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tender cooked chicken thigh chunks with a few browned edges in smooth rich orange butter-chicken sauce beside one small plain naan on an everyday plate, with no rice, yogurt dollop or garnish
Andre Lewis

Crockpot Butter Chicken

Butter chicken gets a smooth sauce from tomato, cashews and cream, with a brief broil giving the yogurt-coated thigh pieces some color before their slow finish. That early browning is worth the extra tray. Blend the sauce until the nuts disappear into it. The butter and crushed dried fenugreek belong near the end, where they give the finished pot its rounded flavor instead of asking a spoonful of yogurt to stand in for the whole sauce.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp garam masala divided
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup boiling water for cashews
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 can 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves crushed
  • 6 small plain naan breads about 2 oz each

Method
 

  1. Mix chicken with yogurt, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon garam masala, paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes; meanwhile, soak cashews in the measured boiling water for 20 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook onion for 8 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and remaining garam masala for 1 minute, then add tomato sauce and simmer for 3 minutes.
  3. Blend the tomato mixture with cashews, their soaking water and remaining salt until smooth, venting steam carefully. Pour into a 5-quart slow cooker.
  4. Heat the broiler. Spread chicken on a foil-lined rimmed pan and broil 6 inches from the heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until a few edges color; the chicken is not fully cooked yet. Transfer chicken and its juices directly to the hot sauce in the cooker.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until chicken reaches 165°F and is tender. Stir in butter, cream and crushed fenugreek, then cover for 10 minutes until the sauce is steaming.
  6. Warm naan according to its package directions during the final 10 minutes. Divide chicken and sauce among 6 bowls and serve one naan with each.