chicken is similar to Chicken Tikka Masala, which also uses a creamy sauce with tomatoes and spices. Butter Chicken does not include onions and tomatoes that are usually in Tikka Masala sauce, and this slow cooker recipe makes it easy to cook the chicken and sauce together instead of in two steps.
How to Make Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
- The night before cooking, add the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, salt and whole chicken breasts to a large ziplock bag. Zip the bag closed and work the mixture into the chicken until all incorporated, then refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, scrape off a majority of the marinade that is on the chicken and discard it. You’ll have plenty of the second sauce to keep the food moist and provide enough sauce. Cut the chicken into two inch chunks.
- When you’re ready to cook the chicken, add the butter, garlic and jalapeño into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl add the 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, tomato sauce and heavy cream and stir to combine. Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Stir the cornstarch into the one tablespoon of water and add to the slow cooker and stir (stir and pour quickly since you’re using more cornstarch than water it will settle quickly). Then cook for an additional 20 minutes on high.
- Top with cilantro before serving over basmati rice.
More Homemade Indian Food Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe does not include this extra step, however it will always add more flavor if you take the time to do so. Brown the chicken quickly on a high heat before cutting into chunks (don’t worry about it cooking through, that is the slow cooker’s job).
Sauté the jalapeño and garlic in the butter in a saucepan before adding the sauce ingredients into it. Yes, a second pan – but it will make an even more awesome flavor if you’d like to take the extra step.
If you want to skip the cornstarch, scoop out the sauce and reduce it in a saucepan while you’re setting the table before dinner. Again, second pan but another trick for an additional layer of flavor.Â
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Key Ingredients in Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
- Chicken: Use a good quality boneless skinless chicken breast for Slow Cooker Butter Chicken. Usually we don’t recommend chicken breasts for slow cooker recipes because it can become overcooked. However, the combination of the yogurt marinade and creamy butter sauce will keep your chicken tender and moist.
- Yogurt Marinade: You’ll let the chicken tenderize overnight in a mixture of yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt. This infuses tons of moisture and flavor into the chicken.
- Butter Sauce: After discarding the marinade, the chicken will cook slowly in a creamy sauce made with butter, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, paprika, salt, tomato sauce, and heavy cream. Towards the end of cooking, you’ll add a cornstarch slurry to thicken and finish the sauce, and garnish with bright fresh cilantro for serving.
Stovetop Indian Butter Chicken
- The night before cooking, add the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, salt and whole chicken breasts to a large ziplock bag. Zip the bag closed and work the mixture into the chicken until all incorporated, then refrigerate overnight.
- When you are ready to make Stovetop Indian Butter Chicken, add the butter, garlic and jalapeño to a large skillet on medium heat until you can smell the garlic, about 1 minute. Add the 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly until the spices darken in color. Then add in the tomato sauce and heavy cream, stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove the sauce from your pan and keep to the side then wipe skillet clean.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of butter and vegetable oil to your large skillet on medium high heat. Remove most of the marinade (and discard this marinade) from your chicken and add it to the skillet (you can keep the chicken whole or cut into large chunks).
- Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Top with sauce and bring to a simmer, then top with cilantro.
Variations on Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
- Meat: While chicken breast is perfect for absorbing all the delicious flavors of the creamy, buttery sauce, you can use another protein of your choice. Try making this recipe with cubed pork loin, steak, boneless skinless chicken thighs, or even tofu for a vegetarian option.
- Spices: Feel free to play with the spice combinations in this recipe to suit your taste. If you like spicier Indian food, include cayenne pepper in the sauce as well as the marinade. You can also swap serrano peppers for the jalapeños to increase the heat.
- Diary Free: To make a delicious dairy free Butter Chicken, swap out the butter for your favorite non dairy margarine. Substitute the heavy cream for either non-dairy half and half, or you can use full-fat coconut milk. Coconut milk also adds a delicious layer of flavor that complements the Indian spices perfectly.
- Vegetables: To bulk up your Indian Butter Chicken and add some nutritious veggies. Include 1-2 cups of diced potatoes, carrots, broccoli, peas, onions, green beans, or bell peppers in the slow cooker mixture to cook and simmer along with the chicken.
