Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe – A Classic Indian Curry
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It is so satisfying creating your own curry from scratch, and with this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala you are doing exactly that but with minimal effort! Pop chicken, fragrant herbs, and spices including garam masala onto your shopping list and into your Instant Pot, and your crowd-pleasing curry will be ready in just 35 minutes!
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Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the most popular dishes here in the UK, popularized by cooks from the Indian subcontinent living in Great Britain.
If you’ve never tried Indian food and have always wanted to try it, this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is a great curry to start with.
The spiced yogurt-marinated chicken is cooked in a rich and creamy sauce. Plus, it’s easy to make thanks to your Instant Pot.
Whether you’re a seasoned Indian food lover or just getting started, this recipe is sure to please!
Serve it up with rice, poppadums, naan bread, and a kachumber salad on the side. And for dessert, why not make a Mango Lassi as a refreshing end to your meal?
Fun Food Facts!
- The origin of the dish is not certain, but many sources attribute it to the South Asian community in Great Britain.
- Chicken tikka masala may derive from butter chicken, a popular dish in the northern Indian subcontinent.
- Rahul Verma, a food critic who writes for The Hindu, said he first tasted the dish in 1971 and that its origins were in Punjab, India. He said, “It’s basically a Punjabi dish not more than 40–50 years old and must be an accidental discovery which has had periodical improvisations.
- Chicken tikka masala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences. Chicken tikka is an Indian dish. The masala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy. – British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, 2001
- Chicken tikka masala is composed of chicken tikka, boneless chunks of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt that are roasted in an oven, served in a creamy curry sauce. A tomato and coriander sauce is common, but no recipe for chicken tikka masala is standard; a survey found that of 48 different recipes, the only common ingredient was chicken.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It may not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, sugar, etc., as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Jalapeño, Cilantro (Coriander)
- Protein – Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
- Dairy – Greek Yogurt, Heavy Cream (Double Cream)
- Garlic Powder
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Coriander
- Cayenne Pepper
- Tomato Paste – also known as Tomato Purée
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes – or finely chopped canned tomatoes
- Garam Masala
- Honey – try to buy locally produced honey when possible.
- Basmati Rice – cooked, to serve
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Garam Masala
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is garam masala spice, so here are some more recipes using the same:
More Curry Recipes
Looking for more curry dishes to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Southern Indian Keralan Chicken Curry – A Spicy Sweet Curry
- One-Pan Coconut Fish Curry Recipe Using Mild White Fish
- One Pot Vegetable Curry & Rice
How Do I Make Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 lbs 900g boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 medium jalapeño finely diced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 28-oz/2 x 400g container crushed/finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp garam masala
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ cup heavy cream double cream, room temperature
- 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice to serve
Instructions
- Combine the Greek yogurt, ginger, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine.
- Add chicken to the yogurt mixture and stir until coated. Marinate at room temperature for up to one hour or cover and refrigerate overnight. (If refrigerating, set on the counter for 30 minutes to one hour before adding to the Instant Pot).
- Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot inner cooking pot and select the “Sauté’ function. Use the “Adjust” button to select the “Normal” (medium) setting.
- Once hot, add onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant and the onions are soft.
- Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, garam masala, and honey. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through. Push the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button to turn off the Sauté function.
- Add the marinated chicken to the Instant Pot and add the lid. Lock the lid into place and set the vent to “Sealing.” Select the “Manual” button and adjust to the “High” setting, if necessary. Set cook time to 10 minutes.
- When cook time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release on any remaining pressure.
- To prevent curdling, temper the heavy cream by adding 2-3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from the Instant Pot to warm it up a bit before adding it to the soup. Stir to combine.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed. Serve immediately topped with chopped cilantro and with some basmati rice on the side. Enjoy!
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Special Dinner!
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a special meal or dinner party:
- Appetizer: Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges with Herbed Coconut Yogurt Dip
- Soup: Curried Butternut Squash Soup – Slow Cooker Recipe
- Salad: Giant Couscous Salad with Roasted Aubergine, Parsley & Pomegranate
- Beverage: Healthier Mexican Horchata
- Dessert: No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.