Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Why you’ll love this chicken tikka masala recipe

Your family will devour this Instant Pot chicken tikka masala any night of the week! Better yet, a few smart shortcuts allow you to make it in 35 minutes or less!

Traditional chicken tikka masala recipes involve a long prep and cooking process with an extended marinating time and a long, slow simmer on the stove. However, with an Instant Pot, you can enjoy tender pieces of chicken bathed in a deeply and authentically flavored tomato cream sauce in a fraction of the time!   

• Flavor: Garam masala and fresh ginger infuse the sauce with a rich, warm spiciness, intensified by a blend of sautéed onion, jalapeño, and garlic. 
• Texture: The deliciously silky and creamy curry sauce thickened with crushed tomatoes is to die for!  
• Ease: You don’t need to hunt down hard-to-find ingredients or a mile-long list of spices. A simple garam masala spice blend and a few kitchen staples get the job done! 

In addition, using chicken thighs instead of white meat allows us to skip the lengthy marinating process without sacrificing flavor or texture. 

Pair Instant Pot chicken tikka masala with garlic butter rice and fresh naan bread for a quick and easy dinner that is sure to be a hit with the entire family! 

Key Ingredient Notes

• Unsalted butter and coconut oil – A combination of butter and coconut oil provides the best of both worlds in terms of flavor. Butter provides richness, and coconut oil gives the dish a subtle, coconut-y taste. 
• Onion – An entire large onion might sound like a lot, but onion plays a major role in the sauce’s flavor and chunky texture.  
• Jalapeño – Provides a touch of heat, but overall, this is a mild version of chicken tikka masala. My toddler ate it right up! 
• Garlic – Adds another layer of flavor to the dish, pairing well with the onions and fresh ginger. 
• Ginger – This is added for its warming, slightly spicy taste. Fresh ginger is best, but if you can’t find it, you can use ginger paste, which is normally found in the produce section at the grocery store. 
• Garam masala – A warming and fragrant spice blend, usually featuring black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and cardamom. 
• Crushed tomatoes – A key ingredient in tikka masala, crushed tomatoes add sweetness and acidity and form the base of the sauce. They also give the sauce a thick and chunky texture. 
• Chicken thighs—I’ve tested this recipe with chicken breasts, and they weren’t nearly as satisfying as chicken thighs. Chicken breasts just can’t compete with juicy and tender thigh meat! Make sure you use boneless and skinless chicken thighs chopped into bite-sized pieces.  
• Plain yogurt – This is added to the sauce at the end to give it extra creaminess and a hint of tang. For a dairy-free option, you can substitute yogurt with coconut cream, but keep in mind that this would give the sauce a much stronger coconut flavor. 

How to make chicken tikka masala in Instant Pot

From sautéing the aromatics to cooking the chicken and sauce, all the ingredients come together in the Instant Pot! You can even make your rice in the Instant Pot with this complete guide to Instant Pot rice.  

• Add the butter and coconut oil to your Instant Pot. Set it to sauté to melt the ingredients. 
• Add the onion, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Stir in the jalapeño, garlic, ginger, garam masala, and salt.
• Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

• Mix in the chopped chicken, and stir to combine. 
• Pour in the crushed tomatoes, and stir well. 

• Serve over fluffy white rice with naan bread on the side. 

Recipe Tips

• I highly recommend using chicken thighs in this Instant Pot chicken tikka masala recipe. Since dark thigh meat is far more tender and succulent than boneless chicken breasts, marinating isn’t necessary. The only reason traditional tikka masala recipes require marinating is to infuse the lean chicken with flavor and tenderize the meat. Using chicken thighs allows us to skip this step! 
• To develop the deep flavors, we’re sautéing onion, garlic, ginger, and spices before adding chicken. This step is crucial, and you’ll understand it once you get a sniff of warm aromatics coming out of your Instant Pot.
• If you’re sensitive to spicy food, you can skip the jalapeño. Or, remove all the seeds and the ribs inside to make it slightly less spicy. However, this recipe is pretty mild as is. 
• Factor in time for your Instant Pot to come to pressure. Mine took about 15 minutes to come to pressure before the 6-minute cooking time started. 

Time-Saving Tips:

• You can do all of the prep work ahead of time. Chop your onion, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, and chicken up to 1 day in advance. This will allow you to get right to work when you’re ready to make dinner!
• Make a big batch of cooked rice to keep on hand for an easy side dish throughout the week. Serve the rice with this Instant Pot chicken tikka masala, and use the rest to make vegetable fried rice or Korean ground beef. 

Storing Tips:

• Store leftover Instant Pot chicken tikka masala in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 
• To reheat, warm leftovers on the stove over low heat or in the microwave in 1-minute increments. Stir well between each minute, and continue heating until warmed through. 
• To freeze, let the chicken tikka masala fully cool. Then, transfer it to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Note that the Greek yogurt might cause the sauce to become grainy during thawing and reheating.  

FAQs:

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