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This slow cooker chicken tikka masala is a great at-home Indian option for those nights that you can’t quite shell out the money for takeout. This incredibly flavorful at-home alternative will be sure to satisfy any craving! Be sure to serve it with some homemade naan as well.
Indian food is one of my favorite cuisines and I am always craving it. I love the complex flavors of Indian cuisine and it always makes my tastebuds come alive. I think that’s why I love Indian cuisine so much — I’m obsessed with flavor and richness.
I always look to create restaurant favorites at home and this slow cooker chicken tikka masala recipe is one of them! I actually have several Indian favorites on my site, including stovetop butter chicken, dal makhani, biryani, samosas, and gobi manchurian.
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!
What is chicken tikka masala?
Chicken tikka masala is a dish that’s consisted of marinated chicken that is cooked in a super flavorful creamy tomato-based sauce. It is served worldwide and a popular dish at many Indian restaurants.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For exact measurements, scroll to the bottom of the post.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – I prefer using dark meat over white meat for slow cooker dishes. They tend to retain moisture a lot better and they’re so much more tender and juicy.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Tomato puree – this is the base of the sauce.
- Plain yogurt – you’ll be marinating your chicken in this. Yogurt helps tenderize the chicken.
- Garam masala – a blend of spices originating from India and the most common spice you’ll see in Indian cooking.
- Turmeric powder
- Ground cumin – for that earthy flavor
- Sweet paprika
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper – if you don’t like heat, you may omit this and if you love heat, you may add more!
- Bay leaves
- Heavy cream – for that ultra creamy, luxurious sauce.
- Cornstarch – to help thicken the curry stew a bit.
- Lemon juice – to help brighten up the flavors.
How to make chicken tikka masala
For detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post.
Marinate the chicken. In a large bowl, you’ll add majority of the ingredients with the chicken and stir to ensure all the chicken is coated. Cover and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
Cook the chicken. Once you’re ready, add everything into the insert of the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
Make the cornstarch slurry. While the mixture is still hot, make the cornstarch slurry and stir it into the slow cooker to thicken up the sauce a bit.
Serve. Serve on a bed of basmati rice and with Homemade Naan.
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
Common questions
Is chicken tikka masala spicy? It depends! If you like spice you can make it spicy by adding in more cayenne pepper than the recipe calls for. If you don’t like it spicy then you can omit it or use less.
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.
What can I serve with chicken tikka masala? Homemade Naan, Vegetable Samosas, and Mango Lassi!
Storing and reheating instructions
This will keep in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. To reheat, simply pop it in the microwave for 1 minute (or more) or reheat on the stovetop.
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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 29 ounce (822 ml) can of tomato puree
- 1 ½ cups (368 g) 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 teaspoons cayenne pepper, depending on your heat preference
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup (237 ml) 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.5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, 29 ounce (822 ml) can of tomato puree, 1 ½ cups (368 g) plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons Garam masala, 1 teaspoon tumeric powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, ½ tablespoon sweet paprika, 2 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, 1–3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- Cover and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
- Once marinated, gently place the mixture in the insert of the crockpot and add the two bay leaves.2 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.1 cup (237 ml) heavy cream, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, Lemon juice from half a small lemon
- 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
Nutrition
Photography by Jesse Reilly
Ok, thank you anyway! I might have to make a small batch for myself and make something special just for him. It sounds too good for me not to try.
Is there a substitute for the tomato paste? My fiancé is allergic to tomatoes. We miss out on a lot of recipes because of it. If there’s not, that’s fine, but I was curious if this recipe would still work with something non-tomato?
Thank you.
Hi Christine! Unfortunately, the tomato base in this recipe is what makes this recipe taste correctly (I would’ve suggested red bell pepper but that would probably be really gross) :( I wish I had another way around it for you! I’m so sorry!
I made this today with minor modification (I reduced the ginger a little and replaced the majority of cayenne pepper with fresh hot chili peppers finely chopped). By far the BEST tikka masal in the crock pot I have made to date. I’ve tried several and none have come out so delicious. We like our indian very spicy and found using fresh chili’s is the trick.
Thanks for the recipe, it will now be a part of our monthly rotation! SCORE!
Hi Julie,
I followed the recipe to a T minus the ginger because…well, Ginger and I are not friends so I used a lot less. Mine came out pretty bland. Not sure what I did wrong. :-(
Hi Julie,
I ended up adding all the ingredients together to include the cream and cornstarch per the first instruction….leave it to a guy I had not read down to the end, BUT it ended up great…I added a little water to keep the cream from making it too dense and it cooked just fine. I added a recipe for Palak Paneer and made some Naan. The family was very happy with the end results. I will read all the way thru next time….Great Recipe.
Made this today and everyone loved it. I used diced canned tomatoes because I didn’t have the pureed, and I did brown my chicken and onions a bit before I put it in the cooker. (That’s my habit with making meats in the slow cooker, I think they turn out better tasting that way.) For the commenter who thought the cinnamon smelled too strong: I thought the same thing. I was worried, because I’m not a big fan of cinnamon. But the taste was amazing.
You should correct the recipe to say that “combine all indredients except heavy cream and corn starch…I just made an expensive boo boo.
Hi Ken! Sorry it didn’t work out for you. You didn’t elaborate on what went wrong but this was how I have made it and how others have too, and it worked out for them. Sorry I can’t help you out but if you’d like to explain what happened, maybe we can troubleshoot!
Great recipe. My son said it tasted just like what we get in the Indian restaurant (high praise from him). Tons of sauce so make lots of rice or better yet get some Naan.
This is in my crock pot right now, and it’s honestly distracting from my ability to get my work done because it smells so good. I cannot wait for dinner tonight.
I think this is a fantastic recipe!
Last night I prepped this dish and put it into the crock this morning. Couldn’t wait to get home for dinner. It’s so easy. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because my experience is that chicken breast can get dried out in my crock.
Before I added the cream/cornstarch mixture I tasted it. I had only put in 1.5 tsps of cayenne and it was really hot. After the (light) cream it lost its heat so next time I’ll go all the way to 3 tsps. However, I think I will also use less cream because I feel it masked the other spices as well. Overall very yummy.