A former MasterChef runner-up has shared a simple swap that promises to deliver a restaurant-worthy chicken curry at home without the fuss. Dean Edwards, who finished as runner-up on MasterChef in 2006, recommends ditching the pan for a slow cooker to create a takeaway-style dish with minimal effort.
Why the slow cooker works
Edwards explained that his slow cooker version of chicken tikka masala is so effective it could be the only recipe needed. In a video, he said: “There are thousands of chicken tikka masala recipes on the internet. However, my slow cooker version is so banging, it’s gonna be the only one you’ll ever need.”
The method involves placing all ingredients into the slow cooker pot and letting the gentle heat do the work. Edwards described it as one of his “super simple dumpy recipes”, where everything can be “dumped” in one place, eliminating the need to cook in a pan or slave over the hob.
The recipe details
The recipe, which serves four, requires 600g of boneless and skinless chicken thighs, one finely diced onion, 50g of ground almonds, a tablespoon of garam masala, a teaspoon of turmeric, a heaped teaspoon of Tandoori masala, a teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves, half a teaspoon of mild Kashmiri chilli powder, a heaped teaspoon each of minced fresh garlic and ginger, 30g of coconut cream block, 30ml of butter or ghee, 30g of sugar, a quarter teaspoon of red food colouring, a 170ml tin of evaporated milk, and two tablespoons of tomato puree mixed with 300ml of boiling water.
To prepare, all ingredients are decanted into the slow cooker pot and mixed well. The lid is then placed on, and the curry cooks on the high setting for three hours or the low setting for six hours. Once cooked, it can be served alongside rice and naan bread.
Reaction and popularity
Edwards said: “Trust me when I say this tastes exactly, if not better, than the one you get from your local British Indian restaurant. And you can make it at home for a fraction of the price.”
His video has been viewed over 27,100 times, receiving 871 likes and 16 comments. Viewers responded positively, with one commenting: “That’s our Saturday round the table meal sorted!! Cheers our Dean.” Another shared: “Ooo I’m going to try this tonight. Thanks for sharing.”
