Creamy, comforting, and perfect for your freezer stash.
If I had to pick one recipe that saves my sanity on busy evenings, Chicken Tikka Masala would win every time. It’s warm, creamy, and packed with flavour—but it’s also one of the easiest dishes to batch cook. Double or triple the recipe, freeze portions, and you’ll have homemade dinners ready itp put straigh in the slow cooker, even on the days when you’re too tired to think about cooking.
Why This Curry Is Perfect for Batch Cooking
- Freezer-friendly – This dish freezes beautifully.
- Family-approved – Mild enough for little taste buds, with extra spice options for grown-ups.
- Stretchable – Add extra veggies or chickpeas to make it go further.
- Cook once, eat thrice – A single session in the kitchen means multiple stress-free dinners.
This isn’t about perfection it’s about creating space for more family moments, less dinner stress.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
Ingredients for the slow cooker
- 700 g Skinless, boneless chicken breast, Chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 Onion See notes
- 400 g Chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Garlic puree Or 3 cloves if using fresh
- 3 tbsp Tomato puree
- 150 g Tikka masala paste
To Serve
- 4 tbsp Mango chutney
- 2 tsp Garam masala Add before serving
- 100 ml Creme fraiche, I use half fat | See notes
Instructions
Instructions
- Put all of the slow cook ingredients into the slow cooker pan, cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours (or 6-8 hours on low). As always, check the meat is cooked through before serving.700 g Skinless, boneless chicken breast, Chopped into bite-size pieces, 1 Onion, 400 g Chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp Salt, 2 tbsp Garlic puree, 3 tbsp Tomato puree, 150 g Tikka masala paste
- Before serving, stir in garam masala, mango chutney and creme fraiche.4 tbsp Mango chutney, 2 tsp Garam masala, 100 ml Creme fraiche, I use half fat | See notes
Notes
Creme fraiche: I used around 100ml/0.5 cup of creme fraiche, however if you want a more creamy sauce feel free to add more, if you don’t want to buy a whole pot you could leave this out, however it does give that classic tang.
Chicken: You could use chicken boneless skinless thighs instead here, but they may need additional cooking time.
Freezing: If you were making a batch of this, I would freeze without creme fraiche if possible. But if you’re just freezing leftovers this will be fine, it’s just dairy can be a little temperamental when frozen!
Serving suggestions: Rice, naan, raita, poppadoms
Mum Hack: Freezer Bags Are Your Best Friend
When batch cooking this dish, I like to split it into flat freezer bags. They stack neatly and defrost quicklymeaning dinner is ready almost as fast as saying, “Who wants curry?”
Make It Tonight (and Thank Yourself Later)
Prep this once, and you’ll have stress-free dinners ready to go. No last-minute meal panic. No staring into the fridge at 5 p.m. Just a homemade curry that feels like comfort in a bowl.
