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Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
I am obsessed with chicken tikka masala and let’s be real — Indian food for that matter.
Whenever I go to an Indian restaurant, as American as this is, I always order chicken tikka masala.
I like trying each restaurant’s own take on chicken tikka masala and most of the time I have not been disappointed.
I love the complex flavors of Indian cuisine and the numerous spices used in their dishes to give you the most flavorful experience ever.
I always look to create restaurant favorites at home and this slow cooker chicken tikka masala is one of those.
When you’re tired after work, the whole dinner part of the evening is kind of daunting.
That’s where this slow cooker chicken tikka masala comes into play.
I prepped everything the night before and put everything into the slow cooker right before I left for work.
It’s so nice to walk into your house after work and smell dinner already prepared. It’s as if you have an in-house chef!

Tips to make this slow cooker chicken tikka masala dish
- Try to prep/chop everything the night before so you can put this into the slow cooker before you head out for the day
- Read the instructions carefully — some of the ingredients are not added at the beginning
- Use the correct spices

Can you make this vegan or vegetarian?
I don’t see why you can’t! You could substitute out the chicken for firm tofu (but I’d add that in at the end of cooking).
Can I omit any of the spices that I cannot find?
No! It is what creates the flavor of this dish.
Indian cuisine is highly flavorful because of the spices used.

Can I substitute sour cream for the yoghurt?
You can, but it MIGHT be too sour.
I accidentally added everything into the slow cooker, will my recipe be ruined?
No, it will be fine.

Other slow cooker recipes to love:
Slow cooker chicken enchilada soup
Slow cooker pumpkin coconut curry
Slow cooker chicken pot pie soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 5 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 29 ounce can of tomato puree
- 1 ½ cups plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon tumeric powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1–3 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on your heat preference
- 2 leaves bay
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Lemon juice from half a small lemon
- Chopped parsley or cilantro, for topping
Instructions
- Place chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato puree, yogurt, olive oil, garam masala, tumeric powder, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. With a spatula, stir to combine everything and make sure the chicken is coated well.
- Gently place the mixture in the insert of the crockpot and add the two bay leaves.
- Cover and cook for 4 hours on low (or 2 hours on high).
- When done, in a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream and corn starch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot and gently stir. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up. Squeeze half a lemon over the mixture then stir to incorporate.
- Serve hot over a bed of white (or brown) rice.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Recipe Notes
YOUR NOTES
NUTRITION FACTS
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
Photography by Jesse Reilly
Lynn
Tuesday 21st of June 2022
This turned out great! I’ll for sure be making it again. The only thing I noticed is how much sauce it made. I used 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs and it really only needed half of the sauce. So next time I’ll either double the amount of chicken or cut the sauce ingredients in half. I will also try squeezing lime juice in it at the end instead of lemon juice. Thanks for the recipe!
Kim
Sunday 19th of June 2022
Delicious!! Next time I’ll leave out the cayenne completely, but we are sissies 🤣
Jessica Kubiak
Sunday 12th of December 2021
The recipe was easy to follow, I was very excited to try chicken tikka masala at home. What ended up being a huge bummer was how SPICY it was with a little under a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Of course Indian food is known for its spice and flavor, but I was not expecting this. Next time I’ll leave that ingredient out! Or just do 1/4 tsp. It was hard to enjoy this meal because of that, unfortunately.
Cate
Friday 12th of November 2021
Hello! I’m curious about the cook time… recipe says 4hrs on low or 2hrs on high. Reading comments though, someone mentioned 8 hrs on low and 4hrs on high. Can you clarify? Mine’s in the crockpot now!
Julie Chiou
Saturday 13th of November 2021
hi, the recipe has been updated since the comments so future reference, i would go with whatever the recipe says vs. comments!
Jay
Saturday 4th of September 2021
I'm actually extremely surprised at how well this turned out. Tastes very akin to the same dish from an Indian restaurant. Bravo! You definitely have a talent for these flavor profiles! : )