Tools used in the Making of this Indian Butter Chicken
Slow Cooker: This is a smaller version perfect for couples or singles, but if you’d like to make it in a larger slow cooker make a double recipe. Don’t skimp on the sauce, it thickens if you have leftovers too and it is SO good you won’t want to have to ration!
AllSpice Spice Rack: You can use this spice rack and fill up the bottles with freshly purchased spices. It’s a beautiful item to display in the kitchen and when you’re working with a large quantity of spices, not having to hunt and peck through your cupboards makes everything go at warp speed.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
How to Store Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
- Serve: Do not leave Butter Chicken at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Sealed tightly, Indian Butter Chicken can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper , finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
Instructions
- In a large ziploc bag the night before cooking add the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, salt and chicken (leave the chicken breasts whole here).
- Zip the bag closed and work the mixture into the chicken until all incorporated. Refrigerate overnight.
- Scrape off a majority of the marinade that is on the chicken and discard it. You’ll have plenty of the second sauce to keep the food moist and provide enough sauce.
- Cut the chicken into two inch chunks.
- When you're ready to cook the chicken, add the butter, garlic and jalapeno into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the chicken pieces on top.
- In a small bowl add the 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, tomato sauce and heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Stir the cornstarch into the one tablespoon of water and add to the slow cooker and stir (stir and pour quickly since you’re using more cornstarch than water it will settle quickly).
- Cook an additional 20 minutes on high.
- Top with cilantro before serving.
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Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Lovely! The whole family loved it!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I have really enjoyed this recipe!! I’ve made it several times with a few adjustments. I’ve left out the jalapeño when making it for larger groups and found the flavour wasn’t really affected. I have also used a little bit of flour in the crockpot to thicken as well. I would also recommend doubling the recipe. To say it serves 4 was a stretch in our house.
This is by far the best homemade butter chicken recipe I’ve found and I have tried many!
Thanks for the suggestion/feedback! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Good taste. Mine came out with a red sauce instead of creamy. But I put in the required amounts… just thrown off by the different visual.
I’m glad you enjoyed it but I’m not sure why it wouldn’t have come out creamy. Did you change any of the ingredients or method? Feel free to email me and we can troubleshoot it together if you’d like. contact @ dinnerthendessert .com
This was a delicious recipe! Easy to prep. I’ll double the recipe next time to have enough for left overs! Plus, my finicky 13 yr old lived it. Always a good thing!
That is a good thing! So glad it was a winner for everyone!!
I just made this for my family over the weekend and they all loved it! Thank you for the clear, easy to follow instructions. It was amazing! The jalepeno is an amazing addition and sends this dish right over the top. Three cheers!
Thanks for the 5 star rating, Smokey! So glad to hear everyone loved it!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and I think it’s fantastic. Just note that I have found that you should use much more than 3 chicken breasts with this recipe. I’ve used 4 chicken breasts twice cooking this recipe without up scaling any other ingredient amounts and am finding that it tastes wonderful. I am thinking about using 5 chicken breasts next time.
This is important because with economies of scale the more chicken breasts I can fit in there the more worth it this recipe becomes. Also there is a discrepancy in the size of the chicken breasts being cubed. I think in one spot you say 1″ chunks but another place you say 2″. I have been doing 1″ and finding that it cooks beautifully. Love the recipe thank you very much for sharing
My sister made this today and it was different for me as I never tried anything like this. I’m very thankful she never used the jalapeños or none of us would be able to eat it as were not big on spicy foods….But still it was a big hit with us, my 2 girls 6 & 8, my Nephew and his girlfriend and my other nephew all enjoyed it. I would make this for a supper at my house! 🙂
So glad you all enjoyed it!
I would shut comments off. These are the biggest bunch of crying, lazy b*****s I have ever seen. And one woman continued to “wait for clarification ” because she was confused. Jesus Christ. And these total morons vote. And likely drive. What do they do at a stop sign? Wait for clarification? Grow up and figure things out. The author of this blog put up with way more than I would have. Some of you really need to evaluate your lives and f**k directly off. Make someone edit their own recipe? Entitled doesn’t begin to describe it. Edit it yourself and stop b*****n about every little thing. A******s.
