A lighter, healthier version of classic Indian Butter Chicken. Can be made in a slow cooker/crockpot or for a quick meal option can be made on the stove top in about 30 min. Tender chicken in a rich and creamy tomato sauce with fragrant spices like curry and garam masala make this mild but flavorful dish something the whole family will love.
I’m lightening up this butter chicken dish by nixing the traditional butter and heavy cream and adding light coconut milk to keep the sauce nice and creamy.
I’m also opting to serve over cauliflower rice to save a few calories ( 1 cup of cauliflower rice = 35 calories vs. 1 cup rice = 200 calories) and add some “cruciferous” power to the dish.
Cauliflower (a cruciferous vegetable ) has SO many amazing benefits and properties (it’s an anti-inflammatory, has been shown to help with heart health, rich in vitamins and minerals, and chock full of anti-oxidants and so much more) . Did I mention it’s a good way to sneak in some extra vegetables to your diet? Cauliflower rice for the win! Oh course, if you prefer you can absolutely serve this over jasmine white or brown rice.
For more information (and pictures) on making cauliflower rice, check out this post for Cauliflower Mushroom Risotto.
The beauty of this recipe is that its SO EASY! and you can adapt how you cook it to fit your schedule: The prep takes only about 10-15 min.and can be done ahead of time. From there you can:
-
- Throw everything in the Crockpot and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours
- Throw everything in the Crockpot on HIGH for 3-4 hours
- Make in a pot on the stove top in about 30 min.
For those of you wanting a spicier Indian Butter Chicken I've updated this post (5/26/16) with a second recipe (the original mild version has lots of fans so I'm not replacing...just giving you options). Incorporating some additional "heat" by adding red curry paste and a smokey flavor from liquid smoke (found in most grocery stores in the BBQ sauce area) to give the chicken a smokey Tandori type flavor. The outcome...OMG! So flavorful! I couldn't stop eating this chicken!
Both recipes are listed below:
1. Original Mild Version:
Crock pot Indian Butter Chicken {Easy & Healthy}
Ingredients
- 2 ½- 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken cut into 2" pieces (breasts or thighs) (I prefer thighs for this dish but either will work)
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoon garam masala found in most grocery store's spice section
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger or 1"inch knob fresh ginger, minced
- 1 14 oz. can light coconut milk
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 3-4 drops liquid smoke found in most grocery stores, gives the chicken a smokey Tandori type flavor
- salt to taste
- ½ cup low-fat plain yogurt optional
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets- for cauliflower "rice" (optional) you could also serve over jasmine white or brown rice.
- cilantro chopped (for garnish) (optional)
- lime optional
Instructions
For the Butter Chicken
- Place chicken pieces and onion in a 5 qt (or larger) slow-cooker. Sprinkle , garlic, curry,garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper and ginger over chicken pieces. Add coconut milk, tomato paste and liquid smoke. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 hrs. or low for 5 hours.
For the Cauliflower Rice
- In a blender (or food processor) add approx. 1 cup of the cauliflower florets and process for approx 15 sec. until the cauliflower is the consistence of rice. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat until the remaining cauliflower is processed.( It's important to work in small batches when making the cauliflower rice to get even "rice" size pieces).
- Coat a large skillet with olive oil (or water) over medium-high heat, add cauliflower rice and cook until tender (approx. 5 min.)
To Serve
- Spoon Butter Chicken over Cauliflower Rice and top with a dollop of yogurt , a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of cilantro.
If you prefer you can serve butter chicken over jasmine white or brown rice.
For Stovetop version
- In a large pan over medium heat, sautee onions until translucent (about 5 min.) add spices and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in coconut milk and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 5 min. Add chicken pieces and mix (cover) with sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until chicken is done (approx. 10 min) .
Notes
Nutrition
Updated 5/26/16
2. **Updated Spicier Version:
(click here to print recipe for spicier version)
Ingredients:
2 ½- 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken, cut into 2" pieces (breasts or thighs) (I prefer thighs for this dish but either will work)
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoon curry powder
2 Tbsp garam masala (found in most grocery store's spice section)
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fenugreek (found in Indian specialty grocery or online) (optional)
½ teaspoon ground ginger (or 1"inch knob fresh ginger, minced)
1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon red curry paste (found in the Asian section of grocery store- I used Thai Kitchen brand)
3-4 drops liquid smoke (found in most grocery stores- highly recommend! it gives the chicken that smokey Tandori type flavor)
salt, to taste
½ cup low-fat plain yogurt (optional)
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets- for cauliflower "rice" (optional) you could also serve over jasmine white or brown rice.
cilantro, chopped (for garnish) (optional)
lime (optional)
Directions:
For the Butter Chicken
Place chicken pieces and onion in a 5 qt (or larger) slow-cooker. Sprinkle , garlic, curry,garam masala, cayenne pepper, cumin, fenugreek and ginger over chicken pieces. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, red curry paste and liquid smoke (be careful not to use too much 3-4 drops is all you need). Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 hrs. or low for 5 hours.
For the Cauliflower Rice
In a blender (or food processor) add approx. 1 cup of the cauliflower florets and process for approx 15 sec. until the cauliflower is the consistence of rice. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat until the remaining cauliflower is processed.( It's important to work in small batches when making the cauliflower rice to get even "rice" size pieces).
Coat a large skillet with olive oil (or water) over medium-high heat, add cauliflower rice and cook until tender (approx. 5 min.)
