Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
My office is full of people who love to cook. Monday mornings often find us chatting about what we’ve made over the weekend. If someone is a bit slow picking up a new recipe from the printer, someone else might end up making a copy. We have even created a shared Dropbox folder so that we can swap our favorite recipes. Lately we all seem to be using our slow cookers. Most of us have small households so, before one commits to making a big batch of something, it is good to know what successes and failures others have had. Hands down our go-to cookbook seems to be Slow Cooker Revolution by America’s Test Kitchen. As I have written before, it has great recipes and helpful tips to make your slow-cooked meals the best they can be.
This shared love of cooking inspired this recipe. A few weeks ago I printed a chicken tikka masala recipe from Table for Two. When I went to pick it up from the printer, my co-worker mentioned that she had just made the same recipe a few nights ago. She had been a bit disappointed, but couldn’t figure out quite why. Another co-worker said that he had tried a similar recipe from Chow.com and had the same experience. We were still discussing this when Anna (of Anna’s Double Ginger Pie) joined the conversation. She had purchased Anupy Singla’s The Indian Slow Cooker, a slow-cooker cookbook dedicated to Indian cuisine. We compared the three recipes and I offered to experiment to create one master recipe combining the best elements of the three. I am still waiting for someone else to test it, but the hubby and I really enjoyed it. Like many slow cooker recipes, it tastes better the second day and freezes well.
| Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala |
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- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 3 T lemon juice
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 T smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 T olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 T fresh ginger, grated
- 2 T tomato paste
- 2 T garam masala (see note)
- 1 T cumin
- ½ T smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- 1-3 tsp cayenne pepper
- 29 ounces of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 3 T Minute tapioca
- 1 T dark brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup heavy cream (optional)
- chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish
- Whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, and spices.
- Add chicken and stir to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.
- Saute onions in olive oil until translucent and tender.
- Add garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and spices (garam masala through cayenne pepper) to onions and stir to combine.
- Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tapioca, sugar, and bay leaves to slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Add onion mixture and chicken to slow cooker. Gently stir to combine.
- Cook for 4-6 hours on low.
- If you wish, stir in heavy cream at the end.
- Garnish and serve over rice or with naan.
Kat has enjoyed baking and cooking for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother, Rita, was a great baker—especially of pies. Inspired by Rita, Kat began to be the one to bring dessert to family events. (Her grandfather, Stu, used to say that “Kat is bringing dessert” were some of his favorite words.) Often her family will hide the Christmas cookies she gives them when they have guests in the house. Her husband is a great tester of Kat Treats. When Kat is not baking or blogging, she works in higher education (but secretly dreams that some day she might open a treat truck or bakery/bookstore).
That sounds pretty good! It’s a lot more ingredients than I am used to tossing in our Crock Pot, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. I love finding new recipes for it!
You are right. This does take a bit more prep and a greater number of ingredients than a lot of recipes. I think the results are worth it though. Let me know if you try it.
Hi, this sounds really good!I, also, have been disappointed by crockpot versions of Tikka Masala. Two questions: (1)Does it stay the usual red color or turn brown when it’s cooked? MY kids love the normal red color & say the brown looks funny. (2)Do you drain the chicken when you add it or add the chicken & the marinade to the crock pot? Thank you in advance!
Great questions! The color in the photos is pretty accurate. It is a reddish-brown. I included the marinade with the chicken in the slow cooker. It helps to keep it moist. Please let me know if you try it and how your kids like it.