This 100%.
I agree
Haha yasssss!!!! I kept finding myself saying “what the hell”… it’s not that difficult to read. Easiest recipe ever!
By the way, I’m making this today for dinner and cannot wait to try it! ?
Hi,
I want to make this recipe but I would like to cook it with vegetables as well. Instead of adding that corn starch, can I add in some veggies (broccoli, pepper) to soak up the sauce or would you recommend making the vegetables separately? If separately, any recipes you recommend?
Thanks!
I would recommend making the vegetable separately. I just don’t think that the flavor would be as good with them cooked in.
Hi! Just wondering if marinating is mandatory?
You get a better flavor result by marinading overnight but if you don’t have time or forget, you can defiantly skip that part. Just know that the depth of flavor might not be there but it’ll still be good.
Both times I’ve made this, I cut up the chicken first and put it in the marinade while I started a pot of Yellow Jasmine Rice. I left the marinade on it and simmered it in a skillet on the stovetop until tender, then added the sauce elements and cornstarch slurry.
I will eventually try it as written because I feel that’s the most considerate way to honor the recipe writer. As for now, when we’ve wanted to make it on the spur, it’s delicious.
Great recipe… yummy! Thank you!
Thank you for the 5 stars, Mary! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Sabrina,
Your dishes photograph beautifully!
I am planning on making this dish but have seen several comments (on Pinterest, not necessarily in this comment thread) about using garam masala and/or curry powder. I don’t have those on hand but am looking to achieve the typical Indian taste (I’m Punjabi). What would I need to leave out to use garam masala and curry powder? I’m assuming I’d add it in the step where you’re making the sauce?
I’m so sorry but I’m not really sure since the flavors can be so different. If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to know what worked for you though.
Hi Simran, do you have a suggestion for what to leave out if I add garam masala?
Thanks!
Wonderful recipe! I just made this for myself and the amount of spice in the sauce is just perfect. The chicken turned out moist and tender. Perfect over a bowl of rice! Thanks!
I mistakenly diced the chicken before marinating and it didn’t turn out to be a problem. Still was delectable!
So glad you enjoyed it Pat!
Awesome! Thank you so much for the 5 star rating!!
Hi – I came home tonight and prepped some rice and then served the butter chicken. It was very good – a brilliant slow cook receipe. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Kim! I love when the slow cooker does most of the work, don’t you? Glad you enjoyed it!
YUM! Made this tonight (including extra steps) and absolutely loved it. My partner is still raving (hours later!). Will try with thighs next time, though, as agree with another comment that it will probably take it next level. But still so, so good. Thank you!
Thanks Erin! I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and let me know how much you and your partner enjoyed it!
Tried this yesterday. It is definitely a keeper. Husband even thought this was a good recipe.Thanks for sharing.
I am very excited to know new things. like this one, i was unaware of SLOW COOKER INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN Recipe So thank you for the blog.
Thank you for sharing your recipe, Sabrina! I loved it! It was my first time eating Indian food and will not be my last. I will definitely make this recipe again.
So glad you enjoyed it!
i can’t wait to try this recipe! Nothing better then coming home to a crock pot full of deliciousness! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Janette!
Hi Sabrina! I’m so happy that I came across this recipe. I have a new slow cooker and I can’t wait to try this recipe. I plan to double the recipe since my husband and I love this dish and we always order it when we go to our favorite Indian restaurant. Quick question, did you remove the seeds of the jalapeno? If not, did it make the dish spicy? Thank you!
I did, also the ribs. You can leave one or the other to add a bit more of a kick if you wanted. 🙂
I made this tonight. It was awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! Thanks for letting me know how much you loved it!!
Amazing flavor and great recipe, please don’t let the mean spirited nit pick, any one who cooks at all knows common sense and personal flair is or can be available ….was a excellent flavored recipe
I would like to make this butter chicken recipe but only a mild version. I do not like hot as in spicy hot. What should I do to ensure it turns out on the mild side
If you’re still looking for the same flavor but not the heat (less spicy), cook the jalapeño in butter in a pan before adding it to the slow cooker. It mutes the heat while keeping the flavor. Also, make sure to remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño as they carry the chemical (capsaicin) that gives them their heat.
