Chicken Tikka Masala is an Indian-restaurant favorite rich-creamy tomato-based chicken curry. Made with tender cooked chicken marinated in yogurt, red chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala, this EASY recipe is cooked in just 30 minutes using the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "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.
This Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is made with a few basic Indian spices and is so easy and flavorful, you might just skip takeout for good! It cooks in under 30 minutes, and the best part—only one pot to clean. If you love tender, juicy chicken in a creamy, spiced sauce, you have to give this recipe a try. And if you’re craving the same bold flavors with a more traditional touch, don’t miss my Stovetop Chicken Tikka Masala.
Love Instant Pot Cooking? Try my Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, Salmon Tikka Masala with Canned Tomatoes, and other Easy Instant Pot recipes.
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Ingredients
Note: A recipe card with exact ingredient measurements and instructions is available at the end of this post. The ingredient photo and details included here are just to give you a clear visual reference of what you’ll need for the recipe, ensuring you know exactly what to gather before you start.
- Chicken Breasts - Boneless skinless chicken breasts are traditionally used. You can also use chicken thighs instead with the same pressure cooking time as that for the chicken breasts.
- Ground Spices - Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and salt for marinating the chicken as well as in the sauce. These basic Indian spices add the perfect amount of heat, flavor, and a beautiful red hue to the dish.
- Ginger and Garlic - fresh ginger and garlic are used for both the chicken marinade and the sauce.
- Lemon Juice - adds brightness and helps with marination.
- Yogurt - unsweetened plain yogurt is traditionally used to marinate. You can also use plain Greek yogurt.
- Onion - I use yellow onions for most Indian curries as they lend a mildly sweet flavor when cooked, you can also use red onions instead.
- Tomatoes - Ripe plum tomatoes are perfect to make the gravy or you can substitute them with good quality boxed chopped/diced/pureed tomatoes. Store-bought diced or pureed tomatoes will add more vibrant color to the curry.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Marinate the Chicken
- Using paper towels, dry any excess moisture on the chicken. Make 2 to 3 slits in the chicken breasts and apply salt and lemon juice (photo 1)
- Mix yogurt, red chili powder, garam masala, ginger, and garlic. Apply evenly to the chicken breasts and allow them to marinate for at least 20 minutes or refrigerate overnight if marinating ahead of time. Marinating chicken for 4-5 hours or overnight is recommended (photo 2)
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and melt butter or oil (photo 3)
- Add onions and saute for 2 minutes (photo 4)
- Next, add ginger, and garlic and mix well, followed by tomatoes, turmeric, salt red chili powder, and garam masala (photo 5)
- Mix well, and then press Cancel. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Deglaze the pot if needed (photo 6)
- Place the tall trivet in the main pot and the marinated chicken over the trivet (photo 7)
- Baste the chicken with oil. Close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure cook for 8 minutes followed by 10 minutes of natural pressure release (photo 8)
- Open the Instant Pot and take the chicken and the trivet out. Optional step - broil the cooked chicken in a preheated oven for 5 minutes to get some char marks. Cut the chicken into 2-inch chunks (photo 9)
- Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth and bring the sauce to a boil on saute mode. Stir in cream and fenugreek leaves (photo 10)
- Add the chicken to the sauce (photo 11)
- 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 (photo 12)
Serving
Serve with roti, Parathas, or Naan. For a gluten-free Indian meal, serve it with Cumin Rice, Steamed Basmati rice, or Brown rice. Pair it with cooling Beet Raita or cucumber raita for a complete meal. And don't forget the super-easy Mango Lassi drink to make it a 5-star meal!
How to Store
Chicken Tikka Masala is a perfect dish to make ahead as the flavors continue to develop. Any leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days or frozen for 2 months. I would also recommend making a double batch of the sauce and freezing half of it for later.
