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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.
- 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.
- 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
Nutrition
Photography by Jesse Reilly
I can’t wait to make this. I’ve never used a crockpot before but with my hectic schedule I plan to buy one this week! This may be a silly question but am I suppose to cut the chicken up before???
Thank you for this recipe!
Daniela
Yes, I cut up the chicken before! Hope you enjoy!
I have this recipe in the crock pot now. Glad to have found it on pinterest. Really looking forward to dinnner!!! I’m sorry to hear about the pain & tiredness you’ve been experiencing. As I was reading, I thought, “I need to share nopalea.” It’s an all natural juice with cactus in it. It has been a life changer for so many experiencing pain & inflammation, including myself. Now i don’t like to go 1 day without it. More info at livewellnessnow.com.
Hey! This looks amazing and I am making it tonight. I have one question thought….did you dice the chicken beforehand or let it cook and then cut it up?
I diced it beforehand.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I found it on Pinterest a few weeks ago and have been looking for a cold day to make it. Today’s the day. I started it at 1pm and doing the 4-5 hrs on high. It’s starting to smell amazing! It looks really good for Chicken Tikka Masala. I’ve made a different version of this recipe in the past that wasn’t bad, but it excluded the Masala…WHAT?!? Yes, and it didn’t taste right either. I’m looking forward to the end result. Thanks again, and keep up the great work on this wonderful blog!
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! I had to leave it in the crockpot almost 12 hours because that’s how long I was at work, so I added some chicken broth so it wouldn’t get too dry and it was incredible.
This is absolutely amazing! I used canned coconut milk in place of the heavy cream since I always have that on hand. I sneaked in some cauliflower and peas, too.
I made this just for me since I know no one in my family would even try it so I froze the left over sauce in individual containers. I had only added one chicken breast. I always keep cooked turkey breast in the freezer and I usually have cooked chicken in the fridge so I always have quick meals ready to go verses having to buy those frozen dinners.
I made this last night exactly as the recipe says (except I cooked it in a dutch oven at 300 degrees for five hours). It was absolutely amazing! It tastes exactly like the chicken tikka masala I have had in restaurants. Definitely on the top 3 list of favorite recipes!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was really good. I substituted chicken thighs for the breasts and they tasted great. They fell apart in the sauce. My family really enjoyed it and there is enough left overs to use for dinner another night. Do you think it would freeze well?
Yes! It would freeze well in an airtight container or Tupperware. Glad your family enjoyed it!
This was fantastic! I made it today for dinner tonight, and my husband and I were super impressed. Only drawback was that I used a little too much cayenne for the kids to like it, but it provided just the right amount of heat for the grownups. I’m looking forward to leftover night!
I’m thinking this will be dinner tomorrow night. Looks absolutely delicious.