Butterless Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken

This dish preps in about 20 minutes, cooks all day, and then awaits you when you get home from work (or whatever you are doing).  The addition of yogurt makes it a bit healthier than the traditional all-butter-and-cream method, and adds a zesty tang to the final product.  Serve this over a bed of white rice and brighten it up with a garnish of fresh cilantro and a few squeezes of lime just before serving.

Time: 20 minutes (active prep), 6-8 hours (in the slow cooker)
Level: Easy
Cost: About $3 per plate
Serves: 4- 6

Ingredients

1. 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2. 1 medium white onion, finely diced
3. 2 tsp garam marsala
4. 2 tsp yellow curry powder
5. 2 tsp cayenne powder (less if you can’t handle a bit of heat)
6. 1 tsp cumin powder
7. 1/2 tsp ginger
8. 1 6oz can tomato paste
9. 1 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
10. 3 TBSP heavy cream (or coconut cream if you want it super healthy and you like the flavor)
11. Optional:  If you like it a bit more “soupy”, you can add a cup of water or stock to the mixture.
12. About 3 lbs chicken breast (or boneless thighs), cubed into 1 – 1.5 inch cubes

Instructions

Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray.

Combine ingredients 1-7 in the slow cooker and stir well to combine.  Add ingredients 8-10 (and 11 if using) and stir well to combine again.  Add chicken and stir well to combine a third time.  Cover, and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

That was easy, wasn’t it?