Slow Cooker Dairy Free Butter Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Chicken is such a versatile protein and I love trying new recipes with it. The following slow cooker butter chicken is one of my absolute favorites right now and I think you will just love this slow cooker dairy free butter chicken with cauliflower rice recipe. If you are looking for an easy slow cooker recipe or a chicken curry recipe, this is one to try.

Although butter chicken sounds like a butter-rich dish, this version is dairy-free so even those who can’t have dairy can enjoy this.

You might also enjoy banana smoothies, naan bread, copycat takeout recipes, chicken madras curry or even homemade poinsettia focaccia.

I love this slow cooker butter chicken because it has such a tasty sauce. This chicken curry recipe does have a long ingredient list, but trust me – it’s well worth making. The flavors are amazing.

So when you want to find a new and easy slow cooker recipe which tastes great, look no further. I promise you this butter chicken with cauliflower rice is going to impress you.

Dairy Free Butter Chicken Ingredients

I used chicken breasts to make this slow cooker butter chicken, but thighs would also be good if you prefer them. Some people like to use thighs for their richer flavour, but really either would work just fine here.

For the butter chicken sauce, you need garlic, shallots, garam masala, red pepper flakes, red curry paste, ginger, coconut milk, and more. All these ingredients blend together beautifully to make the best sauce.

I made a tasty gluten free no yeast naan bread to go with this easy slow cooker recipe, and it’s great for mopping up the juices. If you prefer steamed or boiled rice, that’s also good. You could even make mashed potatoes for an East meet West style curry dish.

If you’re in a rush you might want to buy some readymade naan bread and have that with the curry. It’s totally down to personal preference.

How to Make this Chicken Curry Recipe

To make this butter chicken with cauliflower rice, you need to chop the chicken and add lemon juice as well as red pepper flakes. Grind in some salt and pepper. While the chicken marinates, you can go ahead and make the sauce.

Melt coconut oil and add shallot, ginger and garlic. Use fresh if possible – it tastes so much nicer. This mixture can then go into a food processor with garam masala, curry paste, and tomatoes.

Put the chicken in the crockpot and add the sauce on top. This is such an easy slow cooker recipe because at this point you can simply forget about it for a few hours. After the chicken has finished cooking, stir in the coconut milk and just simmer for 15 minutes. 

If you are making your own naan bread, you can start this an hour or so before the chicken is done. You can prepare the cauliflower rice when you get the chicken into the crockpot and then cook while it simmers for the last 15 mintues.

All there is left to do is serve the dairy free butter chicken, naan bread and cauliflower rice and sprinkle some cilantro on top.

What to Serve with Butter Chicken?

Naan bread is the classic bread to service with your butter chicken and I have some cauliflower rice used in this recipe. You will love it! I have a recipe for gluten free naan bread that you will love with this dairy free butter chicken recipe.

If you are making your own naan bread, you can start this an hour or so before the chicken is done. Next you can start preparing the cauliflower rice so it is ready when the chicken is. Steam-able bags are a great time-saving option here if you are short on time.

If you like this slow cooker recipe, you might also like Gluten Free Cauliflower Carbonara, Chicken Pot Pie Soup or Slow Cooker Authentic Greek Lemon Chicken Soup -Avgolemono.

What is Garam Masala?

This spice blend adds plenty of flavour to this slow cooker butter chicken. This spice blend is used in a lot of Indian recipes, not just this chicken curry recipe. Garam masala is good in soups, lentil dishes and most curries.

There are different brands with different flavours, but cinnamon, peppercorns, mace, cumin, cardamom, and coriander seeds. These spices are toasted and then ground, to extract the most flavour.

Garam masala is a rich-tasting seasoning so a little goes a long way. If you like to make Indian recipes it’s a great staple to keep in the pantry.

Dairy Free Butter Chicken Tips

Butter chicken with cauliflower rice is so good and there isn’t much that can go wrong when making this recipe. It’s a very easy slow cooker recipe and both sides – the cauliflower rice and naan – are optional. You can make other side dishes if you prefer.

The key to a lot of Indian recipes, including slow cooker butter chicken, is using fresh ingredients. It’s also important to take your time with the preparation. Indians use fresh ingredients wherever possible, even if there is a bit more effort required to pull a dish together.

Dairy Free Butter Chicken with Cauliflower Rice Recipe

Give the chicken plenty of time to marinate in the lemon juice, and use fresh lemon juice if you can. Cook this easy slow cooker recipe low and slow, to coax every bit of flavour out of the ingredients.

Choose the best ingredients and take your time. That way, this will be the best chicken curry recipe you ever made. Once you taste this impressive dairy free butter chicken, you will want to make it again – definitely!

Let me know if you try out this slow cooker dairy free butter chicken with cauliflower rice recipe. If you are looking for an easy slow cooker recipe or a chicken curry recipe, this is one to try!