Chicken Tikka Masala (a Slow Cooker recipe) (2024)

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Delicious Indian inspired chicken tikka masala in the crockpot is a winner! Set and forget, except for the delicious smells coming from your kitchen!

I love this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. Indian food is a big favorite around here, but it is usually a bit of a time investment, so I REALLY love this recipe – because using a crockpot to make it gives me lots of hands-off time.

Of course, I could visit an Indian restaurant and save ALL the time, but when you can make this so easily at home, why WOULDN’T you?

If you’re a fan of Indian food (and if you’re new to it – this recipe is a great intro to the cuisine!! This is a mild to medium heat recipe), you’ll love how easy this is, and how amazing the flavors are with very minimal effort. Get on it!

This has a beautiful color, complex and delicious flavor and is now on the permanent “here’s the recipe to use for this” list. It DOES have a long ingredient list, but it’s really not that difficult to pull together.

Served with rice on the side, this is a great meal.

If you love this recipe, do what I do – and measure DOUBLE the amount of spices. Add one set to a bowl, and another to a ziplock baggie – that way, you can make this at a moment’s notice. Just pull together the other ingredients, and this Chicken Tikka Masala is almost yours!!

If you’re into Crockpot Meals – try my Cowboy Casserole, or my 15 Bean Soup!

What is in Chicken Tikka Masala?

• CHICKEN – I use chicken breasts, but thighs are AWESOME in this too.
• BABY POTATOES – these are optional. I add them to thicken the gravy at the end
• ONION
• TOMATO SAUCE
• GREEK YOGURT – you can use heavy cream if you’d prefer, but add it at the end, vs cooking with it.
• COCONUT MILK
• SPICES
  • GARLIC, GINGER, GARAM MASALA, CUMIN, PAPRIKA, SALT, BLACK PEPPER, CINNAMON, CAYENNE, CORIANDER
  • CORNSTARCH
• CILANTRO

How to make this recipe:

Full, printable recipe below – just scroll down to the recipe card!

• PREP
  • Chop the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, yogurt, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, spices, and cornstarch until smooth.
  • Add the chicken pieces, potatoes, and onions to the crock-pot.
  • Pour the sauce over the top and mix well to combine.
• COOK
  • Cook on low for 6 hours or until chicken is cooked.
  • Smash the potatoes against the side of the crock-pot (thickens the sauce).
  • Add fresh cilantro, and mix well.
• SERVE
  • Serve chicken over basmati rice topped with chopped cilantro.

FAQs and Kylee’s Notes

• If you’re REALLY not into heat – reduce the amount of cayenne pepper, or omit entirely. There will still be heat from the garam masala, but much less than if you add the cayenne!
• You may opt to use heavy cream in place of the yogurt. Add it at the end instead of cooking with it, so it doesn’t curdle.
• MORE INDIAN FOOD?
  • Coconut Chicken Curry
  • Spiced Red Lentil Dhal

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Update: This recipe was originally published in 2014 – and has been updated with new photos and rewritten with better step by step instructions.