Slow cooker chicken tikka masala

TICK-TOCK TIKKA MASALA

I don’t think you can beat a steaming bowl of creamy, fragrant slow cooker chicken tikka masala, and being able to just put it in the slow-cooker and leave it to do its thing is so satisfying.

Takeaway and ready meal versions of this are usually packed with calories, but this is just as delicious (if not more so).

This recipe has always been one of the most popular on my blog, and you can also find it on p.166 of my cookbook The Slimming Foodie where it is called ‘Tick-tock tikka masala’ -I actually called it that because of the slow-cooking, but as my book was released alongside the growing popularity of TikTok, it’s often labelled as TikTok tikka masala on social media!

(See a recipe video on TikTok here)

COCONUT MILK

Coconut milk varies hugely in the amount of syns (if you are following Slimming World) or calories .

Make sure you check yourself for the brand that you have in order to get an accurate calorie count or to calculate the syns per portion.

The very best (light) coconut milk that I have found is the Essential Waitrose Reduced fat coconut milk  (12 syns for a 400ml can). There is a lot of variation between brands, so make sure to  check what you are buying! The syns in this recipe are based on the total amount of coconut milk used being 6 syns.

This recipe used half of the tin of coconut milk. You could make a double batch of chicken tikka masala and freeze the leftovers, or you can just simply freeze the leftover coconut milk for another meal.

HOW TO PREVENT THE YOGHURT FROM SPLITTING IN THE SAUCE

It’s important to follow the step of adding the yoghurt on top of the curry to warm through before stirring it in, as this stops the yoghurt from curdling/splitting and creates a smooth and creamy sauce.

CAN I MAKE THIS IN THE OVEN RATHER THAN THE SLOW COOKER?

This is also great cooked in the oven if you don’t have a slow-cooker, or want it to be ready more quickly.

Simply start by frying the chicken in low-calorie cooking spray in a flameproof casserole dish for about 5 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic nd stir-fry for another 2 minutes.

Stir through the spices and salt for about a mnute, then add the passata and coconut milk .

Put into an oven preheated to 180c for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, spoon on the yoghurt and cornflour mixture, give it a couple of minutes to warm through, then stir through before serving.

I DON’T HAVE A SLOW COOKER, SHOULD I GET ONE?

Here are all of the reasons that I love my slow-cooker!

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