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Crockpot Creamy Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala. The perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s incredibly delicious. Indian-inspired tikka masala made with plenty of spice and creamy coconut milk. It’s perfectly spicy, creamy, and filled with warming Indian-inspired flavors. Making the dish in the crockpot leaves you with an even more flavorful sauce and tender chicken. Serve this creamy masala chicken over bowls of rice with spicy sesame chili butter. You’ll have the perfect dinner that can be enjoyed any night of the week. And the leftovers are even more delicious the next day.
It’s almost Thanksgiving! I’m so excited for the next few days ahead. Lots of holiday prep will be underway. I always have so much fun getting to see what everyone is preparing for their holiday meal!
I feel so fortunate to be able to be a part of your homes and your families on such a special day. It’s so cool to me!! Very excited to see what recipes you all will be making this Thanksgiving!
But until then, we still have to eat dinner!
I always find this week so odd. A lot of us are prepping for Thursday, but regardless of whether we’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner or attending, we also need to eat dinner every night before then.
Most of the time, my family is in town so I love to share easy dinner ideas like this yummy tikka masala. It’s one of those amazing dinners that tastes and looks amazing without effort.
The crockpot really has been my go-to for the last few months!
Must-Have Ingredients for slow cooker chicken tikka masala
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- fresh ginger
- garam masala
- ground turmeric
- kosher salt
- full-fat plain Greek Yogurt
- tomato paste
- full-fat unsweetened coconut milk or plain greek yogurt
- cilantro
- salted butter
- sesame seeds
- chili flakes
- paprika
Here are the details
Some crockpot recipes are easier than others. This is one of those glorious crockpot dinners that really is just a few simple steps!
First, you’ll add the chicken to the bowl of your crockpot, then in goes pretty much all of the seasonings. The onion, shallot, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, and salt. I then add yogurt and instead of marinating the chicken for hours, I just let it sit on the spiced yogurt for 10 or so minutes.
I found that since this chicken cooks all day, the quick marinating time is all you need.
From here, add a can of tomato paste and a bit of water. Then cover and slow cook.
Just before you’re ready to serve, mix in a can of creamy coconut milk. Let the sauce cook until just slightly thickened and steaming warm.
Stir in lots of cilantro.
Per usual, I love to give my crockpot recipes something fresh to add color and flavor. Plus, I wanted to switch up the classic tikka masala recipe.
I did a quick sesame chili butter and it really is the secret to this dish. It makes it just a touch more special than other recipes. Trust me, the butter is key. Do not skip.
As this cooks, the aroma in the kitchen is truly incredible. It’s just like your favorite Indian spot in town, but maybe just a touch better. I always find anything made at home to be even more delicious.
I like to serve my tikka masala over steamed rice with some fresh naan for scooping up the creamy, coconutty sauce. Absolutely DELICIOUS.
Looking for other Indian-inspired dinners? Here are my favorites:
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs
Super Simple Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Gingery Coconut Sweet Potato and Rice Stew with Chili Oil
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Creamy Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
What can replace coconut milk in this curry dish?
If you’re not sensitive to dairy, you can use heavy cream. Other coconut substitutes include other plant milks like soy/almond/ almond/cashew milk. You could even use Greek Yogurt if you’re in a pinch.
Is it OK to put coconut milk in the slow cooker?
Yes, you can put coconut milk in the slow cooker, but be sure to only add it at the end of the recipe. Just before you’re ready to serve, mix in the can of creamy coconut milk or substitute of your choice.
What exactly is tikka masala?
Tikka masala is a classic Indian dish. The word “tikka” means piece or chunk. And the masala is the sauce that the tikkas derive their delicious flavor. This flavorful dish has its origin in Indian cuisine and is said to have first been made popular in Britain by Indian Chefs living and working in Britain.
