Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorite foods, but it usually takes so long to make. Not anymore! Using your Instant Pot to make this recipe cuts down your time drastically!
I would never want to trick you into wanting to try a recipe. Never ever. Not even the most creamy, luscious, medium-spicy, must-have-it chicken tikka masala.
Are you convinced? Let me help you just a little bit more.
How do you make Chicken Tikka Masala?
The BEST part about this recipe is that you may already have these ingredients in your kitchen. If not, they are so easy to find in any grocery store, you won’t need to go searching high and low to find them!
There is one ingredient in this recipe that you usually don’t have sitting around. (If you do, that’s awesome.) It is garam masala.
Garam masala is a spice blend widely used in Indian cuisine, from curries and lentil dishes to soups. Whole spices of cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamon pods are toasted in a pan to release their aromatic flavors, then ground to a powder.
You can find it on the spice aisle at the grocery store. It greatly enhances the flavor of your food.
Using chicken thighs or breasts in Chicken Tikka Masala:
We are still coating and marinating our chicken with an aromatic spiced Tikka yogurt, using chicken breasts instead of thighs for a delicious outcome. I would suggest marinating even longer than an hour if you have the time.
If you use thighs, you can cut down your marinading time by 1/2 because it will soak in all the flavors faster. But the texture will be a little different. The choice is up to you!
Why these spices in chicken Tikka Masala?
The combination of spices going into this creamy, tomato based sauce is so perfect it makes your Tikka Masala explode with flavor.
- Garam Masala
- Ginger
- Paprika
- Turmeric
- Cayenne
What to serve with Chicken Tikka Masala:
The BEST side is fresh white rice and Naan bread.
Here is our recipe for Homemade Naan Bread <—- CLICK HERE
If you don’t want to make your own naan bread, You can find it in almost all your local grocery stores. My favorite place to purchase it is Costco, so I can buy it in bulk and freeze some for another day.
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Here are some easy and delicious Instant Pot recipes:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot 7 Can Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Chile Verde
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 ounces plain Greek Yogurt fat free
- 1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
Sauce
- 15 ounces tomato sauce or puree
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 4 teaspoons garam masala
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream add last
Serve with:
- 2 cups white rice cookied
- 2 naan bread
- 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken first by combining the yogurt, Garam Masala, lemon juice, pepper, and ginger in a Ziploc gallon size freezer bag. Add chicken chunks and coat with the marinade. Zip it up and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Select the SAUTE mode on the Instant Pot. When it is hot, add the marinaded chicken to the pot. Saute until the chicken is cooked on all sides, stirring occasionally. Turn off the SAUTE mode.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients except the cream to the pressure cooker and stir. Secure and seal the lid. Select MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to cook for 10 minutes. Turn the knob to VENTING when done to release the pressure.
- Push SAUTE on the Instant Pot. When it gets hot, add cream to the pot, stirring with the other ingredients. Simmer until the sauce is thickened to your liking, a few minutes.
- Serve with white rice or naan. Garnish with cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Recipe Details
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I see you are not adding any water to your tikka masala dish. I thought water is always required in the Instant Pot? Do you ever have issues with it coming to pressure with no water added??
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Can’t wait to try this recipe. I could find the suggested servings on the recipe. How many people does this serve?
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Can I double this recipe in the 6 quart instant pot?
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I have even tripled it, no problem! Enjoy!
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How can I adjust this for this still living under a rock and don’t have an instant pot yet?
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Is there an alternative to using heavy whipping cream?
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Do you add the remaining marinade in the instant pot with the other sauce
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I am wondering the same thing??
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I would also like to know!
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I got BURN as well.
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Really loved this dish. Flavors were awesome and we liked that it had a little heat. I didn’t bother sautéing chicken since I was short on time. I used full fat coconut milk (in can) to make it dairy free and it turned out great!
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I made this for dinner tonight and served it with rice, roasted potatoes and naan. Oh my goodness! It was incredible. My husband said he felt like he was eating at a restaurant. Thank you!
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I had one problem or this dish would have been perfect. After pressure cooking the chicken, I vented the Instant Pot. Usually the steam lasts for about 60 to 90 seconds, but this time it just kept steaming and steaming for more than 10 minutes. Finally I just unplugged the pot and opened it. The chicken was burnt on the bottom but I was able to use the chicken on the top. It was overcooked but still edible. What did I do wrong? Because I definitely want to make this recipe again. Thanks so much!
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I've had a few instances that sound similar to what you're describing. It's usually when I have a lot of small particulate matter spices like ground pepper or all spice in the InstantPot and performing a fast pressure release. When the pressure starts to fall on hot liquids near their boiling point, you tend to get a nasty, fast boiling effect and these particles tend to go flying up, gunking up, or restricting the vent for the pressure release and make it take much longer than usual. When performing a manual or quick release, plan for whatever is in the pot to try and exit through the small holes of the pressure release mechanism at first, which means you could very well end up with a clogged outlet, extending venting times. My method is to release pressure in a slower, controlled fashion, but that only seems possible on the newer design of InstantPot. Not having experience with the previous models, I would perhaps wait about 5-10 minutes before quick release if you can't otherwise temper the pressure.
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I never get food burn, but I did with this recipe. I hope that it's not ruined and tastes okay.
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My husband and I tried this for dinner and WOW, what a fabulous flavor! I've tried other tikka masala recipes, and this one turned out to be what I didn't know I was looking for.
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This was really good! Never had it, just looking for a different chicken recipe. Cooked as written, used the marinade too (wasn't sure if I should). No burn warnings. Served with jasmine rice and Naan bread (& cilantro garnish).
