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Home / Recipes
30 minutes
4.44 from 641 votes
201 Comments

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

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  • 3616
by: Joanna Cismaru
07.27.20

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This Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is one hundred percent made from scratch. Super flavorful with tender chicken and delicious curry – this recipe is always a family favorite! 

a hand holding a piece of roti with chicken tikka masala

The Instant Pot prevails again with this incredible chicken tikka masala. Who knew that it could be this easy to make chicken tikka masala right in your home and in your beloved Instant Pot? I did, because once again I’m showing you another popular favorite and how easy it is to make.

I love this recipe because it is just so quick to make. It’s my go to after a long day when I don’t want to work too hard over the stove but still want something tasty.

What Is Chicken Tikka Masala?

This Indian restaurant favorite is so simple, just cut up chicken cooked in a spiced curry. The curry is super simple to make with just a handful of ingredients. The question you must be burning to ask me is whether or not you could truly have restaurant quality chicken tikka masala made at home? Of course you can.

Don’t let Indian food scare you from trying to make it yourself. It really is not difficult to make at all. You just need a few good spices that are commonly used in Indian cuisine, and your Instant Pot.

process shots for preparing chicken marinade for Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Chicken Tikka
  • Chicken – Boneless skinless breast and/ or thighs.
  • Yogurt – I used Greek but any kind of plain yogurt will work. Just be sure it’s plain.
  • Lemon juice – We need some brightness and acidity in this dish, so be sure to use fresh.
  • Garam masala – The key spice blend for this recipe, sold in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
  • Aromatics – Fresh ginger and garlic.
  • Salt – Don’t forget the salt! We want this dish to have lots of flavor.
Curry sauce
  • Oil – Use a light flavorless oil like Canola.
  • Aromatics – Onion, garlic, and ginger.
  • Spices – Garam masala, turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, and chili powder.
  • Diced tomatoes – I like the extra flavor that fire roasted canned tomatoes gives to this dish, but regular diced will also work.
  • Tomato sauce – Or passata. You can also blend diced or whole tomatoes until smooth.
  • Cream – I used half and half but feel free to use whichever cream you like for a richer or lighter dish.
  • Butter – Unsalted as we want to control our sodium content.
  • Salt – Don’t forget to season each layer of this dish!
process shots for adding onion and spices to instant pot for making Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

How to make chicken Tikka Masala in the Instant Pot

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  • Prepare the chicken tikka: Combine all the chicken tikka ingredients together in a large bowl and mix thoroughly so that each piece of chicken is fully coated in the yogurt mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 48 hours.
  • Saute the saute-ables: Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. Add the vegetable oil, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens.
  • Combine the curry sauce: Add the fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce and stir. Add the chicken to the Instant Pot, including all the yogurt marinade and stir. Close the lid. Set the Instant Pot to the Poultry setting and set the timer to 5 minutes.
  • Finish the chicken tikka masala: Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete, should take about 10 minutes. Add the half and half, salt, and butter and give it a good stir. Serve hot over rice, warm naan, or roti.
process shots for making instant pot Chicken Tikka Masala

No Instant Pot? No problem!

That is probably the most popular question I get on any Instant Pot recipe and the answer is simply YES, of course. The Instant Pot is simply our skillet or whatever pot you choose to use, and it just helps us in cooking the chicken faster and under high pressure. you can always replace the Instant Pot with whatever you have.

Stove top

You can make this right on the stove in a dutch oven or large skillet. Follow the instructions above and once the sauce is incorporated allow it to simmer for 20 minutes before incorporating the chicken and allow it to cook for a further 10 minutes.

