Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala Pasta. Have you been SO excited over a recipe that you just squeee with excitement?
** cue crickets chirping**
Just me? Naw, can’t be. There’s some inner recipes squeee-er’s (I just made up a word!!) out there, I guarantee it. You’re too bashful to squee, that’s all.
I’m also very excited (cue the squees) to announce that I’ve been chosen to be a Patak’s Ambassador for the next year! Oh, was I ever excited to find out that Patak’s was looking for bloggers to use their products and delve into Indian cookery. As we all know, I am an avid fan of Indian food, but as I have confessed many times I am very overwhelmed by the amount of spices (never mind chasing down those spices as well) time and effort that is required for so many of the recipes. That IS what makes the recipes so amazing, but it’s not something that I’ve made a priority.
So now I am getting the opportunity to share recipes with you once a month for the next year that are easy, family friendly AND Indian cuisine.
My first post is not only a recipe, but inviting everyone to explore the Hindu holiday of Diwali! Diwali is a five-day Hindu festival also known as the Festival of Lights and has many traditional activities. Clay lamps are lit to signify the triumph of good over evil, firecrackers are set off to drive away evil and most importantly, it’s about spending time with family.
This year, Diwali lands on November 3rd and if you haven’t, I encourage you to look at your local restaurants and see if they have a Diwali special/event happening. What a great time to discover a local Indian cuisine restaurant!
For busy moms, spending time with family means getting out of the kitchen speedily, or barely having to step foot in it at all. That’s why for my first recipe I knew that I wanted something easy, fast yet incredibly delicious.
I also have no idea where this crazy inspiration came from. None. I just looked in my pantry and POP the idea was in my head. The Diwali muses must have helped me out!
This recipe is a whopping four ingredients. Patak’s Tikka Masala sauce, chicken breast, milk and elbow macaroni.
FOUR ingredients, folks.
Take a look at this pasta for a second, really just drink in the sight of it.
As much as I loathe close-ups of food, this pasta deserved it.
Creamy, tikka masala pasta with gorgeous chunks of chicken breast.
Dreamy.
The other reason I am in love with this recipe is that…. *drumroll please*
My whole family ate it.
Oh. My. Word.
Mr K the chicken hater ate it. My picky-about-spice daughter ate it. Mike and I loved it even better the next day re-heated.
Winner, winner, chicken tikka masala dinner!
Now, a couple very important things.
1) Don’t over cook the pasta. You are simply starting the process by boiling it three minutes to kickstart it. You will have a glompy mess of pasta if you don’t listen to me.
2) Stirring it helps keep the top from getting dried out.
3) IF you think it’s too dry, add a wee bit more milk. This will depend on the pasta type that you use, 400ml was perfect for me, but do not be afraid to use a little milk after you can see how the noodles are doing.
I really hope that you give this one a whirl, folks! It’s was amazing for dinner, even better for school lunches the next day and SO easy!
Oh, and let me know if you are celebrating Diwali! Happy Diwali to all my readers!
Love,
The Seriously Excited About This Recipe Magpie
Chicken Tikka Masala Crockpot Pasta
Ingredients
- 400 millilitres jar Patak’s Tikka Masala sauce
- 1400 millilitres milk
- 3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 12 ounces (2 large) chicken breasts cooked and diced
Instructions
- Cook pasta in boiling water for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and drain pasta.
- Combine sauce and milk in the crockpot, mixing thoroughly.
- Add in the macaroni and the chicken breast, combining.
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring every once in a while, until the pasta is cooked fully and the sauce is absorbed.
- Now, a couple very important things. Don’t over cook the pasta. You are simply starting the process by boiling it three minutes to kickstart it. You will have a glompy mess of pasta if you don’t listen to me. Stirring it helps keep the top from getting dried out. IF you think it’s too dry, add a wee bit more milk. This will depend on the pasta type that you use; 400ml was perfect for me, but do not be afraid to use a little milk after you can see how the noodles are doing.
AngelaMount says
I can’t believe that this tasted good (no offence). It shouldn’t work but it does! The whole family loved it, thanks!
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com
" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/24809656/" ns="true">AngelaMount Haha none taken! I was little sceptical myself, but figured what the heck, I won’t post it if it doesn’t work. Then it worked and my whole family chowed down on it. Love when that happens.
Ganesh Patel says
Sorry I’m a little confused. Do you add 1400ml or 400ml milk? You have 1400 listed in ingredients but 400 listed down below.
nicolthepickle says
This looks so good. I’m looking for food like this to feed my family. I’m a very Canadian-boring style cook so I need to try harder. This looks like a good start.
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com
" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/16761577/" ns="true">nicolthepickle1 It’s VERY easy! Just watch the liquid and add more milk if the noodles need more cooking. Pasta varies SO much! Have fun and let me know how it turns out!
suzielarose says
Well, I’m intrigued… have to try it soon!
thekitchenmagpie says
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" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/24087512/" ns="true">suzielarose I hope you love it as much as we did!!
Karen The Food Charlatan says
Oooooooooooooh my gosh this looks so gooooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Carbs! Tikka Masala! Chicken! It’s like a dream come true. SO trying this. (Oh, and I used to go to a local Hindu temple back in college for the Festival of Lights and Festival of colors…so fun.)
thekitchenmagpie says
@Karen The Food Charlatan Oh, I bet it was so much fun! What a beautiful festival it is. Let me know what you think of the pasta!