Authentic Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala

Q: Is Chicken Tikka Masala Spicy?

I wouldn’t consider Chicken Tikka Masala very spicy, though it does give off some heat. The majority of the flavour comes from the sauce, which is spiced with aromatic spices like ground coriander, dried crushed fenugreek leaves and green cardamom. While the red chilli powder, ginger and garlic give the dish its heat, that will be balanced out from the sweetness of the honey and the cream.

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About this recipe

Rich, creamy, and packed with bold spices, this Authentic Chicken Tikka Masala is slow cooked to perfection in your Instant Pot. A classic Indian dinner made easy in one pot.

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Chicken tikka masala has been a favorite dish of mine ever since I started eating chicken! I have so many fond memories enjoying chicken tikka masala at restaurants growing up, it always makes my tummy and soul happy!

If you’re looking for exciting new recipes to kick off your New Year’s resolution of exploring more variety in the kitchen, then this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe in the slow cooker is an excellent starting point! I give more details in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, that going out to eat can inspire you to take those beloved dishes at home! As mentioned previously, chicken tikka masala has always been close to my heart, and I love to cook it up myself whenever I get the chance to! With this slow cooker variation of the traditional chicken tikka masala recipe, I’m taking in all the elements of the authentic dish but allowing the beauty of slow cooking to allow the flavors to truly seep into the gravy and have the chicken be ultra soft. It is so tender that it just breaks apart with ease!

If you want to cook more Indian food this year, then make India no longer a destination unseen by preparing this Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala recipe as part of your one-month Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get started for free today by signing up to my free email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent straight to your email inbox so you’ve always know what to make for dinner!

To follow along step-by-step as I prepare this hearty Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala that’s slow-cooked, then be sure to watch the video! Don’t forget to please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and make sure you’ve pressed the bell button so you’re notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get cooking!

Slow cooked chicken tikka masala served with naan bread on a white plate, garnished with green chili.

What Is Chicken Tikka Masala?

Chicken Tikka Masala is definitely a must-have dish on menus at Indian restaurants. However, did you know that this is actually Britain’s national dish?

Along with butter chicken (murgh makhani), the two tend to be stars, and not only to the restaurant industry, but to me as well!

If you look at images of Chicken Tikka Masala and butter chicken, you would think that they are interchangeable. Not so fast!

While both chicken recipes indeed consist of a tomato-based gravy, chicken tikkas that have the same marination and cooking methods, the flavors are still different. I consider butter chicken gravy milder and smoother. On the other hand, we have a bit more “punch” in the chicken tikka masala gravy in terms of heat and spice. Furthermore, in the case of chicken tikka masala, we do not puree the sauce entirely, so there are chunks of tomatoes. Finally, and we garnish with some sautéed tomatoes, peppers and onions. If you’ve followed the blog, you know that a big red flag in an inauthentic butter chicken is that it contains onions!

If you’re looking for the vegetarian options of both butter chicken and chicken tikka masala, the same characteristics apply for the respective vegetarian recipes, Paneer Makhani versus Kadai Paneer.

Can I Slow Cook Over the Stove?▼

While you can easily convert a slow cooked recipe to prepare of the stovetop, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.

The right kind of pot - in this case a heavy crock pot or a dutch oven that can absorb and disperse heat efficiently will help achieve the best results and prevent your dish from cooking evenly.
The amount of liquid and preparation time will need to be dynamically adjusted based on the kind of pot you have and the stove top being used to cook on. Since each stovetop is a little different from one another.
Keep an open mind and test it out! If you cook low and slow, you have ample of time to react and adjust if things are not going in the right direction.

Chicken Tikka Masala served in a metal bowl with naan bread on a white plate, garnished with cilantro and red onion.

What if I’m Craving Chicken Tikka Masala RIGHT NOW?

That’s no problem! I understand not planning our meals accordingly and when a craving strikes, it strikes! If you’ve got an Instant Pot, then you can whip up your Chicken Tikka Masala in a breeze! If you don’t have an Instant Pot or just want to make the truly most authentic way of making Chicken Tikka Masala (the Instant Pot recipe and this one are as close as you can get with the different techniques, however!), then try my classic authentic Creamy Chicken Tikka Masala recipe! While you will indeed dirty more dishes and this recipe will require more hands-on work, I guarantee it’s worth it all!

Chicken Tikka Masala being lifted from a stainless steel serving bowl with naan bread on a plate in the background.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala

Give the chicken time to marinate to allow the flavours to settle in. Although we are not using yogurt, the pressure cooking of the Instant Pot will help make that chicken tender in its place.
Sauté the vegetables for garnish prior to making the dish. This will add a ton of flavour from the residual charred bits left in the Instant Pot.
Resist the urge from peeking inside the slow cooker or Instant pot. Let the heat stay trapped inside to ensure even cooking.
You may need to judge based on your slow cooker or Instant Pot if the dish has enough liquid. Although if you follow my recipe exactly, this should not be a concern.
Before serving, I like to turn up the heat and change the Instant Pot from Slow Cook to Sauté mode so I can get it warmer, adjust salt and cream as required, and thicken the sauce up a little bit before serving.

Is Chicken Tikka Masala Spicy?▼

I wouldn’t consider Chicken Tikka Masala very spicy, though it does give off some heat. The majority of the flavour comes from the sauce, which is spiced with aromatic spices like ground coriander, dried crushed fenugreek leaves and green cardamom. While the red chilli powder, ginger and garlic give the dish its heat, that will be balanced out from the sweetness of the honey and the cream.

Equipment Needed for Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients for the Perfect Chicken Tikka Masala

You can find the complete recipe instructions and ingredients with their measurements by scrolling down to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD, or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button. The recipe card also allows you to scale the recipe based on how many mouths you want to feed! That way, you know exactly how much marinade to make for the correct number of chicken thighs, and you’ll have the right amount of everything else! Everyone gets a generous portion!

For the Marinade

Chicken thighs: Technically you could use chicken breast or a combination of both, but I find chicken thighs produce the juiciest results.
Ginger-garlic Paste: I always recommend you make your own, so check out how to make it easily!
Lemon juice: Adds some nice freshness to the marinade.
Deggi mirch: Gives the chicken its gorgeous red colour and adds the main flavour. If you don’t have deggi mirch, paprika is an acceptable substitute, though definitely not the same as the real thing!
Salt: Always needed to bring out the optimal taste!
Garam masala: Brings the marinade together.

For the Gravy

Passata or strained tomatoes: The base of our gravy. If you don’t have passata, you can puree fresh tomatoes in a blender.
Aromatics: Fresh ginger, garlic and onions add plenty of flavour to the sauce.
Spices: Ground coriander, turmeric, Deggi mirch, dried fenugreek leaves, and ground green cardamom.
Honey: Adds sweetness to the gravy to balance out the spices. You could use table sugar if you want, but I really love the sweetness that comes from honey in here.
Water
Salt: Season as you go based on your preference.
Butter: To make the sauce luscious and smooth, a key ingredient here!
Heavy cream: The finishing touch to our sauce! I’m using heavy cream in this recipe instead of lighter half and half (10%) cream since the sauce is slow cooking, and the thinner cream will split.

For the Garnish

Extra virgin olive oil: To sauté the ingredients.
Green pepper
Onion
Tomato

How to Make Slow-Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala

For the Chicken

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add the ingredients for the first marinade, mix well and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Chicken pieces with orange spice coating in a glass bowl, surrounded by marinade ingredients and spice containers.

Raw chicken coated in spiced marinade in a glass bowl during first marinating stage.

Chicken pieces coated in orange-red marinade being mixed in a glass bowl with a spoon.

Chicken pieces coated in orange-red marinade in a glass bowl with a small bowl of ghee beside it.

After 30 minutes, add the ingredients for the second marinade to the chicken and mix well.

Spooning yogurt-based marinade onto raw chicken pieces in a glass bowl for tikka masala.

Hand stirring yogurt and spices into marinated chicken pieces in a glass bowl.

Chicken pieces coated with yogurt and ground spices in a glass bowl for the second marinade.

Chicken coated in orange-red marinade being mixed in a glass bowl with a spatula.

Marinate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

Second marinade mixed with chicken in glass bowl for tikka masala marinade

For the Garnish

Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté Mode on High and add oil.

Oil heating in Instant Pot on sauté mode with green chile pepper inside stainless steel inner pot.

Add tomato, pepper and onion and stir well. Cook for about 3-5 minutes while stirring occasionally. The vegetables should have a light sear and still be crisp.

Instant Pot with sautéed orange bell peppers, green peppers, red onions, and tomatoes on high heat.

Hand adding red bell pepper to sautéed onions and peppers in Instant Pot on sauté mode.

Set the vegetables aside in a bowl.

Sautéed vegetables including bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms set aside in a white bowl.

