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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 just had to comment and say how freakin’ delicious this was. I found your blog through Pinterest and everything I’ve tried so far has been amazing! Thank you! :)
Pretty good, SO EASY! I threw everything in my crockpot the night before (put it in the fridge) and had it all mixed up so i could just pop it in the crockpot in the morning and turn it on.
It seemed to be missing a certain flavor though? and wasn’t as red as I was expecting it to be.
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe, I made this tonight and it is sooo yummy! I was afraid to try it because I can’t tolerate anything spicy but it looked so good so I decided to give it a try and just left out the cayenne and pepper all together and it tastes delicious, very flavourful but not spicy at all so if anyone doesn’t like spicy food you can still use this recipe minus the cayenne. This was super easy too, cut the chicken, onion and garlic up last night and put it in a large ziplock bag in the fridge and measured all the spices out and put in a bag then just dumped it all in in the morning and presto!
Made it for dinner and it was AWESOME! even my kids loved it. thank you so much for the recipe
Made this last night but used skim milk instead of cream. To make up for the creaminess heavy cream would have given I used Greek yogurt. It was a huge hit and my new favorite recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I’m making this tonight! So excited! I’ve never cooked in a crockpot before so this may be a silly question. Do the chicken pieces need to be thawed beforehand?
Yes, they need to be thawed beforehand.
your blog is beautiful and this recipe looks delicious and not too complicated. :)
So, the first time I read the recipe I read TABLESPOONS of cayenne (wishful thinking?), and I added 3 tablespoons of cayenne to the pot! Needless to say, it was insanely spicy. What I ended up doing is just doubling everything else AND adding a can of coconut milk (instead of doubling the cream). It turned out great. I made this two weeks ago and we are STILL enjoying it, I froze all the extra. Reheating on the stove as we speak!
I served it with this garlic naan (I doubled the garlic [on purpose] and griddled it in a saute pan with salted butter, AMAZEBALLS). I season your recipe with salted butter, for a little more fat in the flavor, and sea salt.
While I am still trying to find the elusive “restaurant-style” Chicken Tikka Masala (I’m convinced that there is some secret that no one is telling us home cooks), I really have enjoyed your recipe–and having tried several as well as having taken a cooking class for it–I plan on making yours many more times in the future! The ease of the crockpot seals the deal for me. Thanks!
Great recipe! I used fat free evap milk in place of heavy cream and it had a nice texture to it. Could have used more tomato flavor – may add paste next time. Thanks for this!!
Is there any benefit from cooking 8 hours over 4? Is there a different in taste?
No, there isn’t. 8 hour is on low and 4 hours is on high. Just depends how much time you have. If you’re setting it to cook while you’re at work, I’d do 8 hours.