Tasty Tuesday: Crockpot Butter Chicken

Eric and I are both huge fans of Indian food.  Unfortunately, it's one of those things that I just haven't perfected at home.  Don't get me wrong ... When I make Indian-inspired dishes, they're good.  But they're not as good as what you'd get in a restaurant.

This was one of those dishes.

The best part?  This is a crockpot meal.

I'm sharing it today because while it was nowhere near restaurant quality, it was good.  It was also ridiculously easy (and you can't go wrong with that).  Eric and I both liked this recipe, and I'd make it again.  I just wish I could figure out how to make restaurant quality Indian food.  Maybe one day.

For now, though, I'll share this recipe ... Because, as I said, it was pretty damn good.

Crockpot Butter Chicken

Adapted ever so slightly from a recipe on Half Baked Harvest.

Ingredient List:

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 tbsp low fat margarine or butter (I used low fat margarine)
• 3 cloves garlic (or, if you're lazy like me, the equivalent of jarred, pre-minced garlic)
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1-3 tsp red curry paste (I used 3 tsp of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 14 oz. can coconut milk (I used lite)
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used Fage 0% plain yogurt)
• 1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream (I used heavy cream)
• 4 cups cooked basmati rice

There's a fork hiding somewhere under all that chicken and rice.

Instructions:

1.  Combine the coconut milk, heavy cream, Greek yogurt, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, curry powder, red curry paste, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and sea salt in a large bowl.  Mix until completely blended.

2.  Spray the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray, and add the diced onion.

3.  Add the chicken to the onion in the crockpot.

4.  Pour the coconut milk mixture over the chicken and mix until the chicken is completely coated.

5.  Add the butter and place the lid on the crockpot; cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  (I cooked it on low for 7 hours.)

See?  It's an incredibly easy recipe.  I served this over cooked white basmati rice with a side of peas.