Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala recipe with rich, aromatic sauce full of warm spices and flavor. Serve it with your choice of steamed rice or cauliflower rice for flavorful comfort food!
Indian food lovers, you’re going to go wild over this simple Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala recipe!
I shared this recipe for the first time back in 2014, and have revamped it to make it even more luscious and irresistible!
What is Chicken Tikka Masala?:
In case you haven’t tried it, Chicken Tikka Masala is a classic Indian dish of tender chunks of chicken slow cooked in a creamy aromatic tomato cream sauce.
The word “tikka” means “small pieces of meat” in Punjabi, and “masala” means “mixture.”
The chicken is marinated in plain yogurt with lots of mild spices before it is stewed in that delicious tikka masala sauce.
What is special about chicken tikka masala? The incredible rich flavor, silky texture, and the indescribable medley of flavors.
What is the difference between chicken curry and chicken tikka masala? While both chicken curry and chicken tikka masala are generously spiced with many flavors and include a thick and creamy sauce, chicken curry typically references the coconut milk based Thai version, whereas Chicken Tikka Masala uses cream and butter for the sauce.
More closely related are Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala, as they both contain very similar spices, although the sauce of butter chicken is primarily butter, just as it sounds.
Is chicken tikka masala spicy? The way this recipe is written, you’ll end up with a medium spice level (and that’s being generous, as I find it to be quite mild).
If you love spicy food, add cayenne pepper or your favorite spicy chili to increase the spice level.
Before we get started, I want to point out that this recipe requires far more ingredients than I typically include in my easy dinner recipes.
There is a twofold silver lining: First, most of the ingredients are spices, so you may already have all of them on hand.
Second, the majority of the ingredients for the chicken marinade are used in the sauce as well, so many of the ingredients are duplicates.
In spite of all the spices, I trust you will find this recipe is well worth the extra measuring. You should be able to find the simple ingredients at most grocery stores. If your local grocery store doesn’t carry some of the spices, you can find them online or at any natural food store.
Plus, the best part is this flavorful, delicious slow cooker version is so easy to prepare and doesn’t require any extra steps like browning the chicken or roasting the chicken.
It is designed to take all of the guesswork out of making this Indian classic so that you are left with a perfect restaurant-quality result every time.
This beautiful recipe is perfect for making ahead of time and enjoying throughout the week.
For those of you who are dairy-free, you can make my Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala recipe, which is dairy-free and paleo (and you can make it in the slow cooker instead of the pressure cooker).
Let’s discuss the ingredients for this delicious Chicken Tikka Masala recipe!
Ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala:
Avocado Oil and Butter: Used to sauté the onion, garlic cloves and the spices for the sauce, we need a high temperature cooking oil in addition to creamy butter. You can also use olive oil or canola oil in place of avocado oil.
Chicken: Use either boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs. There is enough sauce to generously engulf 3 pounds of meat, but if you prefer your masala very saucy, stick with 1.5 to 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts. In essence, choose the amount of chicken based on how much sauce you like relative to the meat.
Plain Yogurt: Used to tenderize the chicken in the marinade, yogurt gets mixed up with a bunch of spices, ginger, and garlic for an incredible flavor fest.
Fresh Ginger, Onion, & Garlic: A generous amount of fresh ginger, a large onion, and garlic bring a slight kick and plenty of flavor to the marinade and sauce.
Spices: Garam masala (which is a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and a few other spices), curry powder (which is a combination of cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garlic powder), paprika, kashmiri red chili powder, and salt.
It’s this combination of spices that brings such huge depth of flavor to the dish. For the absolute best results, I recommend sticking with the spices listed in the recipe card rather than trying to make substitutions, unless you’re very confident in preparing Indian cuisine.
Heavy Cream: The creaminess of the tikka masala sauce is attributed to heavy whipping cream. This ingredient is what is responsible for that silky smooth texture and luxurious richness. Use full fat coconut milk to make it dairy-free (this is what I do).
