Slow Cooker Tikka Masala

We love Indian food in our house, even the kids, so I knew this would be a hit. I think my favorite thing about this whole recipe though (besides the awesome aroma that fills your house as it cooks) was the crunchy cool contrast of the cucumbers. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 T tomato paste
2 teaspoons garam masala (or you can make your own by combining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon coriander, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and a dash of cayenne)
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup basmati rice (or other long-grain white rice-I used arborio)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Instructions:
Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place the chicken on top of the veggies, cover and cook until the chicken is tender (low for 7 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours).

In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to package directions.

Just before serving, stir the cream (if using) into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over rice with the cucumber relish on the side.

What did the family think? I would have liked for it to have been a little more spicy. Hubby and I liked it though, we just wanted it to have more vavoom. Our oldest tried it, but he’s not a big fan of dark meat.

Where did this recipe come from? I got it from Half-Assed Kitchen and they got it from Real Simple

1 Comment

Filed under Chicken, Make Ahead of Time, Super Easy to Make

One Response to Slow Cooker Tikka Masala

  1. Christine

    We had it tonight- pretty good! I added extra garam masala and garlic which made it pretty spicy for us- yum! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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