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Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala

Crockpot chicken tikka masala made with a slow-simmered, velvety spiced tomato-cream sauce. Cubed chicken cooks low and slow until tender, then heavy cream is stirred in for a rich curry finish served over rice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and sauce
  • 1.5 lb boneless chicken breast, cubed
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 0.25 Fresh cilantro, for garnish
  • 1 Cooked rice, for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Slow-cook the spiced base
  1. Add the cubed chicken, crushed tomatoes, diced onion, minced garlic, grated ginger, garam masala, cumin, and paprika to the slow cooker.
  2. Stir everything until the chicken and spices are evenly combined.
  3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is tender.
Finish with cream and serve
  1. Stir in the heavy cream and let it warm through for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve over cooked rice.

Notes

For deeper flavor, toast the garam masala, cumin, and paprika briefly in a dry pan before adding them to the slow cooker. Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days in a sealed container. Freeze up to 2 months (cream may slightly change texture); thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm gently. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for a still-creamy sauce.