I don’t understand why people have so much trouble understanding amounts of products. Cans have the amount of product clearly listed on the label~8 OZ./ounces= 1 cup, so obviously NOT 64 ounces which would be 2 QUARTS or half gallon~an excessive amount of sauce for four servings. Cream cheese is also clearly marked, 8oz, the smaller blocks are usually 4 ounces. For recipes calling for unusual amounts like 3 or 6 ounces there are lines on the wrapper but I usually use half a block for less than 4 ounces and the whole block for more than 4ounces~who wants to save 1 oz. or roughly 1 TBS. Cream cheese? It’s common sense cooking not rocket science!!
My husband has been begging me to make this and so I would like to give it a go next week for his birthday but wondering what to substitute for the heavy cream? Is plain Greek yogurt a good option? Or is the heavy cream a necessity? I’ve never had butter chicken ?
It’s not the same consistency so I’m not 100% certain, since I’ve never tried it. It certainly wouldn’t have the same richness. I would stick to heavy cream if possible. If you do decide to try it, I’d love for you to let me know how it turns out.
I stay away from dairy, so I just substituted plain almond milk. Almond milk isn’t nearly as thick as cream, but the sauce was still thick and creamy and it tasted great!
I just put this in the crock pot and CANT WAIT to try it. Out of curiosity, did anyone else’s not look so orange like the pictures? Mine hasn’t cooked at all yet so maybe the color changes as it cooks but mine is more red/pink due to the tomato sauce and cream. Smells good though!
My food never looks like the photos:/ maybe they edit the photos to look more orange?
Hi Sabrina
Do you have a page with more recipes?
Of course! If you go to the main page //dinnerthendessert.com you’ll be able to either search for specific recipes or scroll through. Look forward to seeing you around the site!
Absolutely beautiful, made it a few weeks ago used pasata sauce I didn’t have ginger or jalapeno but making it again tomorrow for friends with both those items, really looking forward to making it and eating it, very easy to make. thank you Sabrina. Andy
Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Can you marinade this for 2-3 days before browning / slowcooking
I wouldn’t marinade for more than overnight, the texture may change in 2-3 days with the yogurt marinade.
Does it matter if I cut the chicken and then marinate overnight? I would think this would make it more flavorful.
And
How would using dark meat change the taste and/or recipe?
I have successfully used dark meat with no issue. And Sure go for it with the cutting. I just find that when I brown it, doing it in one big piece is easier to remove a bulk of the marinade, but honestly the more surface area you can marinade, the better.
This turned out great my first Indian dish that was quite easy! I didn’t cook the meat before hand because I had zero time in the morning before work but it still turned out great!! I can’t wait to keep trying more Indian dishes! First one down more to try. Thanks!
Yay!! So happy to hear that you loved it! Thanks for coming back to let me know 🙂
SUPER good!! I gave it 4 stars only because it turned out a little more “Mexicany” (as my boyfriend described it) than I had been expecting, probably because of the cumin. Regardless, it was DELICIOUS; the sauce was thick enough, the chicken was tender enough (I even browned it beforehand). Do you have the non-crockpot recipe available as well?
So happy to hear that you guys loved it!! The non-slow cooker recipe is coming soon so keep checking back on the site!
Sabrina, do you think smoked paprika would be okay? I have regular but am wondering if smoked would give it a good depth or would throw it off. Thanks!
I find it makes the flavor a bit off for me. But there is such a distinct flavor in this that I love that I tend to stick to the spices as is. Are you generally fan of a smoky flavor? I love smoked paprika in bbq rubs and grill recipes, but for ethnic dishes I tend to avoid them unless it specifically calls for them. Plus depending on where you got it from the smokiness can be very pronounced, then yes it would throw the flavors off quite a bit. My smoked paprika from penzey’s is quite smoky, so I am very cautious in using it.
