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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!
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!
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.
So so delicious! Definitely don’t skip the butter sauce.
Hey Virginia,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
Is there a way to make the sauce without chicken? Would I just follow the same recipe and hold the chicken? I know chicken would release some liquid so I wasn’t sure.
Hi Sydney,
Sure, I don’t see why you couldn’t just follow the recipe without the chicken! Let me know if you give that a try, I hope you love the recipe! xx
I doubled the spices based on comments and added peas to add a veggie. New family favorite!
Hey Jennifer,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
Curious how one might go about subbing tofu for chicken? Could I throw the tofu in right from the beginning or wait to add? Thanks!
Hey Jennie,
To be quite honest I never really work with tofu so I’m not sure the best method, but maybe just coat with the sauce? Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
I really enjoyed how easy this recipe was to throw together, and it’s pretty tasty! At first mine tasted a little sour, I think because of the type of tomato paste I used. I added some honey, salt, and sriracha and the sourness went away. It’s super flavorful and goes great with spinach and potatoes.
Hey Mackenzie,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Hi! Where is the sesame chili butter recipe?
Hi Jane,
That’s made in step 3:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I already have a can of light coconut milk in my cabinet. Is it worth going out to buy full fat, or will the light version do okay?
Hey Jordan,
The light version should be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Not sure what I’ve done wrong, but my Greek yogurt seems to have curdled a bit. Followed the recipe to a T. Anyone else have this issue and know how to fix it?
Hi Katherine,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, sorry to hear about your yogurt. Was it at room temp? I would keep stirring well, it should blend nicely for you! I hope this helps! xx
Hello – Are you adding the butter to the sauce before servivng?
Hi there,
You are drizzling the dish with butter before serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This recipe is so good. We’ve made in in the slow cooker and instant pot and it’s great every time. The perfect winter comfort food with just the right amount of spice to warm you up. We make this once a week
Hey Jessica,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
This was amazing! I was nervous because the reviews seemed pretty polarized– super bland or super flavorful. I did some reading on authentic tikka misala, and this is a pretty solid base (obviously lots of personal interpretation, but Tieghan owns that!).
I did the crockpot version– literally a dump and go situation, couldn’t be easier. And I even messed it up! I forgot to add the tomato paste and water, so I added just the tomato paste (omitted the water) at the end when I added the coconut milk ( I DID use the full can and it was not too thin). It still turned out! Will definitely make this again and again!
Hey Madeline,
Happy Wednesday!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xT
I really wanted to love this but unfortunately I have to agree with the comments that this was bland and something felt kind of flat when tasting the sauce. The chicken was well cooked though and I still ate seconds…. Sorry for the mixed review lol.
Hey Lexie,
Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this dish! So sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
Wow. This was amazing. I accidentally used nonfat yogurt but it still tasted great. Can’t wait to try it with the full fat yogurt. We were excited to eat the leftovers the next day as well! It was perfect.
Hey Heather,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
Glad I read the previous comments that called for more water in the crockpot because it was a definite must. Loved the savory butter and the thickness of the sauce but did also agree it was a tad bland. I ended up adding more seasoning and it helped but thought something was still missing. Good, easy recipe overall though.
Hey Meredith,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Made this tonight and holy moly was it incredible! I loved that is so easy to make and toss in the croc pot but also literally LOADED with flavor! We all devoured it; even my extremely picky daughter loved it; I can’t get over how delicious this recipe is ❤️
Hey Ashley,
I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)