It’s the week after Thanksgiving, and I’m pretty sure I’m still stuffed from our Thanksgiving dinner.
We drove to Lubbock, Texas on Wednesday afternoon to spend the holidays with my family. The trip took about 11 hours total with our stops and holiday traffic. We loaded up the car, piled in, and got on the road!
Thursday morning was a rush of chopping, simmering, and stirring! The boys went to see a movie in the afternoon and we had our Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, cornbread stuffing, potatoes au gratin, macaroni and cheese, creamed corn casserole, sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus, freshly baked butter and rosemary rolls, cranberry sauce, and gravy.
My mom made her amazing spicy cranberry sauce using roasted cumin, coriander, and chili powder that always takes our dinner up a notch, and I was in heaven.
The rest of the evening was spent playing board games, where things got a little competitive. (Side note: Did you know that there’s an entire Scrabble dictionary?)
On Saturday, my mom and I had a girls’ day out. Being so far away, it’s not often that we get to have relaxing afternoons together, so we really enjoyed every moment. We took that afternoon to get some coffee, window shop and check out all the new stores popping up around town, and try this adorable dessert shop where we roasted marshmallows and had s’mores for lunch.
For lunch. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve daydreamed about this?!?!
We watched movies (Fantastic Beasts is SO SO good!), went to a local tapas bar to listen to live music, and stayed up late through the night talking and laughing.
On our way back to Louisiana we had a brief stop in Dallas to hold our baby godson for the very first time. We may be biased, but we’re pretty sure he’s the most beautiful, sweetest, funniest, and smartest baby around. Our hearts are so full!
If you’re anything like me, the week after Thanksgiving is the week that I take a slight breather from all the cooking and baking and try to get back on track. To me this means catching up on sleep, trying to eat healthy, and spending minimal time grocery shopping/hanging out in front of the stove. This also means that I’m throwing things in a crockpot today!
I’m making another one of my favorites from Skinnytaste’s new cookbook: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala. I upped the amount of cayenne pepper because I’m spicy like that, but this recipe is really, truly perfect. It’s low in calories, filling, and delicious. Place cubed chicken in the slow cooker, blend sauteed onions, garlic, and ginger with spices and diced tomatoes, then pour over the chicken. Set heat to LOW for 6 hours, unpack from your long weekend, do a little Cyber Monday Christmas shopping, and you’ll have a warm and comforting meal for dinner before you know it.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
2016-11-28 10:44:30
Serves 4
Print
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
6 hr
Total Time
6 hr 20 min
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cubed
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 tbsp ghee or butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (plus more if you want more heat)
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 6 tbsp canned full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the cubed chicken in a slow cooker and season with 1 tsp of the salt.
- In a medium skillet, melt the ghee or butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and cardamom. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and spices are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender along with the tomatoes and blend until smooth. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker and add the remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Stir in the coconut milk. Serve garnished with cilantro.
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Hi Jasmine! Such a warm, happy Thanksgiving time for you; I enjoyed reading all that you did with your family meal and family time. Thank you for sharing and for your delicious-looking slow cooker recipe. I’m looking forward to trying it. And yes, I did know that there IS a dedicated Scrabble dictionary – haha! Well, because I’ve been playing scrabble on and off for years; and the past few years with online friends. 🙂
Hi Michaela!! The Scrabble dictionary is such a great idea! I was also amazed to read that those who compete professionally rack up 350-450 points per game. I have a lot of practicing to do! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hi Jasmine! Thank you, yes we did. Only difference is my family and I celebrated it in October, as we live in Canada. 🙂 Either way, same Thanksgiving spirit of sharing food and family time together. And yes, I agree with you – the Scrabble dictionary is so useful. I haven’t been referring to mine in a while. I think it’s hiding! I’ve been winging it….hahaha! I didn’t know that professional competitors reach that level in points – thanks for the education. The friends I play with, and I have gone from an intermediate to much improved player – primarily due to playing with better players where I would love, BUT I was observing their playing styles and learning as I played. I don’t lose nearly as much as I used to. Psst, I win far more now. It’s like practicing anything else. It keeps getting better! Have fun with it, Jasmine! 🙂 And you’re most welcome; always a pleasure reading your posts.