Okay great, that definitely makes sense! Yes, my smoked paprika is quite smoky, so I’ll stick with the regular. Thanks for the quick reply! I’ll leave a rating after I’ve made it tonight 😉
Hi Sabrina,
So far so good-actually have everything in the slow cooker now. Just curious, should I have it on low or high for the 4 – 5 hours?
You would want to cook it on low for 4-5 hours. Hope you enjoyed it!
Honestly not too impressed. Was hoping for something spicy and tasting of something similar to butter chicken but this is nothing like it. Nice approach but I just can’t wrap my brain around how curry dish didn’t include any type of curry in it.
Kylee, this recipe is a staple in my cooking for clients (not the slow cooker version) and was actually given to me by one first clients who is Indian almost 10 years ago. The idea behind it is that it is easy and has ingredients that most kitchens would have but not one person has ever told me they missed the curry flavor. I think perhaps adding more heat would’ve been what you were hoping for but for the purposes of a blog I try to avoid things that are “too” much of one thing whether that be spice, salt, pepper, oil, sugar, etc. If you like spice (and I do too) you can add more cayenne to it (I cut this from 1 tablespoon to 1 teaspoon for the purposes of the blog/clients because otherwise it does have a lot of heat) or perhaps use an additional jalapeno and cook it for less time. If you’d like to add curry I would also suggest 2 teaspoons of garam masala but even in side by side taste tests with a more classic take on this dish I can’t say the flavor suffers for it at all. If you want to trouble shoot I am always around here or you can email me at contact @ dinnerthendessert.com. 🙂
Sabrina, would you add the garam masala and extra cayenne to the chicken marinade or the final sauce?
I’d add it to the final sauce. Enjoy!
When you say “sauce” what sauce are you referring to, not sure what to buy to make this?
The 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, tomato sauce and heavy cream make up the sauce in this recipe. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.
I made this last night and it turned out great! I didn’t use jalapeño, but it still had a little kick to it. Great recipe!
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know!
I absolutely love it. Made it once as recipie suggests. Second time I cut up chicken, Maranaded it overnight, threaded it on skewers with cutup onions for shiskabobs then served with rice and the sauce for dipping sauce. Everyone love it.
I love the skewer idea! Thanks for the suggestion! So glad everyone loved it!
Great recipe!!! Just wondering how many lbs in breasts you use for a recipe. I had 2 thick ones that yielded a lot of extra sauce (which is a good thing, btw). So,maybe 3lb of chicken? Also. Aside from the jalapeno what additional spice can I add to give it a kick. I only used about 1/4 of the pepper bc I don’t like jalapeno so I’d rather substitute it. Nothing crazy spicy. My stomach can’t halndke crazy spice these days.
I believe it was around 2 1/2 lbs. Most packs I buy are right at about that amount. So glad you enjoyed the recipe! If you don’t like the heat I highly suggest leaving in the jalapeno but cooking it in the butter in a pan before adding it to the slow cooker as I mentioned in the comments and in the post. It mutes the heat but leaves the flavor. Also be sure to take the seeds and the ribs out of the jalapeno before cooking. 🙂
I didn’t realize you meant to marinate the chicken breasts without cutting into chunks first. Oops 🙂 I cut the chicken breast in chunks and then marinated them overnight. So I didn’t scrape the chicken just discarded the marinade. I opted not to brown the chicken for this time. I also opted not to use the jalapeño because my husband didn’t want anything too spicy hot. Only taste tested and so far it is great! We’re having this for supper tonight. I made a double batch and froze a couple of mason jars without reducing the sauce. I figure I’ll reduce the sauce when I reheat it. I’m hoping it’ll still be great after thawing. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hope you loved it!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is now a favourite at my house and many others that I have sent them the link for the recipe. My sister and husband were especially happy when I made them a double batch as a gift when they had their first baby. It also freezes well in Mason jars. I always make a double batch and then freeze it. Never stays in the freezer for long but great for those quick weeknight dinners. I take a jar out the night before and it’s perfect for supper the following day. Again, Thank you so much for this incredible recipe!
That’s a great suggestion using mason jars. Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I’m wanting to try this but can’t have jalapeños. Do you have any other suggestions that I can use as a substitute?
