Chicken tikka masala is considered a British national dish. It’s made up of bite-sized chicken tikka served in a creamy spiced tomato gravy. This slow cooker version is both simple to make and delicious!
This flavorful slow cooker chicken tikka masala is the perfect lazy meal recipe! You just dump everything into a slow cooker, and cook. Set it and forget it.
No, it’s not “authentic” – with my version, you don’t have to marinate the meat then roast it in an oven then cook it again in sauce on the stovetop. None of that. This is a super simple slow cooker version with great flavor and requiring minimal effort.
It’s a conveniently easy recipe and when recipes are convenient – this busy mama is more likely to make them more regularly!
What is Chicken Tikka Masala?
Chicken tikka masala is a dish where chicken tikka (chunks of roasted meat) are served in a spiced creamy tomato based curry sauce. As I mentioned, my recipe is a simpler and easier way to make this Indian food favorite.
The funny thing is that this isn’t actually an Indian dish – it’s more of a dish made with Indian flavors. Chicken tikka masala is said to be a British creation and is actually one of the most popular dishes in the UK. There’s no official recipe for this dish – but there are plenty of people on the internet who claim there are only certain ways to make it.
What’s the Difference Between Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken?
In my opinion, chicken tikka masala is very similar to butter chicken. Some people will tell you one is made with more spices or without onions or with/without a certain ingredient. The fact is – there’s no one recipe for the dish or one right way to make it.
I live in the US and sometimes Indian restaurants will list both in the same line as if they’re interchangeable. Or sometimes they will list both chicken tikka masala and butter chicken on the menu – but when you ask about the difference, they’ll say it’s the same thing. Or that the sauce is the same but in the chicken tikka masala the chicken is just pieces of tandoori chicken. I’ve actually been told not to order both at the same time lol.
Serve this chicken tikka masala with basmati rice or Indian flatbread and a side of veggies and you’ll have a great meal that your family will be sure to love!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Yield: 6 1x
Cuisine: Indian
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Chicken tikka masala is considered a British national dish. It’s made up of bite-sized chicken tikka served in a spiced tomato gravy. This slow cooker version is simple and delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Masala Sauce:
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2-inch ginger
- 1 Serrano pepper
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (or paprika)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ ground cardamom
- Pinch of cayenne, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves
Add later:
- 1 cup coconut cream (or ¾ cup heavy cream, to taste)
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients listed under “masala sauce” to a blender and blend well.
- Put the chicken and the freshly blended masala sauce into a slow cooker and cook 4-5 hours on low or until meat is cooked through.
- Stir the coconut cream (or heavy cream) into the slow cooker and mix well. Cook for another 15 minutes on low heat.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Hello Ashley,
If I have to cook this with Seitan , how long should I cook it for ?
Thanks ,
Simran
Wow this looks great! Do you think this would also work well with pressure cooking the chicken instead of slow cooking?
Yes, do you have an instant pot modification for this?! Thanks!!!
Not yet but I will share something soon!
Hi Ashley,
How do we use the slow cooker function of instapoy for the above recipe
This was fantastic! I chose to use whole cardamom instead of ground, but otherwise kept this recipe as you wrote it. Flavorful enough to be interesting, yet not overbearing. This will be added to the rotation. Thanks!
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Nicole, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how the chicken tikka masala turned out for you 🙂
Ashley, we always have your amazing shredded chicken on hand. Do you think I could swap cooked shredded chicken for the raw cubed for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Samiksha! That’s great to hear! If you are using cooked chicken you can just cook the sauce on the stovetop and then add it in at the end – if you slow cook the already cooked chicken then it will overcook – hope that helps!
I used your recipe and converted into an instant pot! I just sautéed the onions, garlic, ginger and spices with a little butter for a few minutes then added the tomato paste and tomato sauce, scraped the bottom of the pot to stitch around the spices and added in the chicken. I put it on manual high pressure for 15 minutes and let it naturally release and it was perfect! Thank you for this recipe, I’ve tried to make this before but it ended up being bitter but this was delicious!
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Jill, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 And great to know it worked out so well in an instant pot!
Hi Ashley! This recipe is awesome! I marinated the chicken pieces overnight using the marinade from you chicken tikka recipe, and then I made the sauce from this recipe and pressure cooked in the instant pot for 6 mins – so delicious! I’ll definitely make this again, and I’m also going to try the slow cooker mode as well!
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Maneesha, I’m so happy to hear that you liked the chicken tikka masala recipe so much! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Question to Maneesha and Ashley: would you saute the chicken in yogurt marinate first before adding in masala sauce and cooking in IP?
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My new favorite Indian recipe fantastic! Can’t wait to make it again. Thanks Ashley!
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Steve, I’m so happy to hear that you liked the tikka masala! 🙂
One more question! Do you think we could add potato as well and have the same cook time?
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Hi! Have made it several times now with great success. One question – can the masala sauce be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge?
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Hazel, that’s awesome! I’m sure you can blend the masala sauce in advance – that is a great idea for meal prep!
Hi, I loved your saag recipe but this tasted horrible like something bitter has been cooking. Had to throw it away.
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Hi Sumara, could it be that the tomato sauce had gone bad? I’m not sure why it would have turned out bitter for you.
HI Ashley.
Will the cook time Vary if I only used 1 pound of chicken breast. I also cut the rest of the ingredients in half. Also I am using the slow cooker mode on my instant pot. Do I just do the given hours on the “less” mode instead of “normal” heat?