Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe - Crispy Chicken Pieces coated in creamy, tomato-based gravy served over jeera rice or Saffron pulao or Plain Fried Rice along with some homemade garlic butter naan and creamy raita is cozy, comforting, and so flavorful.
Now, this is Chicken Tikka Masala in Instant Pot. If you want to make Authentic Chicken Tikka Masala (without Instant Pot) then check out this recipe.
Authentic Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
Traditionally, the word "Tikka" comes from cooking chicken over charcoal-fired tandoor or over wood. The chicken gets that smoky taste and then it is added to the gravy.
When we say, "Tikka" we mean cooking it in a tandoor or grilling it in the oven. Most of us don't have tandoor at home. But, we do have an oven or a grill pan where we can grill our chicken.
Since we are making Chicken tikka masala in an instant pot we are skipping that step. But, if you want you can take a skewer and add chicken pieces (coated in yogurt and spice paste) along with diced onions, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Grill it in your oven until it gets that charred marks or you can also grill them on your grill pan. You can See this Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers Recipe and learn how to do it.
Once you have grilled your chicken you can follow the rest of the recipe in your instant pot. But, if you want to save some time and do everything in one pot, then you can follow the recipe as is.
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala in an Instant Pot?
- Step 1: In a food processor, combine chopped Onions, minced Garlic, Yogurt, Cilantro leaves, Garam Masala Powder, Turmeric Powder, Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, Chili Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, and Pepper with some water. Make a smooth paste.
- Step 2: Marinate Chicken with 1/2 of the "Masala Paste" or the "Spice Paste" you just made and some Yogurt. Once the chicken is marinated, cover it with a plastic cover and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-hours. It is best if you keep it overnight. Keep aside the remaining Masala paste. It will be used later on.
- Step 3: Put your Instant Pot in Sauté mode. Melt 1 stick of butter in the inner liner of your Instant Pot. As the butter melts, add diced Onions, diced tomatoes, and diced Bell Pepper along with Chicken. Sauté this on high heat for 4-5 minutes stirring constantly so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. After 4-5 minutes, take it out on a plate and keep it aside.
- Step 4: In the same pot, add pureed tomatoes along with Fresh Cream. Saute this on medium heat stirring frequently for at least 2-3 minutes.
- Step 5: Add the remaining "Spice Paste" that you had saved in step 2. Sauté this on medium for another 1-minute.
- Step 6: Add Chicken along with Diced Onions, tomatoes, and Bell Pepper back into the pot. Stir well to combine. Pressure cook on high heat for 5-minutes. And then allow the pressure to release naturally. And, then Voila! your Chicken Tikka Masala in Instant Pot is ready.
Garnish with Chopped Cilantro and some more cream on top. Serve it with Naan bread and some rice.
Some Extra Tips
- Follow the recipe and do not increase the quantity of Garam Masala. Too much garam masala will make it taste awful.
- Do not cover your Instant Pot with a lid when you are sauteeing.
- Your Pressure Cooker will set the default time to 30-minutes. You need to reduce it to 5-minutes and then cook your chicken.
- Serve your Chicken Tikka masala with rice and naan bread for the best flavors.
Watch the Video and Learn Faster
Other Possible Variations
- You can replace Coriander Powder with Curry Powder. I cannot say that they taste the same. Coriander powder has a sharp taste whereas Curry powder has a milder taste.
- Instead of Heavy Cream, you can use Half and Half. You can find Half and Half near the milk and dairy section of your local grocery store. Half and Half are basically equal parts of milk and light cream.
- You can also use whole spices like Cinnamon sticks, Cardamom Pods, Cloves, and Star Anise. But, in case you want to add it to your recipe, I recommend you toss it in ghee (clarified butter) until it turns aromatic and then add it to the "Masala paste". The roasted whole spices will infuse their aroma into your "Masala paste" making it all the more flavorful.
Chicken Tikka Masala in Slow Cooker
To make Chicken Tikka Masala follow the following steps:
- Heat oil in a skillet
- Add the onion, garlic, and tomatoes
- Also, add the chicken
- Saute in high for 4-5 minutes
- Transfer this to the slow cooker
- Then add the Canned Tomatoes and the Heavy Cream
- Also, add the spices
- Pour in the Chicken Broth
- Toss to combine
- Cover cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 4 hours.
How to Store Leftovers
Chicken Tikka Masala stores well. And, that is great news. right? You can store Chicken Tikka Masala in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. But, make sure you store it in an air-tight container. You can also store this in a freezer for 3-months. But, make sure you thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Other Chicken Recipes you can make:
- Instant Pot Peach Chicken in Honey Balsamic Sauce
- Chicken Korma Recipe || Shahi Chicken Korma
- Chicken Madras
- Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry
- Authentic Indian Chicken Curry
- Authentic Butter Chicken - Murgh Makhani Restaurant Style
- Butter Chicken Pizza
- Authentic Butter Chicken Meatballs (in just 30-minutes)
- Indian Spiced Spinach Chicken | Spinach Chicken | Murg Saagwala
- Chicken Jalfrezi
If you are making this recipe, then please leave a rating below. Also, take a snap and share it on Instagram with #recipemagik. Tag me @recipemagik so that I can see how it turned out.
Instant Pot Chicken tikka Masala Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Chicken Tikka Masala
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 stick salted butter cut into small cubes
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1 small bell pepper diced
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 1 cup heavy cream can replace with 14-ounce can of regular coconut milk
- fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
- rice or naan bread to serve
To Make the Spice Paste (or Masala Paste)
- 2 medium onion finely chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- a small pile of cilantro steams
- 1 tablespoon each Turmeric Powder, Chili Powder, Coriander Powder, and Ground Cumin you can replace coriander powder with yellow curry powder
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
- salt as per taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a food processor combine the ingredients for "Spice Paste or Masala Paste". Pulse ingredients until smooth.
- Take out Chicken on a shallow plate. Add ½ of the "Spice Paste" that you just made and some Yogurt. Use your hands to coat each chicken piece in this spice mix. This process is called "marinating the chicken". Once each chicken piece is evenly coated, wash your hands and cover the dish with a plastic wrap. Refrigerate this for at least 2 hours. It is best if you chill it overnight.
- Put your Instant Pot on Sauté mode and melt 1 stick of butter in it. As soon as the butter melts, add diced onions, diced tomatoes, and diced bell pepper along with marinated chicken pieces. Sauté on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is partially cooked and the tomatoes are not mushy. Once done, take it out on a plate. Keep aside.
- In the same pot, pour Tomato Puree and Heavy Cream. Sauté for 2-3 minutes on medium heat stirring frequently.
- Stir in the remaining "Masala Paste or Spice Paste" you had saved in step 2.
- Now add chicken, diced tomato, onions, and bell pepper that you had kept aside in step 3 back into the pot. Stir lightly. Cover the lid and pressure cook on High for 5-minutes. Once done, allow pressure to release naturally.
- Finally serve this over rice and naan bread.
Tobe says
This instant pot chicken tikka masala was way better than my expectations!! I didn't had to change a thing. And love the way you write!! Thanks for sharing.