Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala - Easy 3-Hour Dinner

Chicken tikka masala in a slow cooker is mostly a matter of leaving things alone. You coat the chicken in flour and salt, add the spices, onion, garlic, chiles and tomato, then walk away for three hours on high.

The one thing that separates a good version from a grainy one is the yogurt. It goes in after the cooking stops, not before. Heat and stirring are what make yogurt split, so stir it in at the end and the sauce stays smooth.

You need four servings' worth of chicken thighs, about 2 cups once cut up, and a slow cooker that holds at least 3 quarts. Everything else is probably in your cupboard already.

Frequently Asked Questions

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Coat the chicken

Put the chicken pieces in the slow cooker and toss them with the flour and salt until every piece is dusted. Do this first, before anything wet goes in, so the flour coats rather than clumps.

2. Add everything else

Add the garam masala, turmeric, paprika, onion, garlic, chiles, chopped tomato and tomato puree. Stir so the spices are spread through and no dry patches sit at the bottom.

3. Cook on high

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Keep the lid on; every peek lets heat out and adds time.

4. Stir in the yogurt

Turn the cooker off or to warm, then stir in the plain yogurt until the sauce is even in color. Taste and adjust the salt.

5. Serve

Spoon over basmati rice and scatter chopped coriander on top.

Tips & Tricks

• Stir the yogurt in with the slow cooker off or on warm, not on high. A minute of stirring over high heat is enough to make it split.
• If the sauce looks thin at the end, take the lid off for the last twenty minutes on high. The flour has done what it can; the extra time reduces the liquid.
• Taste before you add more salt. The yogurt cools the sauce and mutes the seasoning, so check it after stirring, not before.
• Cut the chicken into even pieces, about an inch. Uneven pieces mean some shred and some stay tough.

Delicious Variations

• Add a tablespoon of butter with the yogurt for a richer, glossier sauce.
• Swap half the chicken for cauliflower florets added at the start for a mixed vegetable version.
• Use hot paprika and keep the chile seeds in if you want a sharper kick.

How to Store Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Get the chicken coated in flour first, layer in the spices and tomato, and let the slow cooker take the next three hours. Save the yogurt for the very end and dinner is done.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala – Easy 3-Hour Dinner

Set chicken thighs, warm spices and tomato in the slow cooker and come back to a creamy tikka masala. Three hours on high, yogurt stirred in at the end.

4Servings

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🧂 Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 green chiles (chopped)
• ½ cup tomato (in their juices)
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• ¾ cup plain yogurt
• rice
• coriander

📋 Instructions

1. 1Coat the chicken — Put the chicken pieces in the slow cooker and toss them with the flour and salt until every piece is dusted. Do this first, before anything wet goes in, so the flour coats rather than clumps.
2. 2Add everything else — Add the garam masala, turmeric, paprika, onion, garlic, chiles, chopped tomato and tomato puree. Stir so the spices are spread through and no dry patches sit at the bottom.
3. 3Cook on high — Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Keep the lid on; every peek lets heat out and adds time.
4. 4Stir in the yogurt — Turn the cooker off or to warm, then stir in the plain yogurt until the sauce is even in color. Taste and adjust the salt.
5. 5Serve — Spoon over basmati rice and scatter chopped coriander on top.

Chef's Note: The flour is doing quiet work here. Skip it and you get a thin sauce, so measure it rather than eyeballing the spoon.

Servings: 4

Cuisine: Indian

Course: Dinner

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