I love simplifying recipes and making them accessible for the average everyday American cook, with simple ingredients and simple prep, but I think went too far with the original version of this Slow Cooker Tikka Masala recipe. When I made it again recently I thought, “yeah, I can do better than this.” So I got back in the kitchen and started tweaking and testing. I’m happy to say that this new and improved version is richer, has more spices, a more complex flavor, and is far less “tomato-y.” But don’t worry, if you’re a fan of the original, there is a link to download the old version of the Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala below. ;)
Recipe Updates
So what did I do to improve this chicken tikka masala recipe? A few very important things…
The spice mix: I beefed up the spice mix a bit to make the flavors more complex, adding some cumin, turmeric, and smoked paprika to give extra smoky flavor that mimics the fire licked flavor of traditional chicken tikka masala.
Searing: I decided to add an extra step to this process, which might seem fussy to some, but it totally changes the flavor. Searing the seasoned meat before it goes into the slow cooker adds a ton of flavor from the maillard reaction and from toasting the spices. Likewise, sautéing the onions also changes their flavor and soaks up any bits of spices and chicken flavor left over in the skillet. Do NOT skip this step. It goes fast, I promise.
Less Tomato Sauce: One of the most common criticisms of the old recipe is that it tasted way too tomato-y. Upon remaking the recipe, I agreed so I reduced the tomato sauce by half, and the result was PERFECT. 👍Good call, everyone!
And if you love the old recipe, click here to download the pdf.
Recipe Substitutions and Options:
Chicken: You can use chicken breast in place of the chicken thighs, although it tends to not be as tender or juicy. I suggest cutting it into cubes before seasoning with the spices to maximize the flavor.
Cream: You can use full-fat yogurt or full-fat coconut milk in place of the cream.
Tomato Sauce: Tomato sauce is a common product in the U.S., but I know it’s not readily available in other countries. The closest product would probably be passata. You may need to add a bit more salt at the end if using passata, as tomato sauce contains salt.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1.5 Tbsp garam masala ($0.45)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional) ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs ($5.78)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 yellow onion, diced ($0.32)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.24)
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.11)
- 1 15oz. can tomato sauce ($0.50)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream ($0.32)
For Serving
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.70)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.17)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, salt, cayenne, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill). Sprinkle the spice mix over both sides of the chicken thighs, coating them liberally.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until well browned (the chicken does not need to be cooked through). Transfer the seared chicken to the slow cooker.
- Add the diced onion to the skillet and continue to cook until the onions are soft and slightly browned on the edges. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the onions to the slow cooker, then add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet and stir to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour the water into the slow cooker.
- Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and tomato sauce to the slow cooker with the chicken and onion. Briefly stir, then place the lid on top, and turn the slow cooker on. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
- After 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low, the chicken should be fall-apart tender. Turn the slow cooker off, then add the heavy cream. Stir gently to combine the cream with the tomato sauce. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed.
- To serve, spoon the chicken and tomato sauce over cooked rice and top with fresh cilantro.
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Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala – Step by Step Photos
Start by preparing the spice mix. In a small bowl, combine 1.5 Tbsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (leave out if you want it mild), and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill).
Sprinkle the seasoning mix over both sides of 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Make sure they are liberally coated.
Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the seasoned chicken, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until well browned. The chicken does not need to be cooked through. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker.
Add the diced onion to the hot skillet and sautée for a few minutes more, or just until the onions are soft and a little browned on the edges. The onions will pick up some of the spices left behind by the chicken, which is a good thing, but we want to get ALL the flavor left behind. So, transfer the onions to the slow cooker, remove the skillet from the heat, add 1/4 cup water, and stir to dissolve all the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Pour that water into the slow cooker.
Also add 3 cloves of minced garlic and about 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger to the slow cooker.
Finally, pour 15 oz. tomato sauce into the slow cooker and give everything a brief stir.
Close the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
The chicken should be fall-apart tender after cooking.
Add 1/3 cup heavy cream to the slow cooker and give everything a gentle stir.
Give the sauce a taste and add salt, if needed. Remember, salt can magnify flavors, sometimes adding just a pinch can be a game changer.
