Name: Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 300 min
Total time: 315 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs ((cut into large cubes)); 14.5 oz tomato sauce ((1 can; NOT ketchup!)); 13.5 oz coconut milk ((full fat; 400 mL)); 1 teaspoon garam masala; 1 teaspoon tandoori masala; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons almond flour; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 1/4 teaspoon salt ((or adjust to taste))

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Slow cooker butter chicken made with good for you ingredients and can be assembled ahead and frozen for easy weeknight dinners! Dairy-free, gluten-free, low carb and deeeelish!

Butter chicken is a total weakness of mine, and until now, I thought it had to be super heavy. But this slow cooker butter chicken recipe is lighter without sacrificing flavor at all!

You guys are going to be blown away by this recipe! It has so much flavor, despite not sautéing anything, and despite there not being any cream or butter.

I’m sure traditionalists are going to turn their noses up at my healthy butter chicken, but if you are looking for all the flavors of butter chicken, without the fat and calories, you’re going to love it!

Reasons to love this slow cooker butter chicken:

it is a freezer crockpot meal (assemble ahead and freeze!)
it is low carb, dairy-free, and made from wholesome ingredients
it takes 10 minutes to throw together and no pre-cooking is required!

How to make crockpot butter chicken

For this recipe, we are using tomato sauce (pureed tomatoes, not ketchup!), coconut milk, and a whole lotta spices!

Toss them all together with some cubed boneless skinless chicken thighs, and cook up.

Just before serving, we are going to add 3 tablespoons of almond flour and a teaspoon of lemon juice. This serves two purposes:

the almond flour helps the sauce get luscious, thickened and creamy
the lemon juice really boosts the flavor of the crockpot butter chicken

How to assemble this butter chicken as a freezer crockpot meal

Crockpot freezer meals are a staple in my freezer and are an absolute lifesaver during busy weeks! Here’s how you can turn this Indian butter chicken recipe into a crockpot freezer recipe:

Assemble all ingredients in a gallon freezer bag or a large reusable meal prep container (Ikea has good larger glass containers, but they are quite heavy)
Squeeze out as much air as possible.
Freeze flat for up to 3 months.

So incredibly simple! When you’re ready to cook, you will need to thaw completely before placing everything in the slow cooker and cooking as directed.

Can I use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this slow cooker butter chicken? Yes, you can! Swap an equal weight, and reduce the cook time to low 3-4 hours.

Can I add veggies to this healthy butter chicken recipe? Yes, but I prefer to add them towards the end of the cooking (about 1- 1 1/2 hours before serving). That way they don’t get mushy! I think small cauliflower florets and frozen peas would be great in this recipe.

How can you call this butter chicken when there’s no butter? LOL. This is the ‘Denise-ified’ version of butter chicken, I certainly don’t claim it to be authentic, but I have to say I prefer this over the heavy traditional version (call me crazy!)

Tips for this Indian butter chicken recipe:

I used Free Run Alberta Raised Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs from TruLocal, which is an amazing company that supplies Canadians with locally sourced quality meat. If you want to save $25 off your first TruLocal order, use the code DENISE7297
this is my favorite slow cooker
Looking for more freezer crockpot meals? Check out this Vegan Slow Cooker Tikka Masala, this Crock Pot Pulled Pork and this Freezer Asian Peanut Chicken

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5 from 1 vote