Chicken Tikka Masala

The first time I had Indian food was in college. My friends introduced me to Natraj's Tandoori. I usually got a 2 item combo of Chicken Tikka Masala and Palak Paneer. Those are my absolute must when it comes to Indian cusine. Since then, other places worth noting are The India Restaurant in Artesia, CA and Indigo Indian Restaurant in Fiji. The Indian Restaurant in Artesia makes a delicious Chicken Tikka Masala. The Indigo Indian Restaurant in Fiji makes the most delicious Palak Paneer I have ever consumed. They also make a Crab Masala.

I was on pinterest and came across a Chicken Tikka Masala Crockpot Recipe. So, I thought that sounded easy enough. Boy, I was wrong! It was actually a lot of work. I found another recipe that is much easier, which I will try in the future. But I will post them both.

Here is the Long Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe. I probably made this longer on myself because I made my own chili powder, garam masala and tikki paste. This recipe definitely used a lot of spices. As I was making this, I realized it utilizes a lot of cumin. Also, I felt like this was not a true crockpot recipe because you have to cook the chicken first to just brown it and the same goes for the onions. But if you like a lot of aromatics, then this is worth a try.

Now, I also found another recipe that is true to its crockpot name. It is pretty much throwing things in the crockpot and letting it simmer and marry all the delicious flavors. If you want to try making Chicken Tikka Masala, try this recipe from Table for Two. She makes making Chicken Tikka Masala more doable.

This is how I made garam masala and tikka paste. It is pretty much just blending a bunch of spices.

This is how my Chicken Tikka Masala turned out. I didn't have basmati rice so I used the white rice that I had in my pantry and just added tumeric and saffron cooked stove top. I also had some garlic naan from Trader Joe's to soak up the juices from the sauce. Overall, I was happy with how it turned out.

Chicken Tikka Masala Crockpot Cooking Recipe:

Test Kitchen Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1.5″ cubes

1 onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 inches fresh ginger, grated

1 (28 oz) can of tomato puree, alternatively, you can use 4 tomatoes and boil them and puree it, cuts down on sodium content

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp paprika

2 tsp salt or to taste

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1-3 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it HOT!)

2 bay leaves

1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

3 tbsp cornstarch or flour

Chopped cilantro for topping

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine onions, garlic, ginger, tomato puree, yogurt, olive oil, garam masala, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Pour half of the mixture into the crockpot. Add chicken and pour remaining mixture over the chicken. Add bay leaves and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. You can also cook it on high for 4 hours. When it is done, whisk together cream and cornstarch and pour into the crockpot. Let cook for another 20 minutes to thicken up. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with rice.

I will attempt to make this again someday and let you know how this recipe turns out. I read that some people like to cook the chicken first to add more flavor. But it defeats using the crockpot to its fullest capabilities.

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