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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
I found it to be a little bland…..spicy but bland. Needed more salt. I am not a salt adder when I cook but there definitely was not enough.
Hi Christine! Glad you tried this! Everyone’s salt preference is different, which is why I noted “2 tsp. of salt, or to taste” so if you didn’t think 2 tsp. was enough, then by all means, go ahead and add more to your liking! I hope you try it again with more salt next time! Thanks for the feedback :)
I googled a crockpot tikka masala recipe and came across this. I just made it tonight and it was REALLY good for a crockpot dinner. Almost tasted like I was dining in my favorite Indian restaurant!! Thanks for the post!
Awesome, Erin! So glad you enjoyed it! :)
This looks delicious. Have pinned to try soon. I usually stick to dishes that are a little more WW friendly but I have a 2-1/2 year-old grandson who just moved here from England. Tikka masala is one of his favorite foods and I’ve been looking for an easy recipe to try out for him. Thanks so much.
Oh that’s wonderful! I’m so glad you found this recipe. I hope you all enjoy :)
We used to live in England where Indian food is like Chinese food here. We have had lots of tikka masala and since we moved away from there a year ago, I have tried many recipes trying to recreate the flavor. This was the closest I have come! It was delish and so easy. Thanks so much-will be making it often!
Oh, I’m so happy that this is your new fav! Thank you for the feedback!
I’m sorry, but this recipe feels like it’s missing half of the flavor of real tikka masala. It tastes flat. I wasn’t impressed. I wish there was a way to rate these recipes. I would have avoided it had there been an honest rating system.
Sorry you felt this way Lisa! The comments on this recipe serves as a pretty good rating system since a lot of them are actual people who made it and had a positive experience with it! Thank you for your feedback, though, and sorry this dish disappointed you.
Oh no, I accidentally added the heavy cream to the mixture before adding it to the crockpot!? Will it turn out ok?! Haven’t added the cornstarch. Will add then in later. Help!
Hi Kate, yes, it’ll be ok. Someone actually asked the same thing right above your comment and his turned out fine, as well! :)
Please help. I didn’t read instructions all the way through and added the heavy cream with everything else (not at the end). I have not started cooking. If I cook it will it be OK? Please help!!! I won’t start cooking it till in about 4 hours.
Seems like this is a typical guy mistake…. fail!
Hi Patrick! Sorry I didn’t get to you last night. Hope it still turned out. But yes, it would’ve been fine if you added the cream early.
Julie, thanks for getting back, you are right it did turn out fine. I look forward to trying it the correct way next time!
Wonderful! So glad it worked out for you, Patrick!
Hi, I had a quick question about you what kind of yogurt to use. Should I use regular plain yogurt or could I use Greek plain yogurt? Could I use fat-free or should I get a yogurt with a little bit of fat? Also I saw in an earlier comment that you said that I could sub half & half for the heavy cream, but could/should I use fat-free half & half or would that really alter the taste? I am just trying to lighten up the recipe a tad, as I am watching what I eat!
Thanks for sharing an amazing sounding recipe!
Hi Caroline, I used plain Greek yogurt. You could use fat-free Greek yogurt. I wouldn’t sub fat free half & half, I hear that stuff is actually worse for you than the real thing, so just use regular half & half. Enjoy!
What did I do wrong? It was so spicy, we couldn’t even eat it… Yikes. I am not a crock pot cooker
Hi Maria, sorry yours turned out too spicy. Unfortunately, you didn’t give me enough information for me to properly diagnose what went wrong. Did you happen to mix up TSP (teaspoon) for TBSP (tablespoon) in the cayenne pepper? That’s the only thing I can think of that could make this too spicy. Garam masala and the other ingredients don’t have that much heat – they’re more flavor, and the yogurt should’ve helped with the heat component. From what you’ve told me, I can only assume that you added too much cayenne pepper or you are just really sensitive to heat/spice so maybe next time leave out the cayenne?
Yum, I definitely need to try this! It looks amazing – and I love using the crockpot! :)
I love the crockpot! Makes dinners so easy :)