Quick & Easy Chicken Tikka Masala, Creamy Chicken Curry Recipe

Source video by Food Wishes on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This adaptation turns a popular hob curry into a hands-off slow cooker meal. Chicken thighs are coated in a warming spice blend and browned in clarified butter, then everything finishes gently in the slow cooker with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and coconut milk. The result is tender, spoon-soft chicken in a rich, fragrant sauce. Serve over rice with fresh coriander and lime.

Ingredients

• 700 gboneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tbspvegetable oil, for drizzling over chicken
• 1 tspfine salt
• 0.5 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 1 tspground turmeric
• 2 tspgaram masala
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 0.5 tspcayenne pepper
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 0.25 tspground cardamom

• 2 tbspclarified butter (ghee)
• 1 wholeonion, chopped
• 3 tbsptomato puree (paste)
• 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tbspfresh ginger, freshly grated
• 400 gcrushed tomatoes (passata)
• 400 mlcoconut milk (full fat) (add late)
• 100 mlchicken stock

• 0.5 tspdried red chilli flakes (add late)
• 3 tbspfresh coriander, chopped, plus extra to garnish (add late)

• 1 wholelime wedges, cut into wedges
• cooked basmati rice

Method

1. Mix the salt, pepper, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne, smoked paprika and cardamom together in a small bowl. Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl, drizzle with the vegetable oil, then sprinkle over the spice mix and toss until every piece is evenly coated.

   ~5 min

2. Heat the clarified butter in a heavy frying pan over a high heat. Brown the spiced chicken thighs on both sides, working in batches if needed, until well coloured. This also toasts the spices on the surface. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.

   ~8 min

3. Lower the heat to medium-high. Add the chopped onion to the same pan and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until softened and translucent.

   ~6 min

4. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens and caramelises slightly on the bottom of the pan.

   ~6 min

5. Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze and lift all the sticky goodness.

   ~2 min

6. Once the chicken has cooled slightly, cut each thigh into 2 or 3 bite-sized pieces. Transfer the chicken and any juices to the slow cooker.

   ~5 min

7. Pour the tomato and onion mixture from the pan over the chicken, then add the chicken stock. Stir to combine.

   ~2 min

8. Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 4.5 hours or on High for 2.5 hours, until the chicken is tender.

9. Stir in the coconut milk and chilli flakes. Cover and cook for a further 30 minutes on Low, until heated through and the sauce has come together.

   ~30 min

10. Stir through the chopped coriander, taste and adjust the seasoning with a pinch of salt if needed.

    ~1 min

11. Serve over basmati rice, garnished with extra coriander leaves and lime wedges.

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