This may not look like any chicken tikka masala you've eaten in Indian restaurants.
But it's not supposed to. It's one cook's clever way of introducing Indian food to a family not interested in the spicy flavors she enjoys.
Even better, it's as fast and easy as you can get with Indian food, because it's done in a slow cooker, and with only a few ingredients.
The recipe is in "Stock the Crock" by Phyllis Good (Oxmoor House), who is known for her "Fix-It and Forget-It" cookbook series. The book contains, as the subtitle says, "100 Must-Have Slow-Cooker Recipes," with variations suggested for every taste.
Each recipe lists the size of cooker to use, prep and cooking times and is followed with extra tips, how to rework the recipe for picky eaters, ingredient substitutions and so forth, making this the most usable slow cooker book I've come across recently.
In an introductory chapter, Good (above) explains how to choose and use a slow cooker, even how to cook two separate dishes side by side in the same cooker. A special index divides the recipes according to whether they are gluten-free, paleo-friendly or vegetarian/vegan.
The book is full of the ethnic food that I like, such as Indian lentil soup, African sweet potato stew, adobo chicken with bok choy, barbacoa and the chicken tikka masala. But there are lots of dishes others would enjoy, including turkey chili, lasagna with or without meat, Italian vegetable soup, a crustless quiche, pulled pork and shrimp and grits.
The recipes came from home cooks in Good's wide circle of fans and were tested for the book.
Some slow cooker books require too much preparation outside the cooker, but most of Good's dishes, like the chicken tikka masala, go straight into the pot. This is how it looked when assembled in my vintage model.
I adapted the recipe, not filling the crock to the level Good suggests, because I had cut the recipe in half, and using bone-in chicken thighs instead of boneless because I had them. Nevertheless, it worked like a dream.
Here is the recipe:
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
From "Stock the Crock" by Phyllis Good
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce or about 2 cups tomato paste, made according to a recipe in the book
1/2 cup light or regular coconut milk
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 to 3 teaspoons garam masala
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Several turns freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Cooked rice
Optional fresh toppings: chopped or sliced cucumbers, red onion slices, chopped fresh mint and/or cilantro
Grease the interior of the slow cooker crock with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Combine the tomato sauce, coconut milk, half of the onion, the garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, sugar, salt and pepper in the prepared crock, mixing well.
Place the chicken on top, coating the top and bottom of each piece with the sauce. Scatter the remaining onion over the chicken.
Cover. Cook on low 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the chicken is tender or an instant-read meat thermometer registers 175 degrees when stuck into the thickest part of the thighs.
Shred the chicken, if desired, or leave the pieces whole.
Serve the meat and sauce on top of the cooked rice. Add the fresh toppings as desired.
Makes 4 to 5 servings.
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