There is no cream and no butter in this pot for the first four hours. Chicken, aromatics, four spices and tomato cook alone, which is what lets the spices bloom into the sauce rather than being muted by dairy.
Then half a cup of cream and four tablespoons of butter go in together, and the sauce turns from a spiced tomato braise into the orange-red butter chicken the finished plate shows.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cutting the thighs into inch-and-a-half pieces means they stay as chunks rather than falling into shreds.
- Tomato sauce and tomato paste together give both volume and the concentration a long cook needs.
- Adding the dairy at the end keeps the sauce glossy and stops it splitting over four hours.
- A five-minute rest lets the sauce thicken slightly before it goes over rice.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken thighs
- Two pounds in 1 1/2-inch pieces. Chunks are what the finished plate shows, not shreds.
- The spice set
- A tablespoon of garam masala with cumin, paprika and turmeric, all in from the start so they cook into the sauce.
- Cream and butter
- Half a cup and four tablespoons, both added at the end. They are what make it butter chicken.
How to Make It
Everything but the dairy
Add chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, paprika, turmeric, tomato sauce, tomato paste and salt to the slow cooker.
Cook to 165F
Cook on Low 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cream and butter
Stir in cream and butter until the sauce is glossy and creamy.
Taste and rest
Taste and adjust salt; rest 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
Serve over rice
Serve the orange-red butter chicken over white rice with plenty of cilantro.
How the Sauce Becomes Butter Chicken
For most of the cook this is a spiced tomato braise. It becomes butter chicken in the last five minutes, and the order is what makes that possible.
The spice and tomato base
3 1/2 to 4 hours on LOW, chicken at 165F.Garam masala, cumin, paprika and turmeric with onion, garlic, ginger, a 15 oz can of tomato sauce and 2 tbsp tomato paste
Everything the sauce tastes of. Cooked without dairy so the spices bloom into the tomato rather than being coated in fat from the start.
The enrichment
Stir until the sauce visibly turns glossy.1/2 cup heavy cream and 4 tbsp unsalted butter, stirred in together
The gloss and the colour. This is the moment a spiced tomato sauce turns orange-red and creamy, and it is why the dish is named for butter rather than for the spices.
The settle
Salt to taste, then 5 minutes off the heat
Thickens the sauce slightly so it sits on rice instead of running off it. Seasoning is judged here, once the dairy is in and the volume is final.
Then tasteSpooned over 6 cups of cooked white rice with plenty of cilantro - the rice plated under, never cooked in the pot.
Success Tips
- Cut the chicken to an even size so the pieces finish together.
- Stir the butter in until the sauce actually looks glossy — that is the visual cue the recipe gives.
- Take the five-minute rest; the sauce tightens noticeably in it.
Serving Ideas
Six servings over six cups of cooked white rice, with plenty of cilantro leaves over the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cook the rice in the slow cooker?
No. The rice is cooked separately and the butter chicken is served over it.
Can the cream go in at the start?
No. It goes in after the chicken is cooked, which is what keeps the sauce glossy rather than split.
Should the chicken be shredded?
No. It stays in chunks.