Tomato Sauce: Adding acidity and flavor to the sauce, canned tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes or tomato puree) bring powerful nuance to the flavor profile.
Tomato paste will work too, but I prefer smooth tomato sauce from a can. Make no mistake, tikka masala sauce tastes nothing like a tomato based sauce you get in Italian food, as the tomato is not the primary flavor.
For Serving: Steamed white rice, brown rice, naan, or cauliflower rice.
The end result of all these ingredients slow cooked together is one of the all time best comfort foods.
Traditional Indian tikka masala includes ground cumin, ground coriander, and ground turmeric. To simplify the recipe, I replace all three with curry powder, as it contains all three in addition to garlic powder.
If you want to go with the original version, replace the curry powder with 1 teaspoon of each ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric.
Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients, let’s make it!
How to Make Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala:
Marinate the Chicken:
Mix the ingredients for the marinade together in a container with a lid and combine chicken pieces. Stir until the chicken is well coated in marinade.
Seal the container and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (ideally 1 to 24 hours).
While the chicken is marinating, you can prepare the chicken tikka masala sauce.
Make the Tikka Masala Sauce:
Heat oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add in the minced garlic, grated ginger, garam masala, curry powder, paprika, kashmiri red chili powder and sea salt.
Stir until everything is combined and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the spices to open up.
Pour the tomato sauce and heavy cream into the skillet and stir everything together until well-combined.
Remove the sauce from the heat. There is no need to heat the sauce for longer, as it will be cooking in the crock pot for many hours.
Pour the tikka masala sauce into the bottom of the crock pot. Add the marinated chicken and stir until everything is well-combined.
Secure the lid on the crock pot and cook on Low Heat for 6 to 8 hours or High heat for 4 hours.
Once the chicken tikka masala has finished cooking, taste it for flavor and add more salt to taste. You can also stir in ¼ cup of fresh cilantro if you’d like.
Serve Chicken Tikka Masala with steamed white rice (I do jasmine rice) and enjoy! You can also serve it with my Ginger Turmeric Aromatic Rice for a real wild ride. Chicken tikka masala is also traditionally served with naan bread.
Store any leftover chicken tikka masala in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It will be even more flavorful the next day, so you’ll have something to look forward to.
And that’s it! An easy version of traditional Chicken Tikka Masala that you will want to put on repeat time and again! This delicious dinner will be a huge hit among friends and family.
Make a double batch of it if you’re serving more than 3 to 4 people or if you’re meal prepping for meals for the week.
If you love Indian cuisine, also try out these delicious favorites!
More Indian Recipes:
- Easy Lamb Curry
- Indian Eggplant Curry (Bhaingan Bharta)
- Quick and Easy Chana Saag
- Paleo Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Indian Lamb Curry
The next time you’re craving Indian food, whip up this delicious slow cooker recipe!
Enjoy this epic culinary adventure!
Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade:
- 1.5 to 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs chopped into bite sizes
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder*
- 1 tsp sea salt
For the Tikka Masala Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 Tbsp curry powder**
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder*
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream***
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken:
- Mix the ingredients for the marinade together in a container with a lid and add in the chopped chicken. Stir until the chicken is well coated in marinade.
- Seal the container and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (ideally 1 to 24 hours).
- While the chicken is marinating, you can prepare the chicken tikka masala sauce.
Make the Tikka Masala Sauce:
- Heat oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the minced garlic, grated ginger, garam masala, curry powder, paprika, kashmiri red chili powder and sea salt. Stir until everything is combined and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the spices to open up.
- Pour the tomato sauce and heavy cream into the skillet and stir everything together until well-combined.
- Remove the sauce from the heat. There is no need to heat the sauce for longer, as it will be cooking in the crock pot for many hours.
- Pour the tikka masala sauce into the bottom of the crock pot. Add the marinated chicken and stir until everything is well-combined.
- Secure the lid on the crock pot and cook on Low Heat for 6 to 8 hours or High heat for 4 hours.
