Chicken · Slow cooker adaptation

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken (Gordon Ramsay Curry in a Hurry)

Curry in a hurry sounds like a contradiction, but Gordon Ramsay's butter chicken proves you can get serious flavour in 15 minutes. A marinade of fresh turmeric, garam masala and yogurt does the heavy lifting, though his real trick? Marinate the night before if you've got time, and the spices will work their magic deep into the meat.

R By Richard · Adapted from YouTube · Published 28 May 2026
⏱Prep 25 min
🍲Slow cook 5 hr (Low) / 3 hr (High)
🍽Serves 4
Gordon Ramsay Makes a Curry in a Hurry | Next Level Kitchen

Source video by YouTube on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Gordon Ramsay's quick hob butter chicken, slowed down for the slow cooker. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and warm spices, then cooked gently in a caramelised onion, ginger, chilli and tomato sauce. The sauce is blended smooth, passed through a sieve, then finished with butter, lemon zest and fresh coriander. Serve with steamed rice or chapatis.

Slow cooker notes: Original is a 15-minute hob recipe. Adapted by building the sauce base (caramelised onions, aromatics, toasted spices) in a frying pan first, then blending and transferring to the slow cooker with the marinated chicken to cook gently on Low. Cream is added in the final 30 minutes to prevent splitting; butter and lemon zest are stirred through at the end off the heat, exactly as Gordon finishes the dish. Tomato sauce quantity kept as stated (half a jar) since slow cookers retain liquid.

Editor's note: Many quantities not stated explicitly in transcript and left as null: chicken weight, salt, pepper, oil, grapeseed oil, butter (multiple additions), tomato sauce ('half a jar', jar size unstated), double cream, lemon juice/zest, fresh coriander, cardamom pods ('a couple'), cloves, garlic ('three nice cloves' captured), ginger, chilli, red onion. Spice teaspoons (turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne, garam masala) and 3 tablespoons yogurt were stated. Adapted from a hob method to slow cooker so timings are inferred from standard slow cooker chicken curry practice, not the source. | Second-pass critique flagged 13 fabricated and 1 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.

Ingredients

Chicken marinade
  • chicken breast and tenders (or thighs), cut into bite-sized cubes
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 tspfresh turmeric, grated
  • 1 tspground cumin
  • 1 tspground coriander
  • cayenne pepper
  • garam masala
  • 3 tbspnatural yogurt
  • oil
Sauce
  • red onions, sliced
  • grapeseed oil
  • green cardamom pods, bashed to open
  • whole cloves
  • fresh ginger, roughly sliced
  • red chilli, seeds left in for heat
  • 3 clovesgarlic cloves
  • butter
  • garam masala
  • ground turmeric
  • ground cumin
  • cayenne pepper
  • tomato sauce (passata or tomato pasta sauce)
  • double cream (add late)
To finish
  • lemon, juice and zest (add late)
  • butter (to finish) (add late)
  • fresh coriander, roughly chopped (add late)
To serve
  • steamed rice or chapatis

Method

  1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes. If using tenders, halve them; if using thighs, quarter them. Place in a bowl.

    ~5 min

  2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add the turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne and garam masala. Stir in the yogurt and a drizzle of oil to coat. Set aside (overnight in the fridge is better if you have time).

    ~5 min

  3. Heat a frying pan with a generous glug of grapeseed oil until smoking. Add the sliced red onions and start to caramelise, spreading them up the sides of the pan.

    ~5 min

  4. Bash the cardamom pods to open them and add to the onions along with the whole cloves, sliced ginger, chilli (seeds in for heat) and garlic cloves. Continue to cook until the onions are soft and caramelised.

    ~5 min

  5. Add a knob of butter, then dust in garam masala, turmeric, cumin and cayenne. Toast the spices in the fat for a minute or two until fragrant and the mixture forms a soft caramelised paste.

    ~3 min

  6. Add the tomato sauce, bring to the boil briefly, then transfer everything to a blender. Blitz until smooth, holding the lid down with a tea towel as it is hot. Pass the sauce through a sieve into your slow cooker, pressing with the back of a ladle to extract a velvety gravy and leave the whole cardamom and cloves behind.

    ~5 min

  7. Add the marinated chicken (with all its marinade) to the slow cooker and stir into the sauce. Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours, or High for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the chicken is tender.

  8. In the final 30 minutes, stir through the double cream and replace the lid to warm through.

    ~30 min

  9. Turn the slow cooker off. Stir in a couple of knobs of butter, the lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice, working the butter gently through the sauce so it emulsifies without boiling. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

    ~3 min

  10. Scatter over the fresh coriander and serve with steamed rice or warm chapatis.

    ~2 min

Frequently asked

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast?
Yes, and thighs are arguably better in the slow cooker because they stay tender over longer cooking. Cut boneless thighs into four chunks each, as Gordon suggests.
Do I have to blend and sieve the sauce?
Blending is essential for the velvety butter chicken texture. Sieving is optional but worth doing to catch the whole cardamom pods and cloves, giving a smoother, more restaurant-style finish.
Why add the cream near the end?
Double cream can split if cooked too long on a low simmer with acidic tomato. Stirring it in for the final 30 minutes gives a rich, glossy sauce without curdling.
It is too spicy. How do I cool it down?
As Gordon notes, butter is an excellent cooling agent. Stir in an extra knob of butter at the end, or add a splash more cream to mellow the heat.
Can I marinate the chicken overnight?
Yes, and it is recommended. Overnight marinating lets the yogurt and spices penetrate the chicken fully, deepening both colour and flavour.
Extraction notes (transparency): Many quantities not stated explicitly in transcript and left as null: chicken weight, salt, pepper, oil, grapeseed oil, butter (multiple additions), tomato sauce ('half a jar', jar size unstated), double cream, lemon juice/zest, fresh coriander, cardamom pods ('a couple'), cloves, garlic ('three nice cloves' captured), ginger, chilli, red onion. Spice teaspoons (turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne, garam masala) and 3 tablespoons yogurt were stated. Adapted from a hob method to slow cooker so timings are inferred from standard slow cooker chicken curry practice, not the source. | Second-pass critique flagged 13 fabricated and 1 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.