Juicy cuts of chicken seasoned with aromatics, spices and tomatoes get cooked slowly until tender in this mouthwatering dish reminiscent of Tikka Masala — an internationally celebrated dish with bold Indian flavors. Add heavy cream right before turning off the heat for a rich, satisfying touch.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 4 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 4 hr |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Basmati rice, for serving
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for topping
- 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
Instructions
- Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk the garlic, ginger, chile pepper, paprika, coriander, tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 4-to-6-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken and stir to coat.
- Cover and cook on high, 4 hours, adding the heavy cream and frozen peas during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Serve over rice; top with cilantro.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 408 calorie |
| Total Fat | 16 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 3 grams |
| Cholesterol | 168 milligrams |
| Sodium | 701 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 19 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 grams |
| Protein | 47 grams |
Reviews
This was so easy and so delicious. I followed the modifications by the other reviewer, Rachel, and it was perfect. Lots of sauce and the perfect punch of flavor. I still can’t believe I made this!!!
This was a good recipe to start introducing the kids to Indian cuisine without too much spice. Easy to make.
I’ve made this recipe numerous times and have made changes to it along the way. My current version of this tastes the most authentic to tikka masala, in my opinion. The spices listed in this recipe do not pack enough punch to give it true Indian flavor. The changes I have made are as follows:
I use a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes to ensure that there is enough sauce to serve with the chicken. I use the freshly grated ginger (a must) and I add 3 cloves of minced garlic. Instead of the spices listed in the recipe, I add a generous amount (4-5 tbsp) of Indian curry powder (it has coriander, cumin, chili powder, clove, fenugreek, and a bunch of other true Indian spices). Right before serving, add the heavy cream (so it doesn’t curdle) and lots of fresh chopped cilantro.
We’ve made this many times and it’s always a favorite. Never had a curdling issue with the cream. Follow the directions and you will have a great dish!
Came out way better than I thought! Great!
Absolutely loved this. Made exactly as instructed but on the stove top as I don’t have a slow cooker. No curdling cream. Dumped everything in at once, and cooked on my lowest setting for an hour. Delicious!
I’ve never had Tikki Masala before, so I can’t compare this to what it should or shouldn’t taste like. The cream didn’t curdle when I made it, so that wasn’t an issue.
It came out very soup-like rather than a sauce. Even the rice wasn’t enough to absorb all the juice. Not sure what I did wrong there. It tasted okay, but nothing spectacular and not something I’d go out of my way to cook again.
Cream and slow cookers don’t mix. It curdled in the cooking.
Absolutely horrid. I love making Tikka Masala, because the sauce is so full of flavor and warmth. It has subtle undertones and a hint of sweet and spice. This recipe made oily tomato soup with bits of bland chicken. There was absolutely no warmth– just heat from the jalapeno (which is not a traditional ingredient), tomato taste, and some peas and cilantro. There was no distinctive spice taste, no ‘Indian’ flavoring to it (no matter what region). Look for a recipe that uses more than American “curry” (find one that asks for a specific type–there IS a Tikka Masala curry, I have even seen it done with Rojan Josh or Garam Masala, or even Korma). Tonight’s mission is to throw this in a pot and see if it’s salvageable.
I made this tonight and left out the peas (not a favorite) and used a can of tomatoes that was twice as large (oops, totally my mistake), and it was pretty good. But I have a question for the Food Network folks: The ingredient list says “jalapeno pepper” and the instructions say “chili pepper”. Which is it?