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.
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 the 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!
Instant Pot
So why do I like to cook Chicken Tikka Masala in the Instant Pot? Here are just a few reasons:
- I have been making Chicken Tikka Masala with the traditional method for years. And everyone who has will agree that it involves multiple steps and uses multiple pots and pans. The bigger problem to me, many times I ended up with dry, overcooked chicken. With Instant Pot, the chicken is tenderly cooked every single time.
- With Instant Pot, I can cook the sauce and the chicken at the same time! HUGE TIME SAVER!! I like to cook the chicken on a tall trivet and not in the sauce directly to maintain the traditional texture and consistency of this dish.
- The sauce cooked in the main pot is then pureed to a creamy consistency using an immersion blender in the pot itself! No need to transfer the hot curry into a blender.
- Lastly, if you miss that smoky char-grilled flavor, simply broil the cooked chicken in the oven or using an air-fryer lid.
Note: If you don’t own an Instant Pot I’ve got you covered. Here’s my easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala.
Tips
Here are my 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
Steps
Here is my easy Step by step recipe:
Step 1: 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).
Step 2: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté 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).
Step 3: 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 the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook for 8 minutes followed by 10 minutes natural pressure release (photos 9 – 10).
Step 4: 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).
Step 5: 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).
Serving
Serve with warm naan or homemade Parathas. For a gluten-free Indian meal, serve it with Cumin Rice, Steamed Basmati rice, Brown rice. Pair it with cooling Beet Raita to make a complete meal. And don’t forget the super-easy Mango Lassi drink to make it a 5-star meal!
Tip – I LOVE the naan from Trader Joe’s – both frozen and not frozen ones. Also, the fresh naan at Whole Foods are delicious
Video
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.
Recipe
Chicken Tikka Masala – Instant Pot
Ingredients
Marinate:
- 1½ pounds chicken breasts
- 1½ teaspoons 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
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup cream
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- 2 teaspoons sugar optional
- ½ 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 the 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 them 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.
Video
Notes
- Use plain full fat or greek yogurt for the marinade
- Pat dry the chicken to avoid extra liquids in the marinade
- Discard any leftover marinade or brush it on the chicken for spicier curry
- 1 cup of pureed tomatoes can be substituted for fresh tomatoes
- Homemade garam masala brings out the best flavors
- Any mild red chili powder can be substituted for Kashmiri red chili powder
Nutrition
Note: The original recipe posted in Apr 2018 has been updated with detailed step by step photos.
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Tamara says
Is it ok to use a short trivet or will that cause the chicken to be too soft?
Archana says
yes! except it will get a bit messy in the sauce.
Sana says
Loved this easy recipe. I used cashew cream instead of heavy cream and it was still great.
Betsy Meyer says
My Tika Masala turned out beautifully. Your recipes are so easy to follow. I’ve not had a single fail! How long can the leftovers for this or any of the other tomato based recipes be safely stored in the refrigerator?
Archana says
Thank you! You can safely refrigerate most curries for 5 days
YY says
This is my family’s favorite chicken tikka masala recipe – thank you! What is the red cabbage/yogurt dish you have pictured with it. Do you have a recipe for this?
Archana says
Its Beet raita – https://ministryofcurry.com/roasted-beetroot-and-cucumber-salad/
Nicola Scott says
I am picky about indian curries (I mean, I love all Indian food, but sometimes recipes are the letdown) and this one was amazing! My husband and I were so impressed. We have both spent long periods in India and this curry just took us back! ☺️
Rekha says
Two questions:
1) Have you tried this with chicken thighs and if so, is the cook time the same?
2) Can the chicken pieces be laid directly on top of the vegetables or is the trivet necessary? Thanks!
Archana says
Yes you can use Thighs. Same cook time and you can place the chicken over the veggies.
Ankita says
I followed this recipe exactly and got a burn notice…any suggestions?
Archana says
Add extra 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the pot! The newer instant pots are a lot more sensitive
Ankita says
Ah, yes, I have the new Instant Pot Duo and have heard it’s more sensitive. I will definitely extra water next time! I ended up transferring to a pot on the stove. The chicken tikka turned out phenomenal and the flavor was amazing. Thanks for another great recipe and clear directions!
cindy says
if i double the recipe do i have to add 1/2 cup of water instead of 1/4 cup? i’m afraid to get the burn notice. please advise. thanks
Archana says
Yes please add 1/2 cup of water
Kecia Dunlap says
Archana,
I followed your recipe exactly and had excellent results. Your directions and your serving calculator to adjust for number of people you are feeding is so helpful. You are such an amazing lady. I love that you are so generous and share tips and your Mother’s Garam Masala recipe. Truly a wealth of sharing! In my humble opinion you are the “Julia Child” for Indian Cuisine. You are helping teach Americans how to make your wonderful and delicious Indian Food with amazing results and to do it with ease. Thank you so much! Keep on with your wonderful Ministry of Curry! I made your Chicken Tikka Masala and had 20 guests who thought you were there cooking in my kitchen for me. It made me feel so good to be able to cook your recipe and have it come out THAT good! Thank you!
K.D.
Archana says
OMG! Happy tears!! Thank you! Thank you!! I am blessed to have readers and followers like you.
Sima Mehta says
Hi Archana, my son likes the dry chicken breast without sauce, I was going to follow your recipe exactly but put an extra marinated chicken breast in the instapot. Would this be fine? Should I adjust the marinade at all? Should adjust cooking times?
Archana says
You can just cut up the cooked chicken on top for him. You can add more marinade and chicken if you like
Archana says
Same cook time will work
Madeline Price says
I was in the middle of making it but did not get cream because it is not included in the ingredients list 🙁 we were so excited about their recipe, so I would like to get cream and make it tomorrow. Can the chicken be marinated overnight?
Archana says
Hi Madeline, cream is in the sauce ingredients list and yes chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours.
Jamie says
I loved this recipe! It was so easy to make and the chicken was so tender and juicy. I omitted the cream (trying to reduce fat content for me 🙂 ) and added red pepper flakes for an extra kick. Will definitely be a repeat!
Vandy says
Hi,
Your recipe looks amazing! Can I make the chicken tikka masala on a stove top instant of the slow cooker?
Thanks.
Archana says
yes! You can make the sauce on the stovetop. Bake or grill the marinated chicken