- Once the chicken tikka masala has finished cooking, taste it for flavor and add more salt to taste. You can also stir in ¼ cup of fresh cilantro if you’d like.
- Serve Chicken Tikka Masala with steamed white rice (I do jasmine rice) and enjoy! You can also serve it with my Ginger Turmeric Aromatic Rice for a real wild ride. Chicken tikka masala is also traditionally served with naan bread.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on September 19, 2014. I updated the photos, added more information to the post, and updated the recipe to make it even better!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Hello, just came across this recipe and it looks gorgeous! Just wondering, how would you do it without a crock pot? (I don’t own one!)
Ooh, and I just made your Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins and they have come out really interestingly textured! Kind of fluffy and stretchy with a crispy outside. They are delicious but the texture is very unusual. Did you experience this? I wonder if it is because of the GF flour blend I used? (didn’t have Bob’s Red Mill brand on hand).
Beautiful website by the way!
Hi Tanya,
Thanks for your interest! You can definitely make chicken tikka masala without a crock pot. I would start by sauteeing the onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric in a large pot, then add the rest of your ingredients. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer on a low temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. You may not get as rich of a flavor, but my guess is it will taste great.
In terms of the lemon poppy seed bread: I’m sorry it turned out with a strange consistency! My guess is this was definitely the flour blend, because if anything, mine had a slight crumble to it…still moist, but a bit crumbly. Let me know if you try it again using a different blend!
I’m holding my bowl out–fill her up!
I’d totally share, had I not hogged the whole thing to myself 😉
I freakin’ love tikka masala – and I love anything that’s easy peasy and onepot goodness. Cheers!
Tried making this tonight – your pictures look fantastic! Followed the recipe to the letter, but mine came out a bit different. I would try blending the sauce mix with an immersion blender (and adding dairy after the sauce has cooled down) – as well as adding tandoori grilled chicken at the end if you’re looking for a dish similar to what you’d get in a restaurant. Still very delicious – this has inspired me to keep at it! Thanks for the post. 🙂
Thanks so much for the feedback and I’m glad you tried the recipe. Out of curiosity, did you use whole milk Greek yogurt and heavy whipping cream in the recipe? Did you use corn starch or tapioca starch?
I should have noted this in the recipe, but both the low and the high setting on my crock pot tend to cook at a lower temperature than most crock pots, so I’m wondering if this had something to do with it. The chicken came out extraordinarily tender and the sauce very thick and creamy. Additionally, the sauce only got thicker and more flavorful as the leftovers sat in the refrigerator.
Thanks again for trying the recipe and for your notes. I hope you’re enjoying your weekend! 😀
This sounds so yummy and your pictures are beautiful!
This looks absolutely wonderful. I am going to make it as soon as humanely possible!
I want to get all of this tikka masala into my belly this weekend. Including the chunks of lovejoy.
Looks super tasty!!!
Um yes x 1000!?!?! We love Indian food but it’s hard to make it at home. I would love to try a crockpot version of one of our favorites!
I love this dish. I love my crock pot. I work a 40 hr week. And needless to say my weekends
are crammed. BUT I like to eat good tasting dishes. This is a perfect dish for me.
Chicken tikka….sooooooooooooo good! Oh man, when I was pregnant, I ate chicken tikka masala all the time. After my OB appointment, I would hit the Indian Buffet. There must have been something in it that I needed, because I put so much of that stuff away it was embarrassing. 🙂 This looks amazing!
I’ve been wanting to make this for so long and have been so intimidated – thanks for doing the leg work. I can’t wait to make this =)
Oh man this looks so good. I want to dive into that sauce! Love me a good “throw everything in the crockpot” meal!
like minds think alike – i posted a speedy tofu tikka masala on my blog today too..your crockpot version sounds fantastic!!! we should def. have a theme song 😛
Oooh, I bet your whole house smelled amazing while this was cooking! Love all the spices, and love how simple this is to make!
I love, love, love this kind of food. I never use my crock pot so I’m saving this recipe and gonna give it a try!!!