To Serve
Spoon Butter Chicken over Cauliflower Rice and top with a dollop of yogurt , a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of cilantro. If you prefer you can serve butter chicken over jasmine white or brown rice.
For Stovetop version
In a large pan over medium heat,add a splash of olive oil (or water) sautee onions until translucent (about 5 min.) add dry spices and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in coconut milk ,tomato paste, red curry paste and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 5 min. Add chicken pieces and mix (cover) with sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking (covering pan) until chicken is done (approx. 10 min) .
John
This recipe is simply amazing. It is in fact my favorite dish to cook, I'd eat this 7 days a week if I could! Made it exactly to recipe, though I could not find the fenugreek. My curry powder had it though. Thankfully I was able to find the garam masala, which is probably what made this curry so much more spectacular than I imagined.
On a funny note, I made this some months ago, and figured I'd be able to come back to this recipe easily enough. Nooooooo sirree, I had to comb through dozens of recipes with only one clue "chicken cut in 2 inch pieces" lol! Had to read so many ingredient lists and directions to get back to this recipe. Totally worth it!
Susan
John- wow! I totally appreciate the tenacity of finding the recipe again. I agree the garam masala makes this dish! So glad you enjoyed it! and thanks for taking the time to sort through all those recipes!
Lisa
Quick tip: throw a stick of cinammon or two and some cardamom pods in the slow cooker to elevated those Indian flavors 🙂 Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Susan
Thanks Lisa! Love the idea!
Rebecca
Silly question perhaps but do you put the chicken in raw into crock pot? Some slow cooker recipes make you cook the meat first (which sort of defeats the purpose of easy cooking!) This recipe looks so good though, I am willing to do it if required! Just wanted to ask 🙂
Susan
Hi Rebecca...keeping things easy! No cooking needed before adding the chicken to the crockpot. Hope you enjoy!
Kim
Hi Susan,
I wondering if I can omit the liquid smoke?
Thanks
Susan
Hi Kim...yes, you could omit the liquid smoke if you want. I like to include it because it adds a subtle rich smokiness to the flavor of the chicken (similar to how chicken would taste when you grill it vs. cooking in the oven/stovetop) but it's totally a personal choice. Hope you enjoy!
danielle
hello!
the first recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of garam masala, but the spicier version calls for 2 tablespoons - is this an error? can't wait to try it!
Susan
Hi Danielle...I upped the garam masala for the spicier version..2 Tbsp is the correct measurement. (but feel free to adjust according to your own tastes). Hope you enjoy!
Kristopher
On the spicier version it calls for 2 tbsp of garam masala. I didn't realise this was a mistake until I was done with the prep. Hope it turns out ok.
Susan
Hi Kristopher...the 2 Tbsp for the spicier version (vs. 2 tsp for the more mild version) is correct .
Janae
This was really good!!!....except, where was the salt? Definitely needed salt!
Susan
Janae...glad you enjoyed it! I added a line item in the recipe for "salt, to taste" so people can adjust to their liking. Thanks for your feedback!
Anne
This was a wonderful dish! My picky 6 year old actually liked it and asked me to make it again. She even liked the cauliflower rice. Thank you for such an easy and tasty dish!
Susan
Anne- oh yeah!! you made my day! so glad to hear!
Renee
Can you use coconut cream?
Susan
Hi Renee...I personally haven't made this dish with coconut cream but I think it may make the sauce too thick. You can try adding water to your coconut cream and mix it up thoroughly to make the consistency more like coconut milk. Some cream is great- I usually buy my coconut milk from the Asian grocery store because the brands there tend to have more "cream" that rises to the top of the can which gives dishes that extra bit of creaminess. But, a whole can of cream might be too much.
dahmatrix
does the slow cooker leave a smokey flavour in the chicken?
If so then i must try it! 😀
Susan
@dahmatrix- it's the liquid smoke that gives the chicken that nice Tandori smokey flavor. You should be able to find liquid smoke in most grocery stores, usually where the BBQ sauces are. You really only need 3-4 drops (more is not better in this case). Try with a couple of drops and taste.
Marjorie Holste
I made this recipe today, it was really delicious. I must admit I changed it just a tiny bit. I used 1 1/2 tsp of garam masala instead of two, 1 Tbsp madras curry instead of two tspns, and put chopped cilantro in before serving. I served it with roasted cauliflower and steamed rice. Thank you for the recipe. I will be following you for more delicious recipes. thank you so much, found you on Pinterest;-)
Susan
Thanks Marjorie! I'm glad you enjoyed! and thanks for sharing your tips/tweaks. much appreciated!
Marjorie Holste
My husband and I love Indian food. I will make this recipe this weekend. I love all the ingredients and have them in my pantry. Thx for sharing ?
Nancy O
Love the recipe just made it. A keeper. I'm thinking adding golden raisins?
Susan
Hi Nancy..Thanks! I'm glad to hear you liked it! The slightly sweet flavor from the golden raisins with the tomato base of the chicken would probably be delicious! let me know if how it works if you do decide to add them.
Betsy
I made this and it was so good, I'm already planning to make it again. The only things I did differently were to leave out the onion and add cubed butternut squash. It was so good by itself, I didn't even put it over anything. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Susan
Thanks Betsy! So glad you enjoyed it! and great idea to include the butternut squash!
Kristen @ The Endless Meal
I just bought a crock pot the other day and have been looking for recipes to try in it. I'll be making this for sure!