You can substitute with a serrano pepper but it’ll be spicer so I would recommend cutting the amount in half (unless you want more kick). There’s also the anaheim pepper which is a much milder pepper than the jalapeño.
I have made this without the jalapeño and the flavour is just as good without the extra spice!!
Great recipe! I love Butter Chicken! While it was cooking, I couldn’t help but check and smells just right!
I also used my remaining Turmeric in the marinade which may have been a teaspoon, just because I hade it and thought it made sense to use with this.
So I’ve used jalapeños in the past and ended up burning the inside of my nose (blowing my nose) and my hands for days by chopping them… use gloves! I used a plastic bag because I was so afraid of the pepper!
I sautéed the garlic and pepper in double the butter (just bc I like butter), but I cooked it nice before I put it in the slow cooker.
The whole “take the sauce off the chicken” thing most confused me! I thought about rinsing it in water but was like nahhhh and then tried wiping the chunks, then just threw it all in… I don’t know how it is supposed to be done, it came out delicious by just throwing the chicken in with whatever was on it, leaving whatever residue in the bowl I used(i used tupperwear rather than a ziplock bag, maybe that would have been easier but I don’t know why yogurt sauce needs to come off).
I wanted to cook the outside of the chicken like the tips say but didn’t realize until after that it meant before marinading. So may try that next time.
Next time I will use more chicken.
I may have used less chicken but not too sure because it was just leftover chicken breast, but maybe needed 3 hours and then I added the cornstarch but I dont know if that was even necessary, when I make this again (which I will because it was delicious!) I will try with no cornstarch.
Great flavor.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. The yogurt sauce is just a marinade, you don’t have to scrape it all off by any means it is just that the second sauce makes plenty so it isn’t needed. Also, with cooking the chicken if you want to brown you do it after you marinade and before the second sauce is poured on. 🙂
I think this person cut the chicken into chunks before marinating. You might clarify better that it should be marinated whole, then the next day, remove marinate and cut into chunks. Please also expand on the bit about browning slightly- is that in a separate dish, and in the butter/jalapeño?
Good point, I will update the recipe to be clearer!
In the post I also noted how you could make the flavors a bit more developed by browning the chicken and the garlic and jalapeno. For the garlic and jalapeno you would cook it on medium heat in the butter until it just barely starts to take on any color, maybe 20-30 seconds.
With regards to browning the chicken, since it isn’t part of the recipe I don’t include oil as well. So add about a tablespoon of oil to your skillet (I’d do this before the garlic/jalapeno cooking) and cook the chicken (before cutting into chunks) on high heat until the outsides are browned. The inside can be raw it will cook through in the slow cooker.
Sorry for the confusion.
I noticed that you said you were going to clear up the confusion back in February, I’m still somewhat confused about the marinating you say put chicken and marinade in the bag (whole chicken) and then skip to scraping and cooking, because I have common sense I assume the missing step is to refrigerate it overnight and then cut and cook.
Yes, so sorry. You’ll want the chicken in the marinade overnight in the refrigerator. I’m not sure why any of my edits are saving properly. Just corrected it again. Thank you for letting me know.
Perhaps:
1 small can tomato sauce(8-oz) would be more clear? I do think side by side numbers can be confusing, but the hyphen should have been the
Clarifier. Other than that, added parentheses?
I think this could be a joke-hoax. Who would pour a half gallon of liquid into these other measurements?
Cannot wait to smell the fragrant essence!
I made this tonight and the chicken was rather dry. The flavors were ok but not enough like butter chicken. This was a real disappointment and I won’t be making it again.
Hi Melly, sorry you didn’t enjoy the chicken. Can I ask where the flavors didn’t live up to what you were expecting? Did you change anything along the way about how you cooked it or the amounts of spices? Would love to troubleshoot as this recipe has been a client favorite for years.
Did you use white meat or dark meat? I’m going to use chicken legs for this recipe and dark meat can stand up to a lot of cooking more than breasts. I’m very sensitive to dry chicken (meaning I dislike it very much) but my husband is not so picky just as a lot of other Americans who only eat white meat mostly. I spent most of my life where most eat thighs which is my favorite. So if I were you I would try boneless thighs and see how you like it.
