A Michelin-trained chef has let food lovers in on the ultimate secret to whipping up a takeaway-worthy chicken tikka masala using just a slow cooker.
Culinary expert Poppy O'Toole took to Instagram as "slow cooker season" kicks off, suggesting her cosy and warm chicken tikka masala recipe to fend off the chilly evenings. Dubbing the dish "so easy" Chef O'Toole's meal tutorial immediately became an online hit, stirring excitement among gastronomy enthusiasts eager to replicate her mouth-watering creation.
Poppy walked keen cooks through the steps for concocting the beloved curry at home, sharing her own penchant for chicken tikka masala and illustrating its simplicity to whip up. She said: "Welcome to slow cooker season, it has officially begun and this is my slow cooker chicken tikka masala and if you know me you know I love a chicken tikka masala so I dedicated a lot of time to make sure this recipe is delicious."
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According to Poppy's instructions, the meal takes about four to five hours to cook on high heat or, for those who aren't pressed for time, it can be left to simmer away deliciously over six to seven hours.
Expanding on the method, she explained: "You're going to start off by marinating some chicken thighs. We've got some ginger, garlic, some curry tandoori paste, salt. Leave that to marinade for three hours. You can do all of this in the slow cooker dish itself.
"Then add the rest of the ingredients. We've got some passata, we've got coconut milk, we've got coconut, we've got ground almond, we've got sugar, tomato puree, we've got onions, butter, cinnamon, give it a good mix and leave that to go on high or on low. On high it's about five hours but on low it's about seven-ish hours until that chicken is super, super tender."
Poppy continued with further instructions, noting: "Carefully remove the chicken and then blend it and you can just see how pulled apart and beautiful that chicken is. You want to keep it as big clumps and then just add it back in with a little bit of coriander over the top."
Foodies who tried their hand at the recipe have hailed the chicken tikka masala as "delicious" although one culinary enthusiast suggested an extra kick could be achieved by adding: "Never one to throw the 'that's not authentic' but you're really missing out by not having any green chillies (ignoring the rest of the spices missed)."