“where I would lose” I meant to say. 🙂 And my point levels these days are always at least 330 or higher…..hmmmm…..
That’s amazing!
This looks really delicious. Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it.
Lovely post and recipe Jasmine. I just love it and I will give the link to a good friend of mine who asked me for a curry recipe very recently. Also how wonderful you got to have some quality time with your mum. That’s what holidays are for. Plus I just have to say how cute your godson is. You all look great!
Thank you so much, Roberta!! He is a cutie! 🙂 And thank you for passing it on – I hope your friend enjoys it as much as we do!
Lovely time! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
Great minds think alike! I just posted this very same recipe in my crock pot last week 🙂 I was just thrilled with the results and the fact that you could make a curry in the crock pot. Glad you were able to spend time with family and friends over Thanksgiving, it’s definitely what it’s all about.
Great minds!! 😀 I’ve always been skeptical of chicken tikka in a crockpot, but this is the really the best recipe I’ve found. Thank you for stopping by, Loretta!
Your mom’s cranberry sauce sounds crazyyyyy good! I’m embarrassed to say, I grew up referencing the Scrabble dictionary more than Merriam-Webster…. I was a fun child, I swear. Also, THAT SMORE PLACE LOOKS AMAZING!!!
Haha! I’m pretty sure we would have been friends then, too!! I’ll let my mom know you said that – it’s SOOO good! 🙂
Jasmine! This recipe looks so delicious! I love the bright colors. I have a friend coming over who absolutely adores curry in any shape form or selection of ingredients, I think I’m going to have to try this recipe. Will get back to you how it goes! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Cher!! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I hope you guys enjoy it!! 🙂
This looks so so flavorful Jasmine! You’re making me want to order the Skinny Taste Cookbook. Sounds like a pretty perfect visit –I love girls days with my two girls. It’s the best. And your little godson is the cutest– how old is he?? Looks pretty brand new! So glad to hear you had such a sweet time…
He is!! He was born on Halloween! Dallas is about 3 hours away from us so I think we’ll be making even more trips over there to see him. Also, I can’t say enough good things about the Skinnytaste cookbook! I think it’d be a great gift, too!
Hey Jasmine– he’s a doll. And babies grow and change so much at this age– you’ll love watching him grown and blossom. And– I’m checking on the Skinnytaste Cookbook– telling Larry that’s what I want for Christmas!! thanks! xox
That’s great!! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Chicken tikka masala has always been a staple in our household (when we go out for Indian). I am excited to try my hand at it in the kitchen now! I no longer eat meat, but my husband sure does and I will be sure to sop up all the sauce with some yummy naan! Looks like you had an absolutely perfect thanksgiving. Think that your mom would want to share the cranberry sauce recipe? Hehe. Have a wonderful week, lovely. xo
Hi Kenzie!! I hope you guys like it – the sauce is delicious!! 🙂 My mom is going to be so happy that people are asking for her cranberry recipe – I’ll have to ask her for the details to share!
I am so pleased you guys had a lovely Thanksgiving 🙂 Love your four legged little babies 🙂
and….I am so pleased I have been doing some catching up on my blog reading and found this AMAZING recipe. I am making this tomorrow. I was wondering what I could do, that would be super easy. I just have to go and buy fresh coriander tomorrow and I am sorted. Yay! Thanks my friend. x
Yaay!! This makes me so happy! I love when I have so many of the ingredients in my pantry/fridge. 🙂 I hope you like it. I made this for my mom over Thanksgiving and I made it again yesterday, and I’m still not tired of it!
Sound that you had great fun with your family, Jasmine. Your slow cooker chicken tikka masala looks so tasty; I’d love to try it. Thanks for sharing it at Fiesta Friday! 🙂
Thank you!!
Oh, this looks and sounds absolutely delightful! You can never have too much Chicken Tikka Masala 🙂 Thanks for sharing at the Healthy Living Link Party! We hope to see you back tonight!
Thank you!! 🙂