
We guarantee it will help give your curry even more flavour. This is one of our favourite recipes for slow cooker butter chicken and (spoiler alert!) it actually uses ghee instead of butter, which is a type of clarified butter commonly used in Indian cooking. In fact, cooking it low and slow only serves to help the flavours of the spices penetrate the chicken even more - with the added bonus of not having to stand over the stove. You can definitely make butter chicken curry in your slow cooker. Can I make butter chicken in my slow cooker?

Make sure you store it in an airtight container or a snap-lock bag and it will keep for up to 2 months. It’s best to freeze it before adding the cream, then thaw and reheat, adding the cream before serving. This butter chicken recipe is definitely freezer-friendly. Looking for a starter? My friend Amira Georgy recently created this incredible onion bhaji recipe that I’ve been using on repeat. If you’re entertaining friends or turning it into a family feast, I like to add little extras on the table such as pappadums, mango chutney, raita and a couple of vegetarian sides such as vegetable dhal or paneer curry. What should butter chicken be served with?īutter chicken is an absolute classic so as mentioned, I’m pretty partial to serving it simply on steamed basmati rice with fluffy naan bread. A chef worried that the chicken was drying out so concocted a sauce of butter, tomato and cream to keep it moist. There are a few stories surrounding its development, but it goes something like this: cooked tandoori chicken would hang above the stove top waiting to be sold. To get ahead, I like to marinate the chicken for up to 48 hours ahead of time in the fridge and if I’m after a more thicker sauce, I’ll simmer the chicken mixture for an extra 10-15 minutes.” - Amira Georgy, Digital Food Director Is butter chicken really Indian?Īlthough popular world round, butter chicken was developed in Northern India. I recommend serving this version of butter chicken the traditional way with steamed basmati rice and naan bread.Ī note from our recipe tester: “You may think those out-of-date spices in your pantry are fine to use, but they won’t pack a flavour punch nearly as much as fresh spices. While butter chicken sauce isn’t JUST made from butter, it is made up of a beautiful blend of rich ingredients - the yoghurt from the marinade, stock, tomato and cream. The yoghurt makes the chicken super tender, while the spices penetrate it and give it much more depth of flavour. So what makes our butter chicken recipe such a delicious curry? In any authentic butter chicken, the chicken is left to marinate in a mixture of yoghurt and spices for hours before cooking. Tender chicken swims in a tomato sauce flavoured with sweet spices such as cumin, coriander and garam masala, and it’s finished with a generous slug of cream.

A must-order item on an Indian restaurant menu, this home-cooked version has all the same complexity of flavour, yet it’s so simple to make yourself.

What is it about butter chicken (or murgh makhani in Hindi) that makes it loved by children and adults alike? In the western world, spices aren’t normally equated with comfort, yet butter chicken is like a big hug.
