Slow cooker tandoori chicken is convenient and easy!
Today I decided to cook a slow cooker tandoori chicken. I’m not really sure why but I’m really happy I gave it a go. The tandoori chicken, which I slow cooked for 4 hours came out really juicy and delicious.
You might wonder why you would want to do this too. Well… read on!
About this recipe.
I had planned to roast a tandoori chicken I had been marinating for 24 hours in the fridge, in my tandoor. But as things turned out, my wife and I had to go out for the afternoon unexpectedly and we knew we wouldn’t want to get home and start cooking dinner.
So I placed my marinated chicken in our slow cooker and set it to high for 4 hours. This was really just an experiment but it worked. When we got home, the chicken was juicy and tender after slowly cooking for so long.
You could serve the meat just as it is, out of the slow cooker. It would be good in sandwiches, soups or curries. We decided to place it under a hot grill (broiler) and our crispy tandoori chicken was on the table, ready to carve in about 10 minutes!
Do you need to let the chicken rest before carving?
No! You cook it slowly so it has already rested all it needs to.
Just wait until you slice into it! It’s perfect.
Who would want to slow cook a chicken?
This slow cooker tandoori chicken recipe would work for any chicken, not just tandoori.
It’s a convenient way to cook as you can just place it in your slow cooker and get on with whatever it is you need to do. Placing it under the grill (broiler) as we did made it easy to roast a chicken without really having to keep an eye on it.
In fact, you really will love chicken cooked this way. It’s juicier and the skin only takes minutes to crisp up at the end, if that is what you decide to do.
At what temperature do you cook the slow cooker tandoori chicken?
As I mentioned above, this was an experiment and the slow cooker Instantpot I was using only has one setting, high.
So I cooked mine on high for 4 hours and was very happy with the results. If you have a slow cooker that has a low setting, you could cook the chicken on low for 6 to 8 hours.
How do you know when the chicken is cooked?
The best way to check this is with a meat thermometer. The chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F.
If you don’t have a thermometer, stick a fork or knife into the thickest part of the meat. If the juices run clear, not red, then it’s cooked.
How long should you marinated the chicken?
Remember that this way of cooking chicken is not just for tandoori stye chicken. If you want to experiment, you could just season the chicken with salt and pepper and perhaps put some herbs like rosemary, thyme and parsley in the cavity.
If making slow cooker tandoori chicken, try to leave it to marinate for 24 hours or up to 48 hours. That said, you could just marinated the chicken and go straight to cooking. The longer marinating time does have it flavour benefits though.
Can you char the chicken on a barbecue grill instead of the oven?
Yes. Charring the skin is optional but of course gives it a delicious flavour.
One thing that is great about this slow cooker tandoori chicken is that it’s hot and cooked through when you take it out of the slow cooker.
So if you’re having a barbecue, you can simply throw it on the grill, over the coals for a couple of minutes and char it to your preference. You will have already checked that the chicken is cooked so this is just another step to tandoori chicken perfection that you can do, knowing it’s ready to serve.
How long can your store leftovers in the fridge?
You can store any leftovers you have in the fridge for up to 4 days. Wrap it all up tightly so that it doesn’t dry out. You can serve the leftover meat cold or heat it up in a pan, air fryer or microwave.
Step by step photographs.
Get all of your ingredients ready before starting.
Score the chicken all over and add the salt and lime juice. You can leave the skin on or remove it.
Place all the remaining marinade ingredients in a bowl.
Stir the marinade until creamy smooth.
Rub the marinade right into the flesh of the chicken and inside the cavity. If time permits, let it marinate for up to 48 hours or go straight to cooking.
Place the chicken in your slow cooker and set it to high for 4 hours or low for up to 8 hours.
After 4 hours, my chicken was cooked. There was a lot of juices at the bottom which I used to baste the meat before placing in the oven.
I also basted the chicken with melted butter. Ghee would also be nice.
Your slow cooker tandoori chicken is now ready for lots of different dishes.
Once your chicken is cooked through, you can use it in a lot of different ways. Add it to a salad or roll it up in a wrap.
Try shredding it and adding it to a soup or a curry.
We place out chicken under a hot grill (broiler) for just under 10 minutes.
Without our slow cooker, we would have had to wait a bit longer for dinner. The meat was super juicy too!
Try the chicken in a wrap with salad veg and raita.
Makes an amazing wrap!
Slow Cooker Tandoori Chicken
You can let this slow cooker tandoori chicken slowly cook as you get on with other things. Once cooked, you can serve it as it is or roast it for about 10 minutes under a hot grill (broiler). This recipe is easy and super convenient.
Ingredients
- 1.5kg (3 lbs) whole chicken
- Juice of 2 limes
- I tsp salt
- 5 tbsp Greek yoghurt (whisked)
- 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala
- 3 green finger chillies, smashed to a paste
- 3 tbsp coriander (cilantro) lightly pounded
- 2 tbsp melted butter or ghee (optional)
Instructions
- Score the chicken all over the breasts, back and thighs. You can remove the skin or leave it on.
- Apply the lime juice and salt and rub it right into the flesh and inside the cavity. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the marinade.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the yoghurt, garlic and ginger paste, chillies, paprika, tandoori masala and coriander (cilantro) until smooth.
- Rub this marinade all over the chicken and inside the cavity. Allow to marinate for 24 to 48 hours or go straight to cooking if time isn't on your side.
- Set your slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours or low for up to 8 hours.
- When cooked through, you will find a lot of juices at the bottom of the cooking pot. You can use this in a stock or use it for basting the chicken. The chicken is ready to use when cooked through but you might like to char the skin under a hot grill, broiler.
- To do this, heat your grill (broiler) to its highest setting. Baste it with melted butter or ghee (optional) and place the chicken in a pan under it for about 10 minutes or until nicely charred. You can char the bottom too if you like.
- Serve with your raita or hot sauce of choice and salad vegetables.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
3Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 310Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 1100mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 3gSugar: 15gProtein: 10g