An Indian Butter Chicken was the first curry I ever had and 50 years later, I still enjoy them. This dish is perfect for first timers or those unsure about spices. The combination of the 3 C’s, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne add flavour, warmth and aroma. These are controlled by the butter sauce. I make Indian Butter Chicken in advance and keep it in the fridge for 24 hours marinating. This simple process increases the flavour 10 fold. I then place it in the slow cooker for 5 hours on low. The result is an amazing Indian dish with a lovely aroma will have your mouth watering in anticipation.

Indian Butter Chicken

Indian Butter Chicken (also called Murgh Makhani) is a lovely mildly spiced chicken curry from India suitable for all palettes. Being slow cooked makes this ideal for busy people.

4.83 from 39 votes

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Chicken, Chillies, Dairy, Herbs, Spice

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 17 15

Servings: people

Calories: 92kcal

Ingredients

Marinade the Chicken

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
3 large chicken breasts boneless skinless

To make the sauce

1 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic minced
1 large jalapeno pepper chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt or to taste
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Add the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, salt and whole chicken breasts into a sealable food bag and mix together.
1 cup plain yogurt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 3/4 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp salt, 3 large chicken breasts
Place in the fridge overnight to marinade..
Scrape off a majority of the marinade that is on the chicken and discard it. You’ll have plenty of the second sauce to keep the food moist and provide enough sauce.
Cut the chicken into mouth size chunks.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, add the butter, garlic and jalapeno into the bottom of the slow cooker.
1 tbsp butter, 1 clove garlic, 1 large jalapeno pepper
In a small bowl add the 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, tomato sauce and heavy cream and stir to combine.
2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 8 oz tomato sauce, 1 cup heavy cream
Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Stir the corn starch into the one tablespoon of water and add to the slow cooker and stir (stir and pour quickly since you’re using more corn starch than water it will settle quickly).
Cook an additional 20 minutes on high.

Notes

Image obtained curtesy of {{{1}}} (Flickr: Indian Butter Chicken) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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