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Make creamy Butter Chicken with spot-on flavor right in your slow cooker! Serve it over cooked rice or steamed cauliflower rice and serve it with fresh cilantro, naan, sesame seeds, and a squeeze of lime for a satisfying dinner every time! 

Prep: 20 minsCook: 4 hours, 30 mins (high), 6 hours, 30 mins (low)Total: 4 hours, 50 mins
Servings: 6-8 servings 1x

Ingredients

  • 2 medium yellow onions, peeled, cut in half, and sliced (~13 oz)
  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, diced (5-6 oz)
  • 1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (~2-inch piece)
  • 3 tablespoons curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or skyr (we recommend Siggi’s skyr)*
  • ½ cup half-and-half
  • Optional for serving: cooked white rice, naan, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and/or toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. In the crock of a 6-quart or 8-quart slow cooker, place the sliced onions. 
  2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, bell pepper, carrots, tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, curry powder, garam masala, and salt; toss until well combined. 
  3. Add the saucy chicken mixture to the slow cooker over top of the sliced onions. 
  4. Dot the pieces of butter over top of the mixture. 
  5. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 ½ hours or on low for 6 ½ hours. 
  6. After the time is up, remove the lid, stir all ingredients until well combined, and turn off the slow cooker. When the liquid stops simmering and steaming (after 5-10 minutes), stir in the yogurt and the half-and-half. (NOTE: If you stir in the yogurt and half-and-half before letting the mixture cool down a little, it could curdle.) 
  7. Serve over hot cooked rice or cauliflower rice, and/or with naan bread, and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

*We have tested this recipe with both siggi’s plain 0% skyr and 4% skry (the only different being the amount of fat in these yogurts) and both products create delicious results and a creamy, thick sauce. We like to use siggi’s because it’s made from only a few ingredients and doesn’t contain a lot of sugar. 

Stovetop Directions: To make this on a stovetop, in a pot or Dutch oven, saute the veggies in oil until tender, then add the chicken, spices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 1 cup broth. Dot with the butter and cover. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Then finish the recipe from Step 6 on.

Instant Pot Directions: Place onions, chicken, bell pepper, carrots, tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, curry powder, garam masala, salt, and butter into the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Stir until well mixed. Add ½ cup of water to the chicken mixture and stir again until everything is combined and there is some of the saucy liquid under the ingredients at the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock into place. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. When the cooking time is up, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Stir well to allow the steam to escape. Let the butter chicken sit in the Instant Pot to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow more steam to escape. This is important to let the mixture cool 10 to 15 minutes so the yogurt doesn’t curdle when you stir it in. After 10 to 15 minutes, stir in the yogurt and half and half. Serve over hot cooked rice or cauliflower rice, and/or with naan bread, and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.

Nutrition Information

  • Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe (1 1/3 cups)
  • Calories: 298
  • Fat: 6g
  • (Sat Fat: 3g)
  • Sodium: 415mg
  • Carbohydrate: 21g
  • (Fiber: 4g
  • Sugar: 13g)
  • Protein: 38g
  • Cholesterol: 99mg

Dietary

© The Real Food Dietitians
Recipe By: Jessie Shafer