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Easy Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala
It’s no secret I LOVE Indian food. A quick glance through this site reveals healthy and easy recipes you can enjoy at home, like this Crockpot Chicken Curry.
And this Chicken Tikka Masala is no different. In fact, it was my first venture into the world of Indian cooking.
There is just something about the creamy tomato-based sauce and perfectly blended Indian spices that makes this a delicious dish for a newbie to try.
And while many Indian restaurants and recipes call for loads of cream, you can make a simple swap for coconut milk for a lighter, dairy-free version.
Like other slow cooker recipes, there is very little hands-on time. Make the easy sauce with simple spices, add everything to the slow cooker, and walk away. You’ll come home to a delicious dinner that is also good for you.
The mild flavors are perfect for dinner time for the whole family—even kids!
Why We Love this Slow Cooker Tikka Masala
- Let slow cooker do the work for you
- Minimal hands-on prep time
- Great recipe for people new to Indian cuisine
- Easy-to-find Indian spices
- Can make dairy-free with one swap
- It’s classic Indian comfort food in a bowl!
What is Chicken Tikka Masala?
Chicken Tikka Masala is made with marinated chicken chunks, the chicken tikka, served in a creamy, tomato-based, spiced sauce. Traditional chicken tikka masala is an Indian favorite loved throughout the world, especially in Britain and the United States.
This mild dish is quite popular because it’s easy to make with flavors anyone can enjoy. Your favorite Indian restaurant likely carries it. The slow cooker version has the same simple ingredients, just with fewer steps and hours of slow cooking for tender chicken.
Ingredients
- Chicken. Breasts or thighs both work for this recipe. Be sure to cut around 1 ½ pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs into 1-inch cubes so they cook consistently.
- Cream. Traditionally, heavy cream is used in tikka masala. However, coconut milk is a quick and easy swap if you need fewer calories or a dairy-free option.
- Onion. A small sweet onion adds the perfect flavor to this Indian dish.
- Tomato. You’ll need both a tablespoon of tomato paste and a can of tomato sauce to make the creamy sauce the chicken is served in.
- Garlic and ginger. Don’t skip the minced garlic and ginger paste for the best results. You can also use fresh ginger.
- Spices. A simple blend of garam masala, ground cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, and cinnamon creates the warm and earthy flavors of this dish. If you have trouble finding the garam masala, check the bulk spices area of your grocery store.
How to Make Crockpot Tikka Masala
Please see the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and more detailed instructions.
1. Make the Tikka Masala Sauce
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, minced garlic, ginger paste, garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt, and cinnamon to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk well until everything is combined.
Set the sauce aside.
2. Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker
Spread the cubed chicken along with the chopped onion across the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Carefully pour the tikka masala sauce over the ingredients.
Be sure to lift up the chicken so the tomato sauce gets under it and coats the bottom of the slow cooker.
Cook the chicken tikka masala on high heat for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
3. Finish the Tikka Masala and Serve
When the time is up, remove the tender chicken from the slow cooker with tongs. Pour in the cream or coconut milk, then purée the sauce with an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can use a food processor or high-speed blender. Be careful with the tomato purée, it’s hot!
Note, you don’t have to purée the sauce, but doing so makes it extra creamy and smooth!
Return the chicken pieces to the slow cooker and allow it to heat back up. Serve the chicken tikka masala over basmati rice (or cauliflower rice for a low-carb option). It’s also delicious with some naan bread.
FAQs
Most restaurants’ chicken tikka masala recipe is loaded with heavy cream, so it is not the “healthiest” option on the menu. If you make your own slow cooker chicken tikka masala recipe you are able to use coconut milk instead of heavy cream and can serve it over cauliflower rice instead of basmati rice. This will make it both dairy-free and low-carb!
If you are on a strictly gluten-free diet you will be happy to know that chicken tikka masala is almost always gluten-free, as are many other Indian curry dishes. Always double-check with the restaurant you are visiting, but you are probably in the clear!
What to Serve with Chicken Tikka Masala
This Indian dish is delicious on its own or served with any of these side dishes.
