I bought a crock pot. Somehow if it wasn’t already official that I’m a mom, I feel that this makes it so. I hate the words…crock pot. Yuck. Somehow though in all its humdrum-ness, it’s hard to deny that the slow cooked rendering of meat is delicious in its many incarnations. I figured butter chicken was as good a cause as any to break in the crock pot and I’m happy to report that I’m already on to making it a second time, with a few modifications to the original recipe. We really preferred the second batch with these adjustments (see modified recipe below)…a little less tomato heavy and a little creamier.

Tender chicken, rich flavourful sauce worthy of being lapped up by the accompanying and essential naan, and top notch left overs. Check, check, check! The house filled with the aroma of cardamom and tandoori masala was just an added bonus that made me anticipate dinner all the more. With some frozen Vij’s in the form of coconut and ginger green beans on the side, which are happily now available at Planet Organic in Edmonton, it made for a pretty lovely and simple week night meal AND my little ginger cub couldn’t get enough of it.

Butter Chicken (adapted from Meal Planning 101)
Serves 4+

2-3 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil

Stir fry chicken, onion and garlic in frying pan on medium heat until the chicken has some color and the onion is translucent. Then pour entire contents of pan into crock pot. Then add:

15 green cardamom pods (tied in a cheesecloth for easy removal at the end)
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp curry paste (I used Patak’s mild curry paste*)
1 tsp cayenne powder (optional for a little heat)
2 tsp tandoori masala*
1 tsp garam masala*
1 can coconut milk
1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup of tomato paste
1 cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt to taste

Mix gently and cook on high heat 4-6 hours or low heat 6-8 hours. Add 1/4 cup of whipping cream just before serving.

*If you live in Canada you can find these ingredients at Superstore in the Asian Foods aisle. Note that the Patak’s Curry paste is not in the Asian Foods aisle with the other Indian spices, but is located with other sauces in a separate aisle.

Serve with basmati rice and warm buttered naan bread.