In a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of coconut or olive oil. Sauté finely diced yellow onion, minced garlic, and ginger paste for 3–6 minutes until the onion turns golden and fragrant.

Stir in the smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground turmeric, salt, and garam masala, cooking for an additional 1–3 minutes until the spices are aromatic. Add a can of diced tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

Trim any excess fat from chicken thighs and place them in the slow cooker over the spiced tomato mixture.

Cover the slow cooker and set it to high for 2½–4 hours or low for 4–6 hours.

Once cooking time is up, carefully remove the chicken from the slow cooker and chop it into bite-sized pieces.

Using an immersion blender, purée the sauce in the slow cooker until smooth.

Add unsalted butter and heavy cream to the blended sauce, stirring until well combined.

Return the chopped chicken to the slow cooker, stirring everything together gently.

Serve your Crockpot Butter Chicken hot, garnished with fresh cilantro if desired.