To serve your Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, spoon over cooked rice and top with fresh cilantro. Or, serve with naan bread on the side. Creamy and delicious!!
Can milk be used instead of cream or half and half? I end up wasting so much when I buy cream for a recipe.
No, unfortunately it won’t be creamy enough. You can use yogurt, though.
Thanks, that worked great!
Instead of cream, I used the same amount of non-fat Greek yogurt I already had on hand (didn’t have cream), and added in 2 tsp each of turmeric and cumin since I like those spices. Came out really good, thank you!
If you have the time, would you recommend marinating the chicken with the spices and ginger for a few hours/overnight, or would that not really change much?
I think that would be beneficial.
Which buttons should I push to cook this in the instant pot? I’m new to it and don’t always know how long. Thanks!
I would follow the instructions given in the manual for boneless chicken breasts.
does this freeze well?
This should freeze very well.
Best slow cooker recipe I ever made! I just substituted regular cream with coconut cream – delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Has anyone experimented with non-dairy “milk” in this recipe? I am tempted to use coconut milk, but I don’t want to give it to much of a Thai twist. Would almond or soy milk work?
What do you think about the idea of adding fresh spinach towards the end of cooking? I realize this wouldn’t be authentic tikka masala but I’ve been trying to eat more veggies and this seems like an especially inoffensive way to do so :)
I’m all about adding spinach to things, so it’s worth a shot!
Alert alert! This was amazing! I added half a bag of fresh spinach AND some frozen peas to just really maximize the veggie factor. I wanted it a little sweeter so I added in some sweetened coconut (kinda weird I know but what I had lol) and it’s really yummy! Thanks for another great recipe!
Yay! Thanks for the update, too! :D
Another great way to up the veggie count is serve it with riced cauliflower instead of rice. It’s wonderful!!!
Everything I’ve made for my family from your site has been an absolute win. Time saving AND delicious? Can it be? YES and I want to thank you for taking the time to create and share these recipes with the world. But the Tikka Masala is so easy and tasty that even my finicky toddler loves it.
I made this yesterday and i love the flavor, but my sauce was VERY runny. Any suggestions on how to thicken this up like you see in traditional curry? I also used Coconut Milk instead of cream, tasted great!
Hmm, I would try letting it simmer (high setting on the slow cooker) without the lid for 10 minutes or so before adding the coconut milk?
I was searching your site for instant pot-friendly recipes and came upon this so I gave it a go, since I had everything I needed. I used almost two tbsp of garam masala and, following some comments, I reduced the tomato sauce to about 23 oz. Otherwise, I followed the recipe, and used the poultry setting on my ip (I pressed “more” and set it for 30 min, mainly because my chicken thighs were partly frozen. Everything turned out perfectly. The chicken fell off the bone and shredded easily, and the sauce was tasty over jasmine rice (also made in my ip). I also followed (sort of) another commenter’s recommendation: instead of warming the garam masala, which can be fiddly and easy to burn, I used the sauté feature to warm the tomato sauce with the garam masala added; it warmed it up nicely while I diced the onion.
This is a great recipe for bone-in chicken thigh, which I buy because they’re cheap but hate using because trimming them raw is a pain. So this will be added to my regular rotation!
Is there a reason you used chicken thighs instead of boneless breasts? What do you think about substituting?
I really like thighs because the meat stays nice and juicy and has more flavor. Breasts can sometimes dry out because they don’t have much fat, so that’s the only trouble you might run into.
I couldn’t find garam masala anywhere around me so I used 2tsp cumin and added in half a can of full-fat coconut milk instead of the half and half. It still came out amazing!
Hi Beth! I’m very excited to try this out in my electric pressure cooker. May I ask — did you do a quick release at the end of the 45 minutes, or a natural pressure release. Thanks!
You could do a quick release with this. :)
This was awful! Terribly bland and I was so disappointed. It was very easy to make though. It seemed to taste mildly palatable after I added some sour cream and a lot of garlic salt
OMG eating this right now and it is So Good!!! Not a fan of rice and had way too many carbs this week to justify the naan so I combined it with your spiced chick peas recipe and it is amazing…thanks!!!