Chicken Tikka Masala – Instant Pot

Chicken Tikka Masala, a restaurant favorite, is a rich-creamy tomato-based curry with chicken marinated in yogurt, red chili powder, turmeric and garam masala.

What is Chicken Tikka Masala?

• Chicken Tikka Masala is a restaurant-favorite Indian Curry with chunks of marinated chicken in a rich-creamy tomato-based sauce. Traditionally, the marinated chicken is grilled in a tandoor oven before adding it to the creamy curry. Many places like Northern India, Scotland and United Kingdom claim to be the birthplace of this curry. It has also been declared Britain’s National Dish and popularly known as Tiki or Tikki Masala in the US!

Why do I like to cook Chicken Tikka Masala in the Instant Pot?

• I have been making Chicken Tikka Masala with the traditional method for years. Unfortunately, I must agree that not only did it use multiple pot and pans, but it also required a lot of babysitting. Even then, many times I ended up with dry, overcooked chicken.
• Instant Pot cooks tender, juicy chicken consistently each time.
• I love that I can cook the chicken on the trivet and not in the sauce directly. This still maintains the traditional texture and consistency of this dish.
• The sauce using onions, tomatoes and spices is cooked in the main pot which is pureed to a creamy consistency using an immersion blender. No need to transfer the hot curry into a blender.
• To get the smoky char-grilled flavor, simply broil the cooked chicken for a few minutes!

Note: If you don’t own an Instant Pot I’ve got you covered. Here’s my easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala.

PRO tips for no-fail Chicken Tikka Masala in the Instant Pot:

• Use plain, full-fat, or greek yogurt for the marinade
• Pat dry the chicken to avoid extra liquids in the marinade
• Marinate for 4 hours or overnight
• Discard any leftover marinade or brush on the chicken for spicier curry
• Can substitute 1.5 cups of pureed or diced tomatoes for fresh tomatoes
• Homemade garam masala brings out the authentic flavors
• Can substitute any mild red chili powder for Kashmiri red chili powder

Step by step recipe to make Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala:

• Make 2 to 3 slits in the chicken breasts. Apply salt and lemon juice to the chicken breasts. Mix yogurt, red chili powder, garam masala, ginger and garlic. Apply evenly to the chicken breasts and allow it to marinate for 20 minutes or refrigerate if marinating ahead of time. Marinating chicken for 4-5 hours or overnight works well (photos 1 – 4).

• Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode and melt butter or oil. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Next, add ginger, garlic and mix well, followed by tomatoes, turmeric, salt red chili powder and garam masala. Mix well, and then press Cancel. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Deglaze the pot if needed (photos 5 – 8).

• Place the tall trivet in the main pot and the marinated chicken over the trivet. Baste the chicken with oil. Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook for 8 minutes followed by 10 minutes natural pressure release (photos 9 – 10).

• Open the Instant Pot. After that, take the chicken and the trivet out.  Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth and bring the sauce to boil on saute mode (photos 11 – 14).

• Stir in cream, fenugreek leaves and sugar. Note the optional step is to broil the cooked chicken for 5 minutes to get some char marks. Cut the chicken into 2 inch chunks and add it to the sauce. Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. The sauce will thicken further as it cools down. Garnish with cilantro (photos 15 – 16).

• Enjoy with steamed basmati rice, brown rice or warm naan
• Tip – I LOVE the naan from Trader Joe’s – both frozen and not frozen ones. Also the fresh naan at Whole Foods is delicious

Here is a quick video for the Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe:

Enjoy Indian curries? Here are some of my popular Instant Pot curry recipes:

• Healthy “Butter” Chicken 
• Prawn Masala
• Weeknight Staple Chicken Korma Curry 
• Mom’s Authentic Chicken Curry
• Indian Fish Curry
• Quick and Easy Kheema Curry
• Royal Mughlai Chicken Korma
• Spicy Homestyle Chicken Karahi

Looking for vegetarian options or trying to include more plant-based meals in your diet? Then check out my easy vegetarian recipes for dinner.

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4.66 from 58 votes

Chicken Tikka Masala - Instant Pot

A restaurant favorite, creamy tomato based curry with chicken marinated in yogurt, red chili powder, turmeric and garam masala.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

20 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Tikka Masala

Servings: 5

Calories: 425kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Ingredients

Marinate:

• 1.5 pound Chicken breasts
• 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons ginger grated
• 2 teaspoons garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon oil for basting

Sauce/Curry:

• 2 tablespoons butter or oil
• 2 medium yellow onions diced
• 1 teaspoon ginger grated
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• 3 plum tomatoes chopped or 1.5 cups diced or pureed tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 0.5 cup cream
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
• 2 teaspoons sugar optional
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped for garnish

Instructions

• Make 2 to 3 slits in the chicken breasts. Apply salt and lemon juice to the chicken breasts. Mix yogurt, red chili powder, garam masala, ginger and garlic. Apply evenly to the chicken breasts and allow to marinate for 20 minutes or refrigerate if marinating ahead of time. Marinating chicken for 4-5 hours or overnight works well.
• Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode and heat butter or oil. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and mix well. Add tomatoes, turmeric, salt red chili powder and garam masala. Mix well. Press Cancel. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Deglaze the pot if needed.
• Place the tall trivet in the main pot. Place the marinated chicken over the trivet. Baste the chicken with oil. Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook for 8 minutes followed by 10 minute natural pressure release.
• Open the Instant Pot. Take the chicken and the trivet out. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth and bring the sauce to boil on saute mode.
• Stir in cream, fenugreek leaves and sugar. Note the optional step is to broil the cooked chicken for 5 minutes to get some char marks. Cut the chicken into 2 inch pieces and add it to the sauce. Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. The sauce will thicken further as it cools down. Garnish with cilantro.
• Enjoy with steamed basmati rice and warm naan. Tip - I LOVE the naan from trader joe's - both frozen and not frozen ones. Also the fresh naan at whole foods are delicous!

Video

Notes

Notes:

1. Use plain full fat or greek yogurt for the marinade
2. Pat dry the chicken to avoid extra liquids in the marinade
3. Discard any leftover marinade or brush it on the chicken for spicier curry
4. 1 cup of pureed tomatoes can be substituted for fresh tomatoes
5. Homemade garam masala brings out the best flavors
6. Any mild red chili powder can be substituted for Kashmiri red chili powder

Nutrition

Calories: 425kcal

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Note: The original recipe posted in Apr 2018 has been updated with detailed step by step photos. 

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