Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

The garden is showing its first green, tiny shoots pushing through the soil like signals from below. Josie checks every morning in her school clothes, crouching over the bed with the intensity of a scientist monitoring an experiment, which is essentially what gardening is: controlled hope applied to dirt. The tomatoes are first, as always. The lettuce is close behind. The cucumbers have not appeared yet but Josie is patient, which is a virtue she has learned from the garden and from nowhere else, because patience is not Josie natural state.

On the road this week I tried a new slow cooker recipe: chicken tikka masala. I know. A truck driver in Nebraska making Indian food in a slow cooker sounds like a punchline. But I found a recipe online that looked doable: chicken thighs, canned crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, garlic, ginger. Eight hours on low. I served it over instant rice at a rest stop outside Hastings and it was genuinely good. Rich, warming, spiced in a way that my Nebraska palate found exciting rather than threatening. The trucker next to me, a guy from Louisiana, smelled it and said what is that. I said chicken tikka masala. He said in a truck? I said in a truck. He said the world is changing. I think he is right.

At home, I remade it for the family. Tyler liked it. Amber loved it. Justin said it tasted weird and ate the rice plain, which is Justin review of anything that does not taste like hamburger. Josie ate one bite and declared it too spicy, which it was not, but Josie definition of spicy includes black pepper and mild salsa, so her judgment on spice is unreliable. Dave ate two helpings and asked if I was going to make it again. I said yes. He said good.

I am posting the recipe tomorrow. Slow cooker chicken tikka masala for truck drivers. It sounds ridiculous. It is. It is also delicious, and the ridiculous things are often the best things, and I have been making ridiculous things in truck cabs for twenty years and I am not stopping now.

Here it is, as promised — the recipe that started in a truck cab outside Hastings and ended up earning two helpings from Dave and a declaration of “weird” from Justin. If you have a slow cooker and eight hours, you can make this. If you have a truck and a rest stop, you can still make this. The world is changing, and your slow cooker should change with it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Fresh cilantro, for serving
Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

Layer the slow cooker. Place the diced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the chicken thigh pieces on top.
Mix the sauce. In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, paprika, cayenne (if using), salt, pepper, and tomato paste until combined. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours, until the chicken is tender and the sauce is rich and fragrant.
Thicken the sauce. About 30 minutes before serving, stir the cornstarch slurry into the slow cooker. Replace the lid and let it cook until the sauce thickens slightly.
Taste and adjust. Season with additional salt to taste. The sauce should be creamy, rich, and warmly spiced.
Serve. Spoon the chicken tikka masala over cooked rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala — Ridiculous Things Made in a Truck Cab