
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
Servings are adjustable but please note that results, timing, and cookware may vary when adjusting servings.
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, or about 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 pounds) – cut into 1.5-inch cubes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1: 29- ounce can of tomato puree
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon tumeric powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1-3 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on your heat preference
- 2 leaves bay
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon 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 8 hours on low (or 4 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
Notes
Photography by Jesse Reilly
Tim
Thursday 18th of February 2021
How much is a serving for this dish? Is the rice count towards the nutrition information?
Julie Chiou
Friday 19th of February 2021
approx. 2/3 cup as my best guess, and no, rice is not counted
Katie
Monday 8th of February 2021
This was a huge hit tonight, except for my 5 year old. I probably should have omitted the cayenne for him. I used a whole chicken in the crockpot, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It was wonderful! And so easy!
Charisse T
Friday 22nd of January 2021
Can this be frozen?
Julie Chiou
Wednesday 27th of January 2021
yes it can
Elza
Friday 18th of December 2020
Very disappointed in this recipe. The flavour was very bland, and I expected it to be very flavourful because there were so many spices added and it was slow-cooked! My stove-top curries that I cook for 1 hour max and with fewer ingredients have more flavour. Not an authentic or restaurant-quality Indian meal.
Kelsey
Sunday 25th of October 2020
I tried this recipe tonight and the flavor was ok, but the chicken was SO dry. I followed the recipe exactly. Any ideas what went wrong?
Julie Chiou
Thursday 5th of November 2020
white meat usually yields to be drier in slow cooker dishes...if you want, try dark meat next time.