Healthy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

We have a daughter that just adores Butter Chicken! If we were trying to decide where to go out for food, we knew her vote would always be for this Indian food staple. Instead of always going out and paying high restaurant prices I decided to make a Healthy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken at home. She loves this with great Garlic Naan Bread too. 

I consider Amber to be a butter chicken aficionado, so when she raved about the dish and said that it was just as good as her favorite restaurants, I knew I had a winner of a recipe and couldn’t wait to share it with all of you. Want another great Indian recipe, then try our amazing Mulligatawny Soup. 

I wanted to try to keep it healthy, avoid using as much of the heavy cream and high-fat oils that the traditional recipe typically has in it.

With substituting a light coconut milk for the regular high fat version, I wondered if it would still have that buttery feel and taste. I didn’t need to worry as it turned out fantastic!!

There are loads of flavor from all the spices, and the coconut milk and tomato paste pair perfectly.

Plus this recipe could not be any easier. It all went into my gorgeous Kitchenaid Multi-Cooker and so very slowly cooked on low to the ultimate dish you see here.

How to Cook Butter Chicken in Slow Cooker

For those who do not have a multi-cooker, you can make the recipe in a saucepan and transfer it to a slow cooker set on low for the slow cook part.  You can also reheat the meal in a slow cooker but we never have leftovers so I wouldn’t know about that!

The sauce is perfection, the chicken so perfectly cooked. I love using my KitchenAid Multi-Cooker.

It cooks at 190F which is really low for slow cooking.

This lets the meat stay together and you don’t have the stringy mess that you sometimes see in slow-cooked meals.

KitchenAid Multi-Cooker

Slow cooking is not all this multi-cooker can do.

I did a full review with a delicious Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup, as the machine can also cook risotto, rice, sear, sauté, simmer, make soup, yogurt, boil/steam, slow cook high and low, and keep food warm (up to 24 hours).

You can go from morning to night making delicious recipes, therefore, getting great use out of this wonderful machine. I have tried almost all of the settings as we have this multi-cooker in use nearly all the time.

I can’t say enough about the wonderful value of such a great machine.

You now can get rid of all the other machines and keep just one, this amazing KitchenAid Multi-Cooker. You don’t need a separate rice cooker, slow cooker, or yogurt maker – this replaces all of them. If your kitchen is anything like mine, space is at a premium so you’ll love that you can replace several gadgets with this one.

The sear setting alone makes my life so much easier. If any recipe calls for you to cook something ahead of time you can do it in this wonderful machine. Fewer dishes and less mess – it is basically perfection!

Making The Best Butter Chicken

To make the recipe, simply heat a tablespoon of olive oil in your saucepan on medium-high heat or multi-cooker on sear. Add in 9 cloves of garlic, stirring it around continuously because it can stick and burn.

After about a minute, start adding the other ingredients in order: 14oz (1 can) light coconut milk, 6oz (1 can) tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir well and add in spices: 2 teaspoons of Garam Masala (look for it in the ethnic foods aisle if it’s not in the spice section).

Then add in ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon each of coriander, turmeric, and cumin; a tablespoon of paprika; one and a half teaspoons Kosher salt; and ground pepper to taste (start with ½ a teaspoon).  

Stir this while it cooks until it’s thoroughly combined – about 2 minutes.   Then add in the boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces.

How Long to Cook Butter Chicken in Slow Cooker

Stir to make sure the chicken is covered by the sauce. If you’re using a multi cooker, set to slow cook on low for 5-6 hours; if you’re using a traditional slow cooker, transfer contents of pot to slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve with rice or naan bread.

 The wonderful spices used in traditional Indian cooking add amazing flavors to this dish. We added turmeric, cumin, Garam Masala, cayenne, coriander, and paprika, plus lots of garlic to the recipe and all of the spices are nicely balanced out by the coconut milk.

It was a perfect butter chicken and one that you will want to be sharing with your family too. Everyone who has tried it has loved this recipe and they are always amazed when I tell them I did it in one pot with my multi cooker.

It’s such an easy recipe to do too – once it’s slow cooking you don’t have to think about it until you’re ready to serve.  Try this wonderful recipe for traditional butter chicken tonight!

Healthy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Tara Noland

Stop the expensive meals at restaurants to get the wonderful flavors of Butter Chicken; now you can easily make it at home in your slow cooker.

4.57 from 102 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6 servings

Calories 324 kcal

Video

Ingredients

 

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 9 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 14 oz. can light coconut milk
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 tsp. garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne or to taste
• 1 tsp. dried coriander
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in the multicooker (or a saucepan) on sear. Add the garlic and cook, continuously stirring for about 1 min. Stir in coconut milk, tomato paste, flour, garam masala, cayenne, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, and pepper.
• Stir and cook for about 2 min. until thoroughly mixed. Add in chicken, stir well. Cover and cook for 5-6 hours on low. Serve over rice and with naan bread if desired.

Equipment

KitchenAid KMC4244CA Candy Apple Multi-Cooker with Stir Tower, 2-5 quart

KitchenAid KMC4241BU Multi-Cooker – Cobalt Blue

KitchenAid KMC4241SS Multi-Cooker-Stainless Steel

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 48gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 701mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!