Let’s make Slow Cooker Butter Chicken! This paleo butter chicken recipe is so easy and delicious, it’s become one of the all-time most popular recipes on this site! You’ll want to slurp the sauce with a spoon. (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo, Whole30)
Photos + post updated January 2021. Original post published October 2014.
Since they’re related to (and living with) a food blogger, my family is constantly eating a stream of new recipes. Some are winners that make it to the site, others are misses that send me back to the drawing board. Since we try to cut down on as much waste as possible, we eat almost everything I make for the blog. (Even most of the failures. Some failures just aren’t edible.) So it’s not super often that we repeat meals.
But some recipes are so good, they make it into the regular rotation and never leave. This Slow Cooker Paleo Butter chicken is one of those recipes. I first made this wayyy back in 2014 (when Milo was just 1!), and we’ve been making it on a regular basis ever since.
In the years since I first published this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe, it’s become one of the most popular recipes on my site, has been featured around the internet, and was even been published in a magazine. I GET IT! It’s easy, it’s crazy delicious, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you licked your plate clean (been there!).
The sauce is velvety smooth (even without the traditional butter!), and it’s got a gorgeous flavor you’ll dream about after. Here’s what you need to get started…
Gather Your Ingredients
Here’s what goes into our paleo slow cooker butter chicken recipe:
- CHICKEN BREAST OR CHICKEN THIGHS. You can make our paleo butter chicken with either boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs. Chicken breast is my go-to, though thighs can be less expensive and can stay even more moist (even with the longer cooking time).
- ONION + GARLIC + GINGER. This trio of aromatics adds TONS of flavor to our butter chicken sauce and sets the stage for all the layers of flavor we’ll build in. I love using frozen garlic + frozen ginger. The flavor is identical to fresh and there aren’t any additives! Next up, we have…
- WARM SPICES + SEASONINGS. The next layer of flavor comes from warm spices like cumin, cardamom, and coriander, along with some salt and a little cayenne (or not! It’s up to you!). The flavor and aroma is mouthwatering, and the cayenne gives *juuust* a little heat without making this super spicy. (Prefer it spicy? Add more!)
- TOMATO PASTE + CANNED COCONUT MILK. Tomato paste makes this sauce velvety smooth and stirs into the coconut milk like a dream. I beg, plead, and implore you to use full-fat coconut milk for this paleo butter chicken recipe! It gives the sauce such delicious texture (especially since we’re not using butter), and helps carry the flavors. You can even use coconut cream if you like, but I don’t recommend light coconut milk or refrigerated coconut milk for this recipe.
- A FEW FRESH FINISHES. Lastly, you’ll brighten up the dish by adding a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some fresh cilantro. It makes it look gorgeous and keeps the chicken cozy without feeling heavy.
What To Serve With Paleo Butter Chicken
- RICE OR CAULIFLOWER RICE. I looove having something to soak up all that lovely sauce from the paleo butter chicken. Depending on your dietary needs, you can serve this with cauliflower rice or white rice. I love it either way! (Note: for Whole30 be sure you use cauliflower rice.)
- GREEN VEGGIES. Green veggies are a natural side dish pairing with our Slow Cooker Butter Chicken and we’ve made all kinds over the years. Simply cooked broccoli (steamed or roasted), some green beans, asparagus, zucchini… it’s all good! Pick your favorite and go to town!
- THAI CUCUMBER SALAD. We’re blurring lines cuisine-wise here, but one of my recent faves is to serve my Slow Cooker Paleo Butter Chicken with my Thai Cucumber Salad. The cool, crisp, refreshing flavors of the salad are a delightful pairing with the warm, creamy, rich sauce of the butter chicken.
- FRESH PINEAPPLE OR MANGO. Or, you can cool off your mouth with some cold fruit. Pineapple and mango are lovely, though you can certainly use whatever is in season or looks good at the market!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Slow Cooker Paleo Butter Chicken
CAN I JUST “DUMP-AND-GO”? Yes. If you are short on time, you can absolutely pour all the sauce ingredients into the crock of your slow cooker, give it a whisk to smooth it out, then add the chicken. I prefer starting the sauce on the stovetop as shown because the onions are more meltingly tender and the sauce is less likely to have any lumps, but LOTS (hundreds) of readers have successfully made this paleo butter chicken as dump-and-go recipe. You do you!
NEED A SLOW COOKER? If you’re in the market, we have two that we love. (#foodblogger). First up is this one. It’s programmable, and will automatically switch the heat to the WARM setting when it’s done. You can even use the included programmable thermometer so that the heat switches to warm as soon as it’s reached the right internal temperature (which means NEVER overcooking your meat). It also comes with a lid clip to keep the lid in place (which means no sloshing if you’re carting it to a friend’s house or potluck). Our other fave is this one (our exact color isn’t sold anymore, but it’s a similar model). It’s inexpensive, easy to use, and looks cute, too!
