Crock Pot Sunday
3/11 '20
This week's Crock Pot Sunday adventure is Butter Chicken sauce. I've never made this before, since, Indian food was never on the menu in rural New England while I was growing up. I am venturing into culinary Terra Incognita.
I blame Jill. Since I had it one time the Philadel group went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. I've kind of been jonesing for it ever since.
So, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!
MORE
Tuesday I had it over plain white rice. Holy cow, what a difference. Bland is a flavor and the bland flavor of the rice made the sauce sing. This dish was something to look forward to as I was locked in from Tuesday onward.
But that's another blog post.
(Though to be clear - I would absolutely have tried the riced cauliflower first too. Gods damned carbs n' shit.)
But yeah, it is a delicious and fairly easy cuisine to make at home, and sooooo satisfying.
Just last night I whipped up a *lovely* coconut milk curry with swordfish (snagged some on sale a while back and had it in the freezer). I stole the recipe from a website called melskitchencafe.com. The recipe there calls for shrimp, which I've also used in the past. Is there a link to the recipe you're using?
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
yield: 6 SERVINGS prep time:10 MINS cook time: 5 HRS total time: 5 HRS 10 MINS
This rich, creamy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken has the taste of authentic Indian butter chicken, made easy and healthy with everyday ingredients and veggies!
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts — about 4 medium breasts, diced
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 yellow onion — diced (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 cloves minced garlic — about 4 teaspoons
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — cut into small pieces (use coconut oil to make dairy free)
1/2 cup half-and-half or full-fat coconut milk — do not use light coconut milk, as it will water down the sauce
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt — or non-dairy yogurt to make dairy free
FOR SERVING:
Prepared brown rice
Quinoa
Naan
Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Dice the chicken and set aside.
In a nonstick skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium high. Once hot, add the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, garam masala, chili powder, salt, and tomato paste. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Transfer the onions to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Lay the diced chicken on top and top with tomato sauce. Stir to combine the sauce a bit, leaving the chicken pieces undisturbed underneath. The chicken pieces will seem a bit in the way. Just use a spoon to prod the sauce so things are more evenly coated. Scatter the butter pieces over the top.
Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. The cooking time may vary based on your slow cooker, so check early to ensure the chicken does not dry out.
Stir in the half-and-half. Let cool a few minutes, then stir in the Greek yogurt. (Don't stir in the yogurt right away; if the butter chicken is too hot, it will curdle.) Enjoy warm over brown rice, quinoa, naan, or riced cauliflower, sprinkled with fresh cilantro.