In a nod to Indian butter chicken, tender chunks of chicken seasoned with fragrant spices get cooked in a creamy, buttery sauce until tender. Typically made with yogurt, this streamlined version leans on heavy cream and crumbled naan for thickness and flavor.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 7 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 7 hr |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 pieces naan bread
- 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 pound baby red-skinned potatoes, halved or quartered if large
- 1 Fresno chile or red jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced
- 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems separated, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 6)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Crumble 1/2 piece naan into coarse crumbs; transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the red onion, potatoes, chile and cilantro stems. Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer over the vegetables and sprinkle with the garam masala, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Dot with the butter and add the cinnamon stick. Pour the tomato sauce over the top. Cover and cook on low, 7 hours.
- Uncover and switch to the warm setting or turn off. Gently stir in the heavy cream, breaking the chicken into large chunks; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro leaves and season with salt. Serve with the remaining naan.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 790 calorie |
| Total Fat | 44 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 22 grams |
| Cholesterol | 210 milligrams |
| Sodium | 1130 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 57 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 grams |
| Protein | 43 grams |
Reviews
OMG! Delicious, even though I made a mistake by adding all the cilantro at once before cooking! Used only 1/4 tsp. cayenne and the heat added was perfect for me. Will recommend to my Grandson and his girl for their “cooking nite”.
I normally do not like Indian food, but my husband does, so I wanted to give this a try. After reading the reviews, I doubled all the ingredients including the tomato sauce. I wasn’t able to find a Fresno chili, so I use the jalapeño. This is become one of my favorite crockpot recipes!
My husband doesn’t normally like Indian flavorings, but he really liked this. Easy and delicious.
Read the reviews and doubled the garam masala and added cumin, turmeric, and minced garlic. It was delicious — will make again.
Our whole family loves it- even our 1 year old! I was at first worried that the chili would make it too spicy but it’s not at all as long as you de-seed completely. I doubled all of the seasonings, added 2 minced garlic cloves, a splash of lemon, and 1/4tsp cumin as some recommended. It tastes great and lots of flavor. We added the potatoes like the recipe called but to be honest we might omit it in the future.
Followed the recipe pretty much as is. Added some extra garam masala (about another 1/2 tablespoon). Both my wife and I thought it had plenty of flavor. Definitely a keeper in our recipe rotation.
This was really great! I altered the recipe a bit at others suggestions and I was super happy with the outcome.
I added two large garlic cloves-minced, 1/4t ground cumin and 1/2t cumin seeds. I didn’t have any fresh peppers, so I subbed 1/2t chili flakes. I also didn’t have naan, so i added a few scoops of heirloom masa in place as a thickening agent. I was very happy with the flavor and heat, and it was really easy to throw together. I served with rice and my husband said he’d like it in the rotation!
Incredible! I had the hardest time finding Fresno chilis so used jalapeno instead and finished this with a squirt of lime. Fantastic flavor and so easy.
If you want more flavor with this add lemon juice, grated ginger, minced garlic, turmeric, and cumin (powder and/or seeds). Also adding in some (full fat) greek yogurt along with the cream at the end. Adding curry power like one review said would probably work too as it usually contains all these spices.
After reading everyone’s reviews, I also doubled the spice and added curry and cayenne (we like it spicy in this house). Delish! The potatoes are a great addition and make it a great one dish meal. Give it a whirl!