My friend David is a much better cook than I am, so when I get a recipe from him, I approach it with a bit of trepidation.

I also tend to focus on meals I know the kids will like when it comes to the crock pot — things like chicken, soup, or lasagna. I expect their palates to mature over time, but right now, they’re not going to be in to fragrant, flavorful butter chicken.*

But I am also a sucker for Indian food, and particularly butter chicken. So we decided to give this a try.

Now, I realize that I am supposed to be the Mediocre Chef of “The Mediocre Chef” fame. Mostly because I am, in fact, a mediocre chef. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t note that Kendra — not me — did the work behind this.

Kendra is not a mediocre chef. She is a fantastic cook.

That said, I take nothing away at all from either Kendra or David, really good cooks the both of them, when I say that this recipe is super easy. Just get all the stuff together and throw it in the crock pot.

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken breasts, chopped
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
100 grams tomato puree
200 grams natural yogurt
400 milliliteres coconut milk
100 grams butter

Rice, to serve
Coriander, to garnish

PREP:
1. In a slow cooker, throw in all the ingredients and mix to combine.
2. Place the lid on and cook on high for 4 hours.
3. Serve with rice and fresh coriander.
4. Enjoy!

[As scared of the metric system as the rest of us? Click here for a conversion site.]

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I am also a big sucker for dishes that seem complicated, but are really, in fact, simple. That is exactly this dish. It seemed really complicated, but just four hours of all those ingredients together on top of some rice, and it felt like I was in a restaurant in Mumbai. The flavors are rich and complex, the aroma fills the room.

It’s a great dish, and as with everything you do in the crock pot, it makes a ton.

Kendra served it with some spinach that’ll have to be a separate recipe, but involves wilting it with some pre-chopped garlic. It’s amazing, the perfect side.

Give butter chicken a try as soon as you can.

*Pretty sure they’re not. I mean, they might surprise me. There’s enough left over, I could have them try and it and see — and in fact, that’s likely what I’ll do. But I do know they are both very sensitive to “spicy” food, and they’ll perceive this as spicy, even though it is not, in any way, spicy. I’ll let you know what the kids say. Who knows, they may surprise me. They do it all the time.