Melly,
Give Anthony a call and the two of you get together. Misery LOVES company!!!
Just clarifying that you would brown the chicken after marinating if you wanted to add that extra flavour? Will be trying this recipe this week, looks amazing!
Yes, brown it after scraping off the marinade. Then cut it into chunks. Any time you can brown the protein before it goes into the slow cooker you’ll end up with a much more flavorful meal.
wish this was clear in the recipe… just turned on my slowcooker and then read the comment section, hopefully it will still cook through
Really…..it says to scape off the marinade THEN brown….. before cutting into chunks…read it…then re-read it…before you make it…
Actually if you read the directions it doesn’t say to brown after you scrape the chicken, it has it on the tips section above the ingredients and directions
“Scrape off a majority of the marinade that is on the chicken and discard it. You’ll have plenty of the second sauce to keep the food moist and provide enough sauce.
Cut the chicken into two inch chunks” read that then re read it if you have any problem understanding that the directions are wrong if you need to brown the chicken before cutting it .
Made this today, and served it with sides of Carrot/Lemon Rice and Garlic Roasted Green Beans. It was ambrosial. Outstanding recipe, and thank you for it!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
It would be helpful if you specified that it be greek yogurt. I used regular, plain yogurt. Maybe its not a big deal? I will be cooking it today.
regular plain yogurt is totally fine too. I just like the flavor of greek yogurt and the kids eat it so it is what is on hand. As long as you didn’t use vanilla flavored since sometimes that is the “flavor” of regular yogurt.
When you say scraping the marinade off in step 4- are you saying to discard or to add to the slow cooker
Discarding. You’ll have plenty of sauce with the rest of the ingredients. I’ll update the recipe for more clarity 🙂
Hello! This looks amazing. I just wanted to be sure, when I use yogurt, it would be plain yogurt, right? And if I don’t have a slow cooker, can I still make this on the regular stovetop?
Thank you so much!
Plain greek yogurt, yes. I use a brand called Mountain High.
I assumed that when you typed: “1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 8”, that meant multiplied by 8, or 64oz. Please check for typos before publishing, I wasted a lot of money and was left embarrassed on NYE. This is the biggest cooking fail I could have fathomed.
Total amateur hour on this site.
My apologies for your embarrassment and cooking fail, it is certainly not what the site strives to be or the experience I’d hope a reader would have, especially as a professional chef.
The recipes are getting converted to a new program which has been causing glitches but I don’t see that glitch, so I am hoping it isn’t something anyone else can see and that if they do they see this comment correcting it. Either way it was there when you read it, my apologies. The amount is in fact a single can of tomato sauce.
Not sure why Anthony had such a difficult time. The recipe is written correctly as 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce. If, for example, 64 ounces of tomato sauce were required, (as Anthony interpreted,) the recipe would indicate 8 8-ounce cans or 4 16-ounce cans or 2 32-ounce cans. Perhaps Anthony misread the recipe, is a new cook, or maybe he was nervous or pressed for time considering he was preparing this dish for a party. It is really unfortunate, but in reality, Anthony created his own embarrassment. The fault lies with you, Anthony. To call this blog “amateur hour” is both unkind and unjustified. I found this recipe tasty and easy to prepare. Thanks, Sabrina, for a great ethnic slow cooker option!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and came back to let me know!
Haha why would anyone use 8 cans of tomato sauce? It’s called common sense also!
I’m not sure what recipe you were looking at Anthony, but I saw “1 8-ounce can tomato sauce.” Don’t go through life blaming other people for your mistakes….own up man!!! And even if it had wrongly indicated 64 ounces, don’t go berating other people for their innocent mistakes!
This could easily be avoided by just saying “8 oz -tomato sauce”. As a professional chef myself, that lesson is the first one I learned in culinary school; standardized recipes.We’d never have an 8oz. can of anything.