Chicken Tikka Masala goes with just about any kind of rice. Try it with Jasmine Rice, White Rice, or Coconut Rice.
Add some extra veggies, like Steamed Broccoli, Herb Roasted Carrots, or some Skillet Sweet Potatoes.
More Indian Recipes
Indian food is so full of flavor and can be surprisingly easy to make.
- Instant Pot Chicken Curry
- Pumpkin Curry
- Chana Masala
- Massaman Chicken Curry
- Salmon Curry in Coconut Milk
- Chickpea Curry
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Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 small sweet onion finely diced
- 16 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp. oil olive or avocado
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 Tbsp. ginger paste or grated fresh
- 1 ½ Tbsp. Garam masala
- 1 tsp. cumin ground
- 2 tsp. coriander ground
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1-1 ½ tsp. salt to taste
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 1 cup heavy cream or coconut milk, full fat
Instructions
- Make Tikka Masala Sauce: In a medium-sized bowl combine tomato sauce, tomato paste, oil, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.16 oz. can tomato sauce, 1 Tbsp. tomato paste, 2 Tbsp. oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp. ginger paste, 1 ½ Tbsp. Garam masala, 1 tsp. cumin, 2 tsp. coriander, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1-1 ½ tsp. salt, Pinch of cinnamon
- Place cubes of chicken and chopped onion in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add tikka masala sauce to slow cooker, making sure to lift up the chicken cubes so the sauce coats the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook tikka masala on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, 1 small sweet onion
- Once tikka masala is done cooking, remove chicken from the slow cooker and add coconut milk. Puree the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth. (This step is not necessary but gives you the smoothest sauce!). You can also put the sauce in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.1 cup heavy cream
- Add the chicken back to the slow cooker until it is heated through. Serve chicken tikka masala over basmati rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy!
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Notes
- Add a kick. Make it spicy by adding in a bit of cayenne pepper or chili garlic paste.
- Plus it up. Bump up the nutritional value by adding in cauliflower or carrots.
- Rice or no? Serve the chicken tikka masala over cauliflower rice instead of regular rice to make it low-carb and ketogenic.
- You choose. Either chicken breasts or thighs work, just be sure to cut them into 1-inch chunks.
- Make it early. Prepped chicken tikka masala makes an easy dinner recipe for busy weeknights.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It seems like a lot of spice to add to 1.5 lbs of chicken. Can I cut that in half?
Great question! It does seem like a lot, but also, there is a lot of liquid! But feel free to decrease the spices – you can always add more at the end. Hope you enjoy!
How well does it reheat? Thinking of making it the night before then reheating the next day
It reheats exceptionally well, Helen! Actually, I think it gets even better after the flavors have melded together overnight. If it’s a little thick when reheating, you can always add a bit more coconut milk to thin it out!
What if you add the coconut milk with the rest of the ingredients while cooking?
Hi Christy! Great question! Feel free to add the coconut milk while everything cooks, but just know that sometimes the milk has a tendency to separate/curdle depending on the brand. Would love to know if you try it out!
Hi, in England we call tomato ketchup ‘tomato sauce’. Is that the ingredient you mean here, or do you mean a tomato passata maybe?
Yes, Wayne! I mean tomato passata for you in England. Ketchup definitely would not taste very good in this recipe!
How do you measure out a serving size? Making it tonight and want to know prior to 🙂
Hi Adriana! I do not know the exact serving size, but it should be between 3/4 cup – 1 cup of chicken and sauce. Hope this helps!
Made this last weekend and it was a huge hit with all three of my boys 🙂 Absolutely delicious! Served with cauliflower rice and surprisingly my two sons didn’t even complain! Think it was due to all of that gorgeous sauce. Your slow cooker recipes are A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!
Yay yay, Bobby-Jo!! So excited that it was a hit with all of your boys!! I’m pretty impressed they were brave enough to eat Indian food! Thanks so much for your sweet comment and rating!
Looks like a new favorite for weeknights!
Yay!! Yes, it’s perfect for busy weeknights!!