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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 made this several years ago with the original recipe (minus the turmeric and lemon) and I don’t why I haven’t made it again, because it is more than wonderful. I misjudged the time and made it on the stove top…oh my. The smell for the couple hours I simmered it was SO AMAZING. I will try it in the crock pot this time.
Made this today. It was delicious and very well received by my husband and two kids. I used only 1/2tsp of cayenne pepper and that was probably just right for me and the kids. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Easy and delicious, thank you for sharing.
I am making this tonight and am confused on something. When I add the cream and cornstarch, do I have to reset the cooker for an additional 20 min? Or is the warm setting enough?
Thank you! It smells totally amazing!!!
The warm setting should be hot enough to activate the cornstarch thickening but if it isn’t, I would take some of the liquid and put it in a pot on the stovetop and thicken it that way and pour it back in.
This meal is fantastic! Thank you for putting it together!
I manually went through and figured out the calorie count for this meal and thought I would share. :)
The following calorie count is based on only using 3 chickens breasts, and also using whole wheat flour in place of corn starch (I ran out of corn starch) >_<
780 cal – 3 chicken breasts
63 cal – 1 large onion
8 cal – garlic
18 cal – ginger
263 cal – tomato puree
225 cal – plain yogurt
238 cal – olive oil
78 cal – garam masala
8 cal – tumeric
22 cal – cumin
9 cal – paprika
6 cal – cinnamon
6 cal – black pepper
6 cal – bay leaf
6 cal – cayenne
102 cal – wheat flour
800 cal – whipping cream
9 cal – lemon
2647 total
Roughly 330 calories per serving (I consider 1 cup a serving; it's just too good! :) )
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed this recipe. It was easy to make and my family all liked it. It is definitely going to go on our replay list. Thank you.
This recipe is Amazing! I’ve made so many versions of chicken tikka masala, and they’ve all fallen short in terms of flavor and authenticity. I’ve made this recipe three times and have shared the recipe with my international traveling friends, and we all agree….his is the best recipe!!! That it can be cook d in the crockpot is just one added benefit…..thanks for sharing!
This turned out so great! My family gobbled it up.
I did make a couple of small changes (increased garlic and ginger), but otherwise my only question mark about the recipe was the large amount of sauce. I think in the future I would either cut the sauce ingredients in half, or increase the amount of chicken and plan on serving it two nights back to back. And just for personal preference, I think I would brown the chicken first before tossing it in the slow cooker.
This looks yummy! My 91-yo mother loves Indian inspired food, however, she doesn’t eat chicken – do you think I could substitute pork loin meat instead of chicken ? thank you in advance for your thoughts on this.
Yes, definitely. Substitute whatever meat you like!
Hello! This recipe looks great. I have some buttermilk on hand, and was wondering if I could use this instead of the heavy cream? Thanks for any suggestions you may have!
Hi, I do not recommend that. Your tikka masala would be VERY tangy/sour!
Thank you very much for your reply (: