Slow Cooker Butter Chicken Recipe - The Girl Who Ate Everything (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken up butter chicken in the slow cooker? ›

Cornstarch, potato starch, and chickpea flour are a couple of pantry-friendly ways to thicken soups, stews, and sauces in the slow cooker. Just a tablespoon or two of any — added towards the end of cooking — will thicken sauces especially well.

Aside from accidentally overcooking the meals, the most common reason we see for tough, rubbery, or overdone chicken is customers using a Crockpot that is far too big.

If you've ever wondered "why is my curry too watery"? here are some common causes: Too much liquid or broth is added during cooking. Short cooking time or not enough simmering time for the sauce to reduce.

Place the cooker on a high setting, and open the lid for 30-45 minutes to let excess moisture cook off. The liquid will reduce, leaving you with a thick and delicious gravy or sauce. (Tip: This trick can also be applied for thickening stews, or when you've accidentally added too much liquid.)

Make a flour slurry to thicken creamy sauces.

Combine equal parts of flour and cold water in a cup. Mix it until it's smooth and stir it into the sauce.

Always cook your boneless skinless chicken breasts on LOW for the best results. I do not recommend cooking boneless chicken breast on HIGH, as it will become very dry and tough, even if you check it early. On high, the chicken turns out drier; I consistently have the best results with low.

Using a nice, long, low-and-slow cook time helps chicken breasts retain plenty of moisture - but you can certainly opt to add a splash of water or chicken stock to the crockpot if you like!

Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook. That's because of their makeup. Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender.

Do not overcook because it will continue to cook in the sauce.

In many recipes for butter chicken, copious amounts of butter and heavy cream supply richness, but we do as we were taught in India and use cashews pureed with a small amount of water until smooth. The nut puree adds creaminess without making the dish heavy.

Are cashews necessary in butter chicken? ›

Cashews impart a delicate flavor & acts as a thickener. It gives that rich, smooth and silky richness to the sauce. You can use almonds or almond flour as a substitute but flavors are different. To use almonds, soak them in hot water for 2 hours, peel and grind to a smooth paste/ puree.

You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

Your curry can taste bitter if the spices and garlic are burnt or if you've added too much fenugreek to the dish. You see, the secret to cooking a delicious curry recipe is to create a spicy paste and slowly cook it before adding your meat.

If you've always had reddish butter chicken gravy, it's because of food colour. The butter chicken gravy is naturally orange-ish because of the tomatoes and the spices. This recipe makes lots of sauce or gravy, so you can always reserve some for later.

As a rule of thumb, dissolve 2 parts cold water and 1 part cornstarch. Add the slurry to your sauce as it simmers in the slow cooker. Cornstarch is always a good way to thicken a sauce or soup but personally I would recommend going a different route as the cornstarch slurry may change the flavor of the meal.

Add a thickening agent

Some common options include cornstarch, flour, or arrowroot powder. Mix the agent with some water or broth before adding it to the slow cooker towards the end of the cooking time. This will help prevent clumping and ensure an evenly thickened sauce.

Yoghurt: Greek-style yoghurt thickens the sauce and adds a creamy lusciousness to the dish (plus a cooling quality and yoghurt tang).

okay, secondly, you can put a tea towel under the lid. that will capture some of the moisture, it stops it circulating in the slow cooker. and then thirdly, you can use a corn flour slurry, so into a bowl, a little bit of corn flour, cold water, mix it with your finger, pour it in, stir it. you're done.