This homemade chicken tikka masala recipe could not be any easier. And it tastes just like authentic Indian food that you would get in a restaurant, at a fraction of the price, of course.

chicken tikka masala over rice in white bowl

I make it in the slow cooker because it makes the chicken very tender – and it allows me to spend the rest of the day blogging, which is what I love to do. 😉

You can easily make this in the Instant Pot, too, on the Slow Cooker setting or modify it for the pressure cooker.

What You Will Need

These are the ingredients that you will need:

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts (I like to use Nature’s Promise chicken tenderloins because they are easy to work with and are well, tender)
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1 can coconut milk (I think there was a run on coconut milk at our grocery store, because I got the last can. It happened to be the regular kind – but lite coconut milk will work too. Just make sure you don’t buy the kind they use for mixed drinks like pina coladas – because that type is sweetened and won’t taste good in this homemade chicken tikka masala recipe)
about 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 medium onion
2 tbsp canola oil

Spices

You will need the following spices to make this chicken tikka masala recipe. Even though some are Indian spices, you should be able to find them in your regular grocery store.

2 tsp ground coriander powder
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

How To Make the Meal

Chop onion and garlic in a food processor.

Chop the onion and garlic together in a food processor. I use the food processor attachment on my very versatile Ninja IQ which I love.

You can see that it chops up the onion and garlic just right – not too chunky nor does it turn to mush.

Then heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-ish heat.

Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until the onion starts to brown.

Add the coconut milk and the tomato paste. Stir until they blend together to make a nice sauce. Be careful, as it heats the sauce becomes a bit bubbly and spatters.

Turn off the stove and stir in the spices and the salt and pepper.

Set this aside.

Cut the boneless chicken into bite sized cubes.

Put the raw chicken into the pot of your slow cooker. (I use this 4 quart oval Crock Pot.)

Pour the sauce that you just made over the raw chicken and stir until all of the pieces are coated well.

Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.

Then go ahead and serve over a bed of white or brown rice, while it is piping hot. You can also make extra chicken tikka masala because it tastes even better on the second day.

See! So simple and so delicious.

No more expensive chicken tikka masala for takeout. Your family will be asking for you to make this quite often.

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Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1 can coconut milk
about 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 medium onion
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp ground coriander powder
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Chop the onion and garlic together in a food processor.
You can see that it chops up the onion and garlic just right – not too chunky nor does it turn to mush.
Then heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-ish heat.
Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until the onion starts to brown.
Add the coconut milk and the tomato paste. Stir until they blend together to make a nice sauce. Be careful, as it heats the sauce becomes a bit bubbly and spatters.
Turn off the stove and stir in the spices and the salt and pepper.
Set this aside.
Cut the boneless chicken into bite sized cubes.
Put the raw chicken into the pot of your slow cooker.
Pour the sauce that you just made over the raw chicken and stir until all of the pieces are coated well.
Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.
Then go ahead and serve over a bed of white or brown rice, while it is piping hot. You can also make extra chicken tikka masala because it tastes even better on the second day.

Food Photography

I have not posted many recipes on this blog because my food photography skills are less than appetizing – even though the dish tastes great.

To fix that, I decided to enroll in the Food Blogger Pro course (you can click here to get on the waiting list – it only opens a few times per year). I am amazed at how much I am learning about food blogging as well as food photography.

You can see that I’m not far along enough yet to take a great photo of this dish. But I will post a before and after photo of this chicken tikka masala recipe when I am ready. I think you will be amazed too!

Other Recipes that You Might Like

If you liked this recipe you also might like my Upma recipe. (Don’t know what upma is? It’s traditional Indian food made from cream of wheat and vegetables.)

Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe