Butter Chicken (my slow cooker version adapted for the stove top)

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Oh my gosh, this is such a long overdue post!  I've been meaning to add this as well as update the terrible butter chicken photos I had before but it has truly taken me forever and a day to do it.  But now I have!  Yay me.

My Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe has become the second most popular recipe on my blog (coming in behind Slow Cooker Tikka Masala).  I think the reason is that it's so easy to just chuck everything into the crockpot and be done with it and the other reason is that its so dang delicious!

But what happens when the slow cooker no longer becomes convenient?  What if you plan on making this recipe for dinner or for company and you forget to get it in the slow cooker in the morning? (Not that I've done this a dozen times or anything). Nope, there's no reason to make something else, just cook it on the stove top!

I find myself using this method quite a lot since I sometimes forget to get my act together and get it in the slow cooker in the morning.  This will take an hour or two to simmer as opposed to 4-8 hours in the crockpot, so if you find yourself short on time, try this.  

Recipe adapted from Lisa Kremer 
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Serves 4
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2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil

1 lb boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 green cardamom pods (strung together with needle and thread or put in cheese cloth.  Can also substitute 2 tsp ground cardamom)
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne powder (optional) It’s really hot if you add this
2 tsp tandoori masala
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp curry paste (I like Patak’s mild curry paste)
1 400ml can coconut milk
1 5.5 fl oz can of tomato paste
1 cup plain yogurt (optional)
Salt to taste


In a large frying pan over medium high heat add the butter, oil, chicken, onions and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the chicken has a bit of color on it.  Add the cardamom, curry powder, tandoori masala,  and garam masala and cook the spices until fragrant about 1 minute.  Add the curry paste and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute.  Add the coconut milk and tomato paste and stir well to combine.  Let come up to a boil and then turn heat down to low and cover with a lid (the large frying pan I use doesn't have a lid, so I cover with tinfoil).  Simmer for 1-2 hours (longer is better), stirring occasionally.  Season well with salt and stir in plain yogurt if using.  Serve over basmati rice with naan bread and garnish with cilantro if desired.  




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THE RESULTS?
This is just as good as the original and I love that if I forget to put it in the slow cooker we can still eat it for supper that night.  I wrote in this recipe that the yogurt is optional because recently I have found myself not adding it.  I leave it out when I make it for vegan friends and don't really miss it, so I started doing the same when I make it on the stove top. I actually find that the spices and flavors are more potent and the yogurt mellows them out (which is a good trick if you made it a bit too spicy :)  

If you are looking for ideas for where to find these spices, curry pastes and masalas, or you want to know if you can sub cream instead of coconut milk, etc, check the Results section of the original post where I put the answers to a lot of frequently asked questions.