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Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

By Matthew Fairman

Published on February 14, 2018

Time

3 to 4 hours on low

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 2 teaspoons sugar 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped fine1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced4 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon garam masala Salt and pepper 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed⅔ cup heavy cream ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Before You Begin

Serve with white rice, preferably basmati. You can substitute 2 teaspoons of ground coriander, ½ teaspoon of pepper, ¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon for the garam masala. A jalapeño chile can be substituted for the serrano. For a spicier dish, reserve and add the chile seeds.

Instructions

  1. Combine tomatoes and sugar in slow cooker. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add serrano, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, garam masala, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker and stir to combine. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 3 to 4 hours on low.
  3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and cut into 1-inch pieces. Stir cream and chicken into slow cooker. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Photography by Keller + Keller.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

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Time

3 to 4 hours on low

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
Salt and pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
⅔ cup heavy cream
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
Salt and pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
⅔ cup heavy cream
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
Salt and pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
⅔ cup heavy cream
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

For a slow-cooker chicken tikka masala with tender chicken chunks in a sweet, mildly spiced, creamy tomato curry, we found that the traditional, time-consuming step of marinating the chicken in yogurt and spices was unnecessary. Instead, we simply nestled whole chicken breasts into a mix of crushed tomatoes, sautéed onion, fresh chile, ginger, and garam masala and turned on the slow cooker. The whole chicken breasts poached slowly in the flavorful sauce, so they cooked evenly and remained juicy. We then cut them into pieces before recombining them with the sauce. Stirring in cream to finish the sauce balanced the bright tomato flavor and added a comforting richness.

Before You Begin

Serve with white rice, preferably basmati. You can substitute 2 teaspoons of ground coriander, ½ teaspoon of pepper, ¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon for the garam masala. A jalapeño chile can be substituted for the serrano. For a spicier dish, reserve and add the chile seeds.

Instructions

  1. Combine tomatoes and sugar in slow cooker. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add serrano, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, garam masala, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker and stir to combine. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 3 to 4 hours on low.
  3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and cut into 1-inch pieces. Stir cream and chicken into slow cooker. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro.

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