IS BUTTER CHICKEN SPICY? It can be, but isn’t always. You can control the heat here by adding more or less cayenne pepper. The amount I suggest starting with (1/4 tsp.) will add some warmth and mild heat, but I wouldn’t say it’s super spicy.
FYI: SOME SLOW COOKERS RUN HOT! I’ve had a few readers in the last few years (just 2-3) tell me their sauce burned a bit toward the end of the cook time. If you’re nervous, I suggest keeping an eye on it toward the end or try using the LOW setting instead of the HIGH setting.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Paleo Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken (GF, DF, Paleo, Whole 30)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (or chicken thighs)
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil or ghee
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk (full fat, please!)
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- juice of 1/2 lime about 1 Tbsp.
- 1/4 cup cilantro or to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saute pan, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent and fairly tender. Add garlic, ginger, spices, and salt. Cook 1 minute longer, till all the spices are fragrant and amazing. Stir in coconut milk and tomato paste and stir until well combined.
- Add chicken to the slow cooker. Pour sauce over everything.
- Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or on low heat for 6-8 hours.
- Shred or dice chicken into the sauce, squeeze in lime juice, top with cilantro, and serve with your favorite vegetable, rice, or naan.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/slow-cooker-butter-chicken/
I just realized I forgot the cilantro and lime reading the comments but it was still wonderful! I will have to try adding those items when we eat the leftovers. Thank you for a wonderful recipe! This one will go in our regular rotation.
Holly – I’m so glad you liked it! It’s one of my FAVORITE dinners! We’re having it tomorrow! 🙂
It turned out too tangy for my liking. I think I’ll cut the tomato paste down and add a heap of butter in there next time!
Sarah – Too tangy. Hmmm… did you add the lime juice? Some folks prefer it without the lime juice. Otherwise, it sounds like you’ve got a great plan for next time!
Made this with thighs exactly how the recipe states EXCEPT I forgot the dang cilantro and lime. I think i lost the 2nd page to my recipe. It is very good but I am new to PALEO and I am learning I do not like coconut oil. So I will try GHEE next time. This is a keeper. So easy and simple. My house smelt amazing. Mixed in a bag of frozen cauliflower rice.
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. LOVE the idea of adding a bag of cauliflower rice! I’ll need to try that next time!
I was wondering where the 16 grams of sugar per serving is coming from? Going through all the ingredients in the recipe, even 16g of sugar doesn’t add up for the total batch. Am I missing something?
Gladys – That IS strange! I looked into it and somehow there was something off when I was calculating the nutrition facts. It was marked as 6 CANS of tomato paste instead of 6oz. (AGH!) I’ve corrected it and it should be much better now! Thanks for your help1
What size crock pot do you use? Our 6 quart side and we are waiting for someone to buy us one as a wedding gift. However we have a smaller, I think it’s a 3 quart one. Too small?
I use a 6 quart crock pot. I’m not sure that this would fit in a 3 quart one… you don’t want to fill them more than 3/4 full, so if it fits, I say go for it!
I want to make this tomorrow night but wondering if you knew how to convert this for an instant pot?! Far shot, but figured I’d check 🙂 Looks so good!
Jeni – I haven’t tried it in my Instant Pot yet, but another commenter gave these directions “I made a double batch of this in my Instant Pot pressure cooker tonight… I am by no means an expert on electric pressure cookers but i cooked it on Stew/Meat setting for 35 mins (whole breasts, shredded when done).” Another said she sauteed the onions for a few minutes, added the sauce ingredients and chicken and did 15 minutes on manual (but said her sauce scorched a bit).
If you give it a try, I’d LOVE to know how it works for you and what settings you used!
I’m currently cooking this right now in my crockpot!
I’ll update later how it comes out!
Ooh! I hope you LOVE it as much as we do!!!
I made this tonight on the stovetop as I didn’t have time to put it in my slow cooker. Cubed the chicken breast and added it to the sauce. Made it exactly according to the recipe. Needed to add 1/2 tsp more freshly ground sea salt. Served over homemade cauliflower rice. This was DIVINE!!! My husband even ate it as is and said he would definitely like to have this again. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Jeannie – I’m SO glad you enjoyed it! Way to go!!!
Is it okay to use frozen chicken breasts straight in the crock pot? Or should they be thawed?
Amanda – For food safety, I try to always thaw mine. (Some slow cookers don’t heat evenly/quickly enough to keep them at a safe temperature if they go in frozen)
Hi Emily!
I was planning on trying your recipe this weekend but I only have chicken legs on hand ( bone in of course). Do you think I should adjust the cooking time when using this cut?
Thanks!
Dellie – Great question. Honestly, it’ll be close enough, I don’t think you’ll need to adjust it. Hope you LOVE it!!!