I totally agree except that the recipes are written for the home cook, not for chefs who would have hospitality sized cans of ingredients. Most of them go by the size of the can so I try and specify it as the size of the can. When I used to mention it as ounces alone I would get comments/emails/facebook comments saying “how many cans is xx ounces?” Even when I tried to say things like 8 ounces of cream cheese I would get, “How many blocks is that?”
Either way, 8 oz is 1 cup, so again, common sense. Man who would have thought 8 oz of tomato sauce could cause such controversy lol.
I am not sure why he would read it that way. I am an amateur cook and understood so…
Regardless, the recipe was awesome! Thanks so much!
So glad you loved it!
My mother and grandmother taught my sister and I both how to cook. I remember just listening to everything they had to say and watching them; unfortunately it never stuck with me–cooking is just not my area of expertise, I just don’t get it at all. But reading Anthony’s response made me think of two things I did learn and have stuck with me: 1.) Don’t ever serve a “new” dish to company. AND 2.) Don’t ever serve a dish, especially a new dish, without first tasting it.
I’m enjoying this site! ??
Thank you!
Don’t blame the author of the recipe for your complete lack of comprehension skills. A second grader would know what she meant.
i have found it’s always best to try a new recipe first; before making it for a dinner party.
Anthony, that one star you gave is a scathing indictment of your own idiocy. You fool! My and my co-work have been laughing at your expense for 20 mins now.
Thank you for providing such great times!
I mean, you used HALF A GALLON of tomato sauce!! WTH Anthony! HAHAHAHAHA Amazing! Then you had the gumption to get on and flame thrower the author ~ such grace Anthony, such grace!
This is practically the best Friday I have had in a long time.
SO MANY LULZ!!!!!!
Bless your soul, sir 🙂
Greg can we please be friends this commentary is brilliant!
I’ve been laughing at “my and my co-work” for awhile now. Thank you for that! LOL
No Anthony, one 8oz can is right for this recipe so you just screwed up somehow…amateur! The recipe was good I’d make it again but I would ad some curry to give it some better authentic flavor.
YES! This was the only recipe I saw for butter chicken that didn’t use garam masala. I didn’t but have any so I tried this. The cumin flavor completely overwhelmed the dish. It doesn’t taste bad, just closer to chili than butter chicken. More spices are needed to counteract the cumin!
It is called reading comprehension Anthony. Common sense also comes into play here. Who in the world would use a half gallon of tomato sauce for a recipe meant for home cooking? You are trying to be a home cook for a small group, not a Mess Sgt. Do not blame others for your mistakes.
WOW!! I’m a novice cook. I’ve never had or made butter chicken prior to trying this recipe. It’s possible that using 1 gallon of tomato sauce was your mistake. This is an excellent recipe. After making it for my family a few times, I went to an Indian restaurant and order butter chicken to compare and it’s exactly the same as the restaurant.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Anthony,
I don’t think there’s a typo error here. They clearly said 1 8- ounce can tomato sauce. ” not 8 8- ounce canS.” I don’t think they deserve to be blamed on something that clearly isn’t their fault.
You are right about typos, of course, but at the same time, it is advisable to never serve a dish to company, especially not on a special occasion like a holiday, without having tried it first. Even if there are no typos, you don’t know if you’re going to actually like it unless you try it first.
You’re an idiot that is definitely All your fault
Perhaps Anthony should not be cooking………….NOT a nice comment!!!!!!
Anthony, I too used eight 8 oz. cans for this recipe. However, my results were phenomenal, and people at my Summer Solctice party raved. User error perhaps?
Anthony, you should take 1 year to stop commenting on blogs and learn to use common sense 8
You’re just an idiot. I understood perfectly what she meant. Maybe you shouldn’t take your stupidity out on other people.
Who in the world thinks 8” equals 8x. You’re the one who can’t be serious. Eight cans????
Anthony – the site is showing it correctly “1 – 8 ounce can of tomato sauce.” You must have read it incorrectly. Even with an 8 at the end, it calls for one 8oz can, hence the “1”.
I think everyone has made their point. Please let’s have charity now toward each other. We’re all God’s kids… And that includes Anthony.
Sounds like you’re the amateur Anthony you moron, maybe you shouldn’t be cooking Indian food, it’s too difficult for your primitive brain to handle.