This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The quickest way to a silky smooth, satisfying bowl of chicken curry! This Instant Pot chicken tikka masala is warm and fragrant with chunks of tender chicken smothering a bed of fluffy white rice!
*Please note* this post was originally published in 2019. I’ve since redone the text but the recipe remains the same.
Do you guys have any meals that you like to make that require a fair bit of time, with many components, but you all thoroughly enjoy SO much that it’s worth it!? For me, this was chicken tikka masala before I got an Instant Pot!
I would marinate the chicken, thread it onto skewers, grill it, make the sauce, prepare some dough for fresh naan, cook the naan, then make some rice. It was a full afternoon affair, trying to time everything right so that your naan is fresh and warm at the same time as your chicken and sauce and rice, however; it was SO good it was all worth it. One of those meals where you can’t stuff it into your face fast enough, and you’re almost disappointed when you start to feel full.
Well, I’ve now been making chicken tikka masala in the Instant Pot, and this dish has ALL of the flavor with SO much less time. I usually still whip up some naan bread and rice, but I don’t fuss with the skewers and the grill and hovering over the stove. It’s practically a total dump-n-go dish now! The sauce is silky smooth and flavorful, and the chicken is so moist and tender!
What is chicken tikka masala?
I won’t profess to know the exact ins and outs of Indian cuisine (although I do LOVE eating it) but tikka masala is a dish similar to butter chicken, if you’re a fan of that one! Butter chicken is much creamier, with less tomato in the base, while tikka masala has less cream and more of a tomato base. You definitely feel less gross after tikka masala!
How do you make Instant Pot chicken tikka masala?
For the longest time, I didn’t think I would have much use for an Instant Pot. I kept seeing all of these amazing looking recipes online and wondered if it was too good to be true. I enjoy cooking a lot, so would using a pressure cooker take away from that? Turns out, the recipes are (mostly) as awesome as they looked, and I’m still enjoying the process of cooking.
This recipe still requires a marinade, so if you know you’re going to eat it the next day, start the marinade the night before. It’s best if it sits overnight!
Once you are ready to start cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge. Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté mode, on medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil has heated up, add the garlic cloves and sauté for a minute or until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken, along with the remaining marinade. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the chicken doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn the Instant Pot off. Add the tomato sauce, followed by the garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and salt. Stir to combine everything. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, locking it and ensuring the valve is sealed. Turn the Instant Pot to cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. When the 10 minutes is up, allow the steam to release naturally for about 5 minutes, before using the quick release to finish releasing all of the steam.
Now for the magic! Turn the Instant Pot to sauté, and add the cream, stirring to combine. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Serve immediately, with basmati rice and/or naan to sop up all of that delicious sauce.
Can you make this recipe if you don’t have an Instant Pot?
Yes! I’ve included directions in the recipe card below to try this out on the stovetop. It takes longer but the end result is just as creamy and satisfying!
If you’re a fan of thick and saucy curries, I guarantee you’ll be making this one again and again. It has just the right amount of spice, so the whole family loves it!
I keep meaning to post my recipe for naan bread too, but hey. There’s only so much time in a day! Until then, try this one. There’s nothing like sopping up all of that silky smooth sauce with a piece of warm, garlicky naan!
Happy eating!!
Some of my other favorite Instant Pot recipes:
Print
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Total Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
The quickest way to a silky smooth, satisfying bowl of chicken curry! This Instant Pot chicken tikka masala is warm and fragrant with chunks of tender chicken smothering a bed of fluffy white rice!
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 cup full-fat plain yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” chunks
Sauce
- 1 tbsp oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup cilantro, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade. In a large container with a lid, or a large Ziploc bag, prepare the marinade by combining together the yogurt, garlic, ginger, garam masala, lemon juice, cumin, black pepper, and cinnamon. Add the cubed chicken to the marinade and stir to completely cover. Close, and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours*, or overnight.
- Cook the chicken. Once you are ready to start cooking (about 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat), remove the chicken from the fridge. Turn the Instant Pot to the Sauté mode, on medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil has heated up, add the garlic cloves and sauté for a minute or until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken, along with the remaining marinade. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the chicken doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Add the tomato sauce, followed by the garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and salt. Stir to combine everything. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, locking it and ensuring the valve is sealed. Turn the Instant Pot to cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. When the 10 minutes is up, allow the steam to release naturally for about 5 minutes, before using the quick release to finish releasing all of the steam.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté, and add the cream, stirring to combine. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Serve immediately, with basmati rice and/or naan to sop up all of that delicious sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
Stovetop Directions
- Follow Step #1 above as written. When ready to start cooking, heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the oil, allowing it to heat up. Add the garlic cloves and sauté for a minute or two. Add the marinated chicken, cooking until completely browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate, covered, to keep warm.
- Add the tomato sauce, as well as the garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and salt. Stir to combine everything. Bring the mixture to a boil and turn down to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Slowly add in the cream, stirring to combine. Add the chicken back into the mixture, and allow everything to simmer for 3-4 minutes and thicken slightly. Serve immediately!
Leftovers will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days.
Notes
- I strongly recommend marinating the chicken for at least 4 hours. If you’re in a pinch, and hour will do.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: indian
Need another cozy Instant Pot recipe?
Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup
I SOOOOOOO wish I had an Instant Pot!! This Tikka Masala looks so yummy and FULL of flavor! I need this for dinner on these cold nights 🙂
You NEED to get one, Kelly! I didn’t think I’d use mine a ton but I really do. I bet you’d love this dish. Thanks my friend!!
Kathy, this is one of our family’s favorites and yours looks so delicious with that silky, smooth sauce! Love that it’s made in the instapot!
Yay! I’m glad you guys love it too. It’s definitely a favorite of mine, especially when I serve it with coconut rice and naan!! So good!!
Oh, you know I’m a huge curry fan like you! And I do know the feeling of feeling disappointed when getting full, but you reeeeeally love the meal, lol. That sauce looks absolutely DIVINE! Can’t wait to whip this one up on a Friday night! Have a great weekend, Katherine! XO
Haha I thought you might be able to relate to the disappointment, Dawn. I just love food so darn much! THANK YOU! I think you would really love this one! Cheers, Dawn!
We are so in love with Indian food that every single minute is worth of making it. This is going to be on our menu quite often 🙂
I completely agree. It’s totally worth it!! We have been having a lot of Indian lately – it’s just so darn delicious. Thank you!
Whoa Kathy, I love this recipe for so many reasons. My favorite tikka masala cooked in my favorite Insta pot!! How fabulous is this? Can’t wait to try this recipe:)
What a great recipe for comforting family meals. Bet it smells absolutely wonderful Katherine! Pinning for later!
This is one of my favorite dishes Katherine! So full of flavor and so comforting. Pinned and can’t wait to try your recipe.
I love a saucy curry! This sounds AWESOME! I still haven’t gotten an Instant Pot but when I do this will be the first thing I make. YUM!
I’ve never had tikka masala! The longer I’m a food blogger, the more I realize how many dishes I’ve never tried! This looks so flavourful! I have an Instant Pot, and I go through spurts of using it. This recipe is definitely inspiring me to break it out again!
I know exactly what you mean! I keep discovering dishes too that every other bloggers seems to know about, haha! I go through spurts with my appliances too. You definitely have to break it out for this one!
YUM!!! I love chicken tikka masala and the fact that I can just throw it all in my instant pot and call it a meal makes me SO happy! Looks so spicy and delicious! Also – you definitely can’t forget the garlic naan! 🙂
Aren’t instant pot meals the BEST!? Makes life so easy! You definitely can’t forget the naan! The best part 😉