Slow cooker

Throw the ingredients (save for the cream and lemon juice) in your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours. In the final 30 minutes add the remaining ingredients.

overhead shot of Chicken Tikka Masala in a white plate served along rice

Leftovers

You can store this chicken tikka masala recipe in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. It freezes well as well, for up to 3 months. Be sure to thaw it completely before reheating on the stove.

closeup of Chicken Tikka Masala in a white plate

Some tips

  • A true chicken tikka masala has the yogurt marinated chicken cooked in a wood or charcoal fired tandoor until the meat is thoroughly charred. Since we’re doing this in the Instant Pot we’re skipping that part, however you can still do that. To achieve that char flavor, you could use your grill and really grill the meat until it’s charred if not almost black, which should happen fairly quickly because of the yogurt marinade.
  • If garam masala isn’t available you can substitute it for one part cumin and 1/4 part allspice.
over head shot of Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala in a white plate with rice

More Pressure Cooker Recipes To Try:

  • Butter Chicken
  • Chicken Shawarma
  • Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Beef Stroganoff
  • Swedish Meatballs
  • Mongolian Beef
  • Zuppa Toscana
  • Cashew Chicken

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side view shot of a hand dipping a piece of naan bread into the bowl of chicken tikka masala

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

4.44 from 641 votes
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Marinade time: 1 hr
Total: 30 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 6
Print Pin Rate
This Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is one hundred percent made from scratch. Super flavorful with tender chicken and delicious curry – this recipe is always a family favorite! 

Equipment

  • Instant Pot – 6 Quart

Ingredients

Chicken Tikka

  • 2 pound chicken skinless and boneless, I used both chicken breast and thighs, cut into cubes
  • 1 ½ cups plain yogurt I used Greek
  • 3 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon ginger minced
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Curry Sauce

  • 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 large onion chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger minced
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 teaspoon coriander ground
  • 2 teaspoon cumin ground
  • 2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 14 ounce fire roasted tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups tomato sauce or passata
  • 1 ½ cups half and half
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 tablespoon butter unsalted
  • 3 tablespoon cilantro fresh, chopped for garnish
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Combine all the chicken tikka ingredients together in a large bowl and mix thoroughly so that each piece of chicken is fully coated in the yogurt mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 48 hours.
  • Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. (See your manufacturer’s guide for detailed instructions on how to use your instant pot.)
  • Add the vegetable oil, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens. 
  • Add the fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce and stir. Add the chicken to the Instant Pot, including all the yogurt marinade and stir. 
  • Close the lid (follow the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set the Instant Pot to the Poultry setting and set the timer to 5 minutes.
  • Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete, should take about 10 minutes. Follow the manufacturer’s guide for quick release, if in a rush. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.
  • Add the half and half, salt and butter and give it a good stir. The butter is added to smooth the sauce.
  • Garnish with cilantro and serve warm over cooked rice with naan or roti.

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. What is an Instant Pot: An Instant Pot is a multi-cooker, it’s like seven different appliances all in one! It does the job of a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, etc. I strongly recommend reading the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to use your Instant Pot before attempting this recipe. 
  2. Note: The Instant Pot will default to 30 minutes when set on Poultry, use the down arrow to change to 5 minutes.
  3. Half and half can be found near the milk and cream in the dairy section of your local grocery store. Half and half is a blend of equal parts whole milk and light cream. It averages 10 to 12% of fat.
  4. Chicken: I used both skinless boneless chicken thighs and breasts, so both can be used with the same cooking time.
  5. Storage: You can store this chicken tikka masala recipe in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. It freezes well as well, for up to 3 months. Be sure to thaw it completely before reheating on the stove.
  6. Nutrition: Nutritional information does not include rice or roti. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 467kcal (23%)Carbohydrates: 21g (7%)Protein: 36g (72%)Fat: 26g (40%)Saturated Fat: 15g (94%)Cholesterol: 184mg (61%)Sodium: 1512mg (66%)Potassium: 962mg (27%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 10g (11%)Vitamin A: 1350IU (27%)Vitamin C: 17.1mg (21%)Calcium: 214mg (21%)Iron: 3.5mg (19%)
Course:Main Course
Cuisine:American, Indian
Keyword:chicken tikka masala, indian food, instant pot, instant pot recipes
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
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Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Kunal says

    May 17, 2022 at 11:05 am

    I just made it, but noticed the tomato chunks were still in it and I did add Kasoori methi at the end to give it a more authentic feel

    Reply
  2. JoJo says

    April 25, 2022 at 4:01 pm

    5 stars
    This is my absolute favorite recipe of all time! It is a total hit with my whole family of picky eaters! I have made it over and over and even the little ones can help because it’s super easy. If you haven’t attempted this recipe yet, do it right now!

    Reply
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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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