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Instant Pot Tikka Masala, easy to make and super flavorful, delicious spices, and deep flavors.
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3.75 from 4 votes

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Tender chunks of chicken swimming in a creamy spiced tomato sauce, served over butter rice for a deliciously easy instant pot meal. All cooked in the pressure cooker for a fast way to develop complex flavors.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: instant pot chicken tikka masala, instant pot chicken tikka masala recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 1048kcal
Author: Rachael

Ingredients

  • 2.5 lbs Chicken Thighs boneless/skinless cut into 1 inch pieces and trimmed of fat

Marinade

  • 1/4-1/2 cup Greek Yogurt thick
  • 1 Tbs Kosher Salt or 2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 tsp Ground Coriander
  • 2 Tbs Garam Masala
  • 1 Tbs Lemon Juice
  • ½ tsp salt

The Rest

  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 4 Tbs Butter
  • 1 large Yellow Onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 inch fresh ginger root chopped fine or 2 tsps ginger paste
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 Tbs Garam Masala
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream or more

Garnish

  • Cilantro

Butter Rice

  • 16 ounces basmati rice white
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

  • Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces, and trim excess fat.
  • Rinse rice, and set aside.
  • Mix together marinade ingredients (yogurt, salt, coriander, Garam Masala, lemon juice, and salt) in a large bowl, and add chicken to it, stirring it to coat completely. Put in fridge to let marinate for 20-30 minutes minimum, up to 24 hours.
  • Meanwhile, chop onions, garlic, and ginger
  • Turn your Instant Pot on to Saute, and put olive oil in the bottom of the pot.
  • Add some of your chicken, and sear it on both sides, browning it, then remove from pot to a plate. Do this in batches until all chicken is browned.
  • Add butter to the bottom of the pot, along with the onion, garlic, and ginger, and saute 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant.
  • Add chicken stock, and use a wooden spoon to scrape everything off the bottom of the pot to deglaze it.
  • Once nothing is stuck to the bottom, add your chicken back in, along with any juices that collected on the plate, as well as the crushed tomatoes, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Use your wooden spoon to stir it once.
  • Add a long legged trivet to the pot, so the trivet is sitting above the chicken
  • Using the Pot in Pot method, take a separate pot, and add the rice, butter, salt, and water, and set it on top of the trivet so it is above the chicken mixture.
  • Lock your lid into place, and manually set your pot to cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
  • After the 4 minutes is up (pot beeps), let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then remove lid.
  • Remove rice pan, and use a fork to fluff rice. Then cover rice, and set rice aside.
  • Remove trivet from the pot, and add in your Garam Masala.
  • Stir the mixture together, at this point it will still be fairly runny.
  • Turn the pot on to Saute, and adjust to the low setting, and let the mixture simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes, allowing sauce to reduce.
  • Add cream, stir well, and then taste sauce, and adjust seasonings as desired. Simmer until desired consistency is reached.
  • Serve over butter rice with fresh chopped cilantro for garnish.

Stove Top Instructions

  • Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces, and trim excess fat.
  • Rinse rice, and set aside.
  • Mix together marinade ingredients (yogurt, salt, coriander, Garam Masala, lemon juice, and salt) in a large bowl, and add chicken to it, stirring it to coat completely. Put in fridge to let marinate for 20-30 minutes minimum, up to 24 hours.
  • Meanwhile, chop onions, garlic, and ginger
  • Put a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil, and add chicken, and sear it on both sides, browning it, then remove from skillet to a plate. Do this in batches until all chicken is browned.
  • Add butter to the bottom of the skillet, along with the onion, garlic, and ginger, and saute 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant.
  • Add chicken stock, and use a wooden spoon to scrape everything off the bottom of the skillet to deglaze it.
  • Once nothing is stuck to the bottom, add your chicken back in, along with any juices that collected on the plate, as well as the crushed tomatoes, cayenne pepper, and paprika.
  • Stir it well, and turn heat up to allow it to come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, cover it, and turn it down to low to let simmer for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
  • Once chicken is cooked through, add remaining garam masala and cream, then cook until sauce is reduced to desired thickness.
  • Prepare rice according to package directions.
  • Serve over rice with cilantro garnish.

Notes

Garam Masala is essentially a mixture of other spices such as coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, etc. if you like your Tikka Masala to have a stronger flavor of one of these, feel free to add extra.
Simmer to reach desired sauce thickness, the liquid content of the chicken and tomatoes varies, so it may take longer than the 15 minutes, or less.

Nutrition

Calories: 1048kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 276mg | Sodium: 1962mg | Potassium: 980mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1650IU | Vitamin C: 15.1mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 3.9mg