For the Tikka Masala Sauce

Turn the Instant Pot to Saute mode on Normal and heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Add cumin seeds and cook for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic.

Cumin seeds sizzling in hot oil and butter in an Instant Pot on sauté mode.

Instant Pot with oil, butter, and cumin seeds toasted and aromatic for tikka masala sauce base.

Add onions, pinch of salt and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 3-4 more minutes.

Diced red onions sautéing in an Instant Pot with visible minced ginger and garlic.

Diced red onions and butter in an Instant Pot being sautéed with a red silicone spatula.

Instant Pot with sautéed onions, ginger, and garlic in oil and butter during chicken tikka masala preparation.

Add tomatoes, turmeric, ground coriander and deggi mirch and cook until the tomatoes break down.

Diced tomatoes and spices cooking with ground meat and sautéed onions in an Instant Pot.

Instant Pot with sautéed onions, tomatoes, and spices for chicken tikka masala sauce.

Instant Pot with sautéed onions, tomatoes, and spices including turmeric and red chili powder for tikka masala base.

Sautéed onions, ginger, garlic, and spices in Instant Pot with tomatoes breaking down in red sauce.

Press Cancel on the Instant Pot and then add passata, honey, ground green cardamom and Kasoori Methi.

Instant Pot display screen showing OFF mode during chicken tikka masala preparation steps.

Select Cancel and turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode on normal. Add 1 Tbsp of honey and pinch of green cardamom. Mix well and taste, add more honey if you prefer the sauce to be sweeter. Cook for about 30 seconds.

Passata and spices being added to sautéed onions and garlic in an Instant Pot for tikka masala sauce.

Instant Pot with red tikka masala sauce being stirred, showing spices and tomato-based curry mixture.

Instant Pot with red tomato-based sauce and sprinkled green spices during tikka masala preparation.

Lift chicken from the marinade and add to the instant pot, don't add any remaining marinade to the Instant Pot or Slow cooker.

Orange chicken tikka masala sauce being stirred with tongs in a glass bowl during preparation.

Chicken tikka masala in Instant Pot with creamy orange sauce, tongs lifting cooked chicken pieces.

Add heavy cream and mix well to combine and close the lid for the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.

Heavy cream being poured into an Instant Pot of orange chicken tikka masala sauce.

Heavy cream being stirred into chicken tikka masala in an Instant Pot before slow cooking.

Slow Cook on Low for 6 1/2 to 7 hours or on High for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Instant Pot Duo Plus displaying 6:30 timer on blue screen during slow cook cycle for chicken tikka masala.

Select Cancel on the Instant Pot and set to Saute mode to bring the dish to a warmer temperature for serving.

Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Add more cream as you like and garnish with the sauteed vegetables from earlier.

Finished chicken tikka masala in an Instant Pot, showing rich orange sauce with garnish bowl nearby.

Finished chicken tikka masala in an Instant Pot with rich orange sauce and a spoon lifting a portion.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Chicken tikka masala with sautéed vegetables served with naan bread on a white plate.

Can I make Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala Ahead of Time?▼

Of course you can!

After all, isn’t that why bought the Instant Pot - convenient delicious food!

Storing Leftover Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala

I like to keep my leftovers right in the Instant Pot pot, covered with plastic wrap. In the case that you don’t have the space in the fridge to put the entire Instant Pot pot in your fridge or you don’t have enough leftovers to justify doing that, simply transfer the leftovers in an airtight container. Due to the chicken and dairy in this recipe, I would not keep your Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala for longer than 3-4 days.

Reheating Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala

It’s very easy to reheat your Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala in the microwave or over the stove, but if you’ve made this in the Instant Pot, then the best way for you to reheat it is in the Instant Pot itself. Usually if I have enough space in the fridge, I take the entire Instant Pot cooking pot, cover it and store in the fridge. To then reheat it, place the pot inside the machine and select saute on low. Stir every couple of minutes and serve when warm. You may need to add more cream/water to adjust the consistency.

To reheat in the microwave, transfer to a microwave safe bowl and heat for 2:30 to 4 minutes, making sure to stir every minute for even heating.

To reheat over the stove, simply transfer the leftovers to a pot and heat over medium low heat. Add water/cream as necessary to adjust consistency as desired.

Serving Suggestions for Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala

Feel free to serve your Slow Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala with bread, rice, or both! Here are some great bread options:

Rice recipes:

Other Slow-Cooked Comforting Recipes

Love this creamy base? It’s my makhani sauce — perfect for batch-cooking.

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra