Recipe - Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

I love finding new recipes, especially for fun and tasty international foods. So when someone shared a recipe for tikka masala on facebook I knew I had to make it.
I took ideas from a couple different versions of the recipe floating around on the web and made my own. This recipe is easy to adjust to taste by upping or reducing the spice amounts.

Success! It came out super tasty and the chicken was tender. Even my son (he's 8) enjoyed it. My daughter (5) is a little more picky lately and only wanted the coconut rice. Go figure.

Crock-Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

• 1.5 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I'll be honest here, I had enough sauce at the end that I could have gone up to 3 pounds of chicken.)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 to 3 chili peppers - OPTIONAL (Okay, I am not a pepper expert and the recipe never said what type, so I left these out My kids don't like hot spice anyway. Use your best judgment.) 
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 to 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons paprika/smoked paprika (I used 1 tsp of each type because I wanted a touch of smokey flavor)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (You can also use heavy cream or yogurt. All depends on your taste) 
• Lemon juice - OPTIONAL
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Coconut oil
• 2 cups cooked rice, to serve
• Plain yogurt for marinating chicken - optional

Slightly Longer (and tastier) Prep Method

1 - Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and toss in a bowl with enough plain yogurt to coat every piece. Let chill for up to 6 hours.(Trust me, this is worth it.)

2 - Shake off excess yogurt as best you can and transfer the chicken to the crockpot

3 - Sauté the onions and garlic (and peppers if using) in a little coconut oil (yes, you can use olive oil) over medium-high heat in a skillet until softened, then stir in the ginger, tomato paste, and spices until fragrant. Transfer to the slow cooker with the chicken and diced tomatoes. (Again, trust me, this just added a nicer depth of flavor.

4 - Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. 

5 - Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the coconut milk (or heavy cream or yogurt). If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the slow cooker uncovered for the last 15 minutes. Taste and add more garam masala or salt as needed. I also added a squeeze or two of lemon juice for another subtle layer of flavor.

Make your rice according to package directions. I used jasmine rice and put in a little scoop (1/2 Tbs maybe) of coconut oil and a tsp of kosher salt

6 - Serve over rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled over the top of each serving.

As delicious the next day reheated as it was fresh from the pot. Maybe even better.

Throw it all in the pot method

Pretty much the same as above except you don't marinate the chicken in yogurt and you don't cook up your onions and garlic.

Toss the chicken (yogurt free), onions, garlic, tomatoes, spices in the crockpot - give them a good stir and proceed with Step 4.