Crockpot Creamy Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 316 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- kosher salt
- 1/4 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 1 can (14 ounces) full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
Crockpot Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the chicken, yogurt, onion, shallot, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a pinch of chili flakes. Let sit 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and 1/3 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.2. Crank the heat to high. Stir in the coconut milk and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes until warmed. Stir in the cilantro. 3. Meanwhile, melt together the butter, sesame seeds, chili flakes, and paprika. Cook until the butter is browning. Remove from the heat. 4. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the chicken, yogurt, onion, shallot, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a pinch of chili flakes. Let sit 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and 1/3 cup water. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 8-10 minutes.2.  Once done cooking, release the steam. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Stir in the coconut milk and cook, uncovered, 5- 10 minutes, until warmed. Stir in the cilantro. 3. Meanwhile, melt together the butter, sesame seeds, chili flakes, and paprika. Cook until the butter is browning. Remove from the heat. 4. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan. Enjoy!
Notes
Stove-Top: use my super simple tikka masala recipe.Â
What is a good yogurt sub for this? We have dairy allergies in our family. Butter is ok but yogurt is not.
Hi Laura,
A dairy free yogurt will work well here! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Do NOT skip the browned butter sauce. I made with heavy cream instead of coconut milk. This is as good or better than Indian food I’ve had at a restaurant.
Thanks so much!! I am thrilled that this recipe was such a hit and appreciate you making it:) xT
Made this last night… really easy and REALLY delicious!!
With one exception… I really struggle with the HBH brown butters. I’ve tried a number of recipes which have them and it’s always a goldilocks situation where it’s either slightly burnt or not cooked enough. In this case it became really frothy and it was hard to tell if the butter was brown or if it was just the paprika! I personally think browning butter is a more advanced technique
Hey Annie,
Wonderful!! I am so glad that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a go! xx
So delicious! So easy! Made just as written and plan to make again many times this fall and winter. Just yummy…
Hey Carrie,
Wonderful!! I am so glad that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a go! xx
Came out so good!! Easy recipe and the crockpot makes it hard to mess up. Loved the flavor and will be doing this again!
Hey Micah,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it turned out well for you:)
This was SOOO good! Made it exactly as written and let the chicken cook on low for 6 hours, and it came out perfectly. Totally forgot to make the butter sauce (I’ll do that next time!) so added a little sriracha, and it was perfect. Loved it!
Hi Becky,
Thanks for your comment and trying this recipe! I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great day:)
What do you do with the butter after you combine it with the spices? Does it go in the pot with everything else?
Hi Elise,
You will drizzle the butter over at the end for serving! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I made this tonight, followed the recipe exactly. My chicken was cooked perfectly, but I felt like the sauce was missing something. It had a good level of heat, but was missing the subtle sweetness of tikka masala that I’ve had at Indian restaurants.
Hi Ashleigh,
Thanks so much for making this dish and your review, so sorry you felt something was missing! Let me know if I can help with anything! xx
Getting ready to make it this week. Do you add the butter sauce to the Tikka sauce or just pour it over when getting ready to serve?
Thanks!
Hi Caroline,
You can just drizzle over when ready to serve:) Let me know how this dish turns out, I hope you love it! xT
I really love the curry paste for the stovetop recipe but am looking to get the chicken more tender- could I still make the paste and marinate the chicken but add everything to the crockpot the same way before cooking?
Thanks!
Hi Madeline! Yes, that should work well! xT
Do we know yet if the butter mixture is poured over and stirred in to the curry or served with the rice etc… I am making this dish tomorrow night and would like to know. Thanks xx
Do you add the butter part into the overall chicken dish or you put on top after it’s been served?
I’ve made this before and loved it! What vegetables would you recommend adding to give it a little more nutrition?
Maybe some zucchini would be yummy! xT
Does the butter mixture go over the rice or is it added to the chicken?
Hey There!
Love all your recipes! Every dish I have made has been oh-so-tasty! 🙂
The chicken ended up being really dry. I cooked it on high for 4 hours. Do you think that would cause the chicken to dry out? It’s odd because it was cooked in the sauce. Any direction would be so helpful! Thank you!!
I’m so sorry the chicken turned out dry! Is there anything you did differently? Maybe try cooking on low instead of high? I wonder if that would help! xT
I have read that slow cooking chicken in the crockpot does best when you use the longest time frame. For example, mine would be 8-10 hrs. It dries out with the shorter time.