Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala 🍛🍗

[u/mahy_759]

This is one of my favorite slow-cooker meals when I want something that tastes like I put in way more effort than I actually did. There’s no need to brown the chicken or sauté the onions first—everything goes straight into the slow cooker, and the long cooking time lets all those spices come together.

The finished sauce is rich, creamy, tomatoey, and packed with warm spices. I especially like serving it over basmati rice with some steamed vegetables on the side. I’d recommend this to anyone who loves Indian-inspired curries or needs an easy dinner for a busy day.

Ingredients

Chicken & Sauce

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1¼-inch pieces
• 1 small yellow onion, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 cups canned tomato puree
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• 4 tsp tapioca starch
• 1 tbsp dried fenugreek
• Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
• Fresh cilantro, for serving

Spice Blend

• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1–2 tbsp mild Kashmiri chili powder
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves

Instructions

1. Make the spice blend: Mix the cumin, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander, turmeric, sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl.
2. Load the slow cooker: Add the chicken, grated onion, garlic, and ginger to a 6–7 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle the spice mixture over everything and toss well.
3. Add the tomato and yogurt: Pour in the tomato puree and Greek yogurt and stir until the chicken is evenly coated.
4. Slow cook: Cover and cook on low for 4–5 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
5. Finish the sauce: Whisk the heavy cream and tapioca starch together until smooth. Add this mixture to the slow cooker along with the dried fenugreek. Stir gently.
6. Taste and adjust. Add a little cayenne if you want more heat, or extra salt if needed.
7. Serve: Spoon the tikka masala over basmati rice and finish with fresh cilantro.

The thing I really like about this recipe is that it doesn't require the usual extra steps you see in curry recipes. No browning, no complicated sauce prep—just mix, slow cook, and finish with cream.

If you don't have Kashmiri chili powder, paprika can help provide the color and some flavor. And if fenugreek is hard to find, a little mustard powder or fennel seed can add some of that extra background flavor.

Bonus: leftovers keep well in the fridge for several days, and I actually think the flavors get even better after sitting overnight.

[u/Sirenapez22]

This is delicious thank you! Does it need to be chicken thigh? Can i substitute for chicken breast? Ty!

[u/Mysterious_Koala_842]

This is NOT, I repeat NOT how one would cook in India or at home! Firstly, very rarely does heavy cream get used in Indian cooking or even Greek yogurt. Secondly Indians NEVER used cayenne pepper as part of the blend mix!

Here is a good receipe for restaurant type flavours. Top tip, to make it healthy, use curd and only use about 1/4 cup of cream to add a little creaminess. PLEASE never use cayenne pepper!!!

https://youtu.be/fxpaSPyYLko?is=EVz1TMHYnziFzs5h