Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

I have wanted to make this recipe since I found it on Pinterest last September as we love Indian food, but I could NOT find one of the key ingredients, garam masala. Well I found it the other day at Macey's (I swear I've looked there multiple times before so it must be new) and have made it twice since then... it's safe to say we love it! I made a couple small changes from the original recipe, the biggest being I use coconut milk instead of the whipping cream and I use chicken breasts instead of the chicken thighs. The great thing about using coconut milk instead of whipping cream is it makes it a lot healthier as well as dairy free and it doesn't change the flavour of the dish!

I have to give credit to Meal Planning 101 for this delicious dish and for making it relatively easy for me to post this as I was able to copy most of the recipe from her site!

Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala with Rice

Chicken Tikka
1 cup plain yogurt (or coconut cream to make it truly dairy free)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground red pepper/cayenne pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

2 large chicken breasts or approximately 1 1/2 lbs any variety of chicken (breasts, tenderloins, thighs, etc)

Place all ingredients in a large gallon ziploc bag and seal it and then mash it together until it is combined. Add the chicken breasts to the bag and seal it and then shake the bag/play with it until the chicken is coated completely with the marinade. Let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.

Masala
2 tsp oil (coconut oil)
approximately 2 inches fresh ginger, grated (store your ginger in the freezer and it will be super easy to peel with a spoon and then grate)
3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp garam masala (McCormick's Gourmet Collection, found at Pleasant Grove Macey's)
1 tbsp tikka curry paste OR 1 tbsp mild curry paste + 1 tbsp of lemon juice (Pattak's mild curry paste found at Pleasant Grove Macey's)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried coriander
2 cans 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
1 can 6 oz tomato paste

To add in at the end:
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 cans 14 oz. coconut milk
a large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
A large handful or two of chopped spinach (adds some extra vegtable into it)


Turn your oven to broil. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a rack over top then spray the rack with PAM spray. Take the chicken out of the marinade (discard the marinade) and place it on the baking rack. Raise one of the racks in the oven so that the chicken is approximately 6-10 inches from the heating element and broil on each side about 10 minutes. You could also do this on the BBQ. You don't have to worry about cooking the meat all the way through as it will finish cooking in the crock pot, you are just looking for a nice browned color.

While the chicken is broiling, in a pan over medium high heat, add the oil. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes until it just starts to turn translucent. Then add the garlic and ginger and saute for a few more minutes until the mixture is nice and fragrant. Place the mixture into your crock pot. Then add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garam masala, tikka paste, cumin, chili powder and coriander and stir together to combine. When the chicken is done broiling, add it to the crock pot and stir them in to the masala (sauce).

Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours, however be aware that the sauce will reduce and might turn out to be thicker than you want.

Before serving stir in 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala to brighten up the spice flavours a little bit. Then stir in the coconut milk and fresh cilantro and shred the chicken with two forks if desired.  We don't shred the chicken anymore because it makes it easier for me to eat it  without having to eat the chicken;). 

Serve over basmati rice or yellow basmati rice and homemade naan.


*Note: The picture above shows it made with 3 lbs of chicken breasts (4 extra large chicken breasts) and as you can tell it's not saucey enough. If I'd realized it was too much chicken I would have doubled the masala to have more sauce to go with all that chicken. The Meal Planning 101 recipe used 6-8 chicken thighs.

*Note: I have tried making a vegetarian version of this recipe without the chicken and while it still tastes yummy it doesn't have the same depth of flavours/richness of flavour.
*Note from The Meal Planner: I have cooked and experimented with this dish quite a few times, and it by far tastes the best when the chicken is first broiled and then slow cooks in the masala sauce. It gives the sauce a real richness of flavor.
*Note: We've also found Naan (an Indian flat bread) at Wal-Mart.


Yellow Basmati Rice
2 cups basmati rice (you can use regular rice or brown rice as well which is what I did as Basmati rice is expensive!)
4 cups water
salt
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup frozen peas

Stir together the water, salt and turmeric and prepare as you normally would. When the rice is done, stir in the peas.