Tips for Best Chicken Tikka Masala
- Use plain, full-fat, or Greek yogurt to marinate the chicken
- Pat dry the chicken to avoid extra liquids in the marinade
- Marinate for 4 hours or overnight
- Discard any leftover marinade or brush it on the chicken for a spicier curry
- Can substitute 1.5 cups of pureed or diced tomatoes for fresh tomatoes
- Homemade garam masala brings out authentic flavors
- Can substitute any mild red chili powder for Kashmiri red chili powder
Why Make Chicken Tikka Masala In Instant Pot
✔️ Cooked in under 30 minutes
✔️ Juicy tender cooked chicken every single time
✔️ No more multiple steps or pots and pans
✔️ Cook the sauce and the chicken at the same time using the pot-in-pot method! HUGE TIME SAVER!!
✔️ Puree the sauce directly in the main pot using an immersion blender. No need to transfer the hot curry into a blender
✔️ Miss the smoky char-grilled marks? Go ahead and broil the cooked chicken in the oven for a few minutes
More Indian Chicken Curry Recipes You'll Love
- Butter Chicken
- Chicken Korma
- Mom's Chicken Curry
- Kheema Curry
- Mughlai Chicken Korma
- 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.
★ Tried this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and let me know, or snap a quick pic and upload it—I love seeing your creations. If you’re on Instagram, tag @ministry_of_curry so I can check it out. Your feedback means so much to me and makes all the time I spend perfecting each recipe totally worth it. Thank you!
Recipe
Seriously Good Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
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 heavy whipping cream
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) kasoori methi
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
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.
- Stir in cream and fenugreek leaves.
- Broil the cooked chicken in a preheated oven for 5 minutes to get some char marks (Optional). Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces and add them to the sauce.
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and bring the curry 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. You can also use dairy-free yogurt if you like
- Pat dry the chicken to avoid extra liquids in the marinade
- Discard any leftover marinade or brush it on the chicken for a 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
- Dair free cream can be used in place of heavy whipping cream
Nutrition
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Maneesha says
Great recipe, Archana! Loved it! Thanks so much for all your amazing recipes!
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback!
Anokhee says
Hi Archana,
Thank you so much for the recipe. Flavors were amazing but chicken was too dry. I followed the exact recipe. It's not your recipe but every time I make chicken in Instant Pot, It gets very dry and not tendered. I am not sure what I am doing wrong? Do I need to put in for 8 minutes for High pressure or low pressure? Thank you so much!
Archana says
Hi Anokhee, Thank you for the review. You def want to check the chicken on high pressure for 8 minutes. Make sure to do at least 10 minutes of natural pressure release or even a full NPR. Many organic chicken breasts get dry after cooking. Try switching brands. I like Bell and Evans chicken breasts.
Alan says
I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing. Thanks for the great recipe!
Steve says
Great cook.Thanks.
Hamza says
Tried it tonight, an absolute delight of a dish, full of flavour.
Thanks for the recipe!
Ami says
Hi! Question - I am a vegetarian so don’t know much. I luckily live in an area that has cut boneless chicken for me. I used that for the butter chicken and it came out great. For chicken tikka - it requires cutting the chicken. Can I make the sauce first in the IP at 4 min, QR, immersion blend, then add pre-cut marinated chicken then cook for 8 min with 10 min NR? In my head I think that will work, but wanted to get some thoughts.
Archana Mundhe says
Hi Ami! Instead of placing the whole chicken breasts directly in the Instant Pot, add the marinated chicken pieces to a stainless steel pot and place it over the sauce on a tall trivet. Follow the rest of the recipe as is. After pressure cooking, open the pot and stir the chicken into the sauce. Hope that helps!
Natasha says
Delish! My very good cook mom loved IT!
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you Natasha! Mom's approval means a lot!!
Susan Thomas says
This was beyond amazing. The chicken turned out perfectly tender. No rubbery chicken! It was magic. This is absolutely my new "go-to" masala recipe. I did it exactly as called for and it was "chef's kiss"!!
Archana Mundhe says
This makes me so happy! Perfectly tender chicken is the goal, and I’m thrilled it turned out just right for you. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Nicole says
easy to made! addict it! almost make it every week.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you for your feedback!