Easy dinners are necessary when you work full time, and this slow cooker chicken tikka masala recipe is perfect to just dump in the slow cooker and let it cook on high for 4.5 hours then a further 30 minutes once the chicken has been shredded. It could not be more simple! This recipe is filled with spicy rich tomatoey flavours tempered with creamy coconut milk. It’s so delicious! Serve with naan bread or brown rice and garnish with cilantro.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray / olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup light coconut milk. Full fat coconut milk can be used.
- 4 boneless chicken breasts – boneless chicken thighs are a great alternative, and more budget friendly than breasts.
- Serve with rice or naan bread and a little chopped fresh cilantro
How To Make Chicken Tikka Masala In The Slow Cooker
Step 1 – Spray the bottom of the slow cooker with olive oil and place the chicken breasts inside.
Step 2 – Add the water, and all the spices to the medium bowl and mix into a paste.
Step 3 – In a medium bowl mix together the canned tomatoes, garlic, minced ginger, tomato paste, and chopped onion.
Step 4 – Combine the tomato mixture and spices together in the crock pot on top of the chicken breasts. Cook on high for around 4.5 hours when the chicken should be cooked.
Step 5 – Remove chicken breasts and shred them on a plate. Add them back to the slow cooker and stir in the coconut milk. Cook for a further 30 minutes.
Step 6 – Serve with brown rice or naan bread and sprinkle a little fresh chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Storage and Reheating
Even if I’m just cooking for 2, I like to make the full recipe and store in individual containers to take to work.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave for 4 minutes or on the stove top. You can freeze for up to 3 months, however not if the chicken breasts were previously frozen. Leftover chicken tikka masala is great on sandwiches or pizza.
How Many Calories Per Serving?
This recipe using normal olive oil and full fat coconut milk contains just over 305 calories. If you were to substitute the olive oil for a low fat spray and low fat coconut milk, there would be 264 calories per serving. These calculations exclude any rice or naan bread you may want to serve with it.
For other slow cooker chicken recipes, you could try Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken or Slow Cooker Chicken and Tomato Orzo
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup low fat coconut milk (or full fat)
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in an olive oil sprayed slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, combine onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste. Stir.
- Add the water, and all the spices to the medium bowl and mix into a paste.
- Mix the tomato mixture and spice paste together and pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for about 4.5 hours. Once the chicken is cooked – about 30 minutes left to cook – take the chicken out and shred it. Stir in the coconut milk.
- Add the chicken back into the slow cooker and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve immediately with rice or naan bread. Sprinkle some fresh chopped cilantro on top.
Thank you! I love that it’s a slow cooker recipe too. I don’t have time to try to make this in a skillet.
This looks delicious, and I love it even more for being a slow cooker recipe!
Thank you Monica. I don’t think I could make this without the slow cooker, to be honest. It’s a necessity and makes this dish so easy to make.
This is one of my favorite dishes, and I love that you’ve incorporated the usage of a slow cooker. Yummy!
I love using my slow cooker too and it makes this recipe SO easy to make. I hope you try this one and love it too. It’s delicious.
I also love Indian food, but have been intimidated to make it at home. Not anymore! Your chicken tikka recipe looks so easy and simple and something I can definitely try at home. Added bonus that it’s a slow cooker recipe! Who doesn’t love that 🙂
Yes! I loved how flavorful this recipe is and I love that the slow cooker does the hard work for you. It makes it seem like it takes no time at all. It tastes amazing too.
YUM! I love chicken tikka masala, but it take a long time to cook it from scratch! Love that you have made an awesome recipe super easy with a crock pot!
Thank you! It is so delicious, and really spicy too. Since I know you love spice, just don’t add the coconut milk at the end, and you will have a delicious spicy treat. It’s so good!
Oh wow, this looks SO good. I’m drooling.
Thank you! I truly think that every spouse deserves some credit too. And I love slow cooker recipes. I want to make more for this blog, and this one was perfect…it was SO flavorful.
What a sweet letter to your husband! (I hugged mine after reading it!)
Slow cooker recipes are the best – especially during the winter!
Oh no! But I totally get the aversions, so don’t worry. I do hope that you try it once your kiddo arrives. It’s so easy, and definitely worth it (especially when you have no time with your kiddo).
This is definitely not something we would usually make and would totally out of our cooking comfort zone! I love that it is a slow cooker recipe, and once this baby makes its’ appearance, I can’t wait to try it. Unfortunately, I’ve had a HUGE aversion to chicken this entire pregnancy.
Thank you so much Missy. I had to get a bit sappy today, since yesterday was Valentine’s Day and spouses need to know that you appreciate them for their support. It’s important to me.
The tikka masala is a bit spicy, but it was so good and flavorful. And anything in the slow cooker is a win for me. It’s great to have a supportive person behind the blog – especially because I need the reassurance that my recipes taste good. He’s great at that!
This looks great, as usual! Go ahead and get sappy! I am single and I cannot wait until the day I have someone to be sappy like that about again!
this is perfect for my snow day right now! Thanks for sharing. I love your letter to your husband too. It’s awesome that he’s supportive of you and this amazing blog.