Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala with tender chicken simmered in a creamy, spiced tomato sauce-delicious restaurant flavor at home! A comforting weeknight dinner, with minimal prep.
Here's another quick and easy weeknight dinner you'll want on repeat. This Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala can also be made on the stovetop and uses creamy coconut milk instead of yogurt, keeping it completely dairy-free without sacrificing richness or flavor.
After my recent trip to India, I found myself craving Indian food and set out to perfect this authentic, home-friendly version. What really makes this recipe shine is the tikka masala sauce-deeply fragrant, warmly spiced, and so flavorful you'll want to mop up every last drop. It’s perfect for meal prep or makes a delicious freezer meal.
The protein is wonderfully adaptable. Use chicken breast or thighs, or keep it plant-based with chickpeas and vegetables. However you make it, I think you'll fall in love with this one.
Chicken Tikka Masala Ingredients
- Chicken: Use chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1- or 2-inch cubes, seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Ghee: Or substitute olive oil or coconut oil. Learn how to make homemade ghee from scratch!
- Shallots and garlic cloves: For aromatic flavor. You can substitute an onion for the shallots.
- Tomatoes: For a savory tomato sauce base. Don’t forget to use the juices, too!
- Fresh ginger: Finely mince the ginger or use ginger paste.
- Whole seeds: Cumin seeds, fennel seeds (or ground fennel), and black mustard seeds. Fennel and black mustard seeds are optional, but so good!
- Spices: Paprika, coriander, cumin, dried fenugreek leaves (or bay leaves, though the fenugreek really elevates!), turmeric, garam masala (make your own homemade garam masala!), cayenne, and kosher salt.
- Sugar: Or another sweetener, like honey or agave.
- Chicken broth: Use homemade chicken stock for the best depth of flavor.
- Coconut milk: Use full-fat coconut milk, not “lite,” to ensure a thick, creamy consistency. This is used in place of the more traditional yogurt, whipping cream, or heavy cream for a slightly lightened-up version.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
1. Prep Instant Pot and chicken. Set your Instant Pot to Saute. Cut the chicken into 1- or 2-inch cubes, then season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper.
2. Sauté aromatics, chicken, and spices. Add shallot, garlic, ginger, and oil to the pot to sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add whole spices (cumin, fennel, and mustard) and the chicken, searing for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the remaining spices, salt, and sugar. Add 1/2 cup of broth and scrape down the edges. Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk (use the liquid part first, reserving the thick cream for the end). Stir.
3. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook. If using chicken breast, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. If using chicken thighs, cook for 9 minutes. Manually release, throwing a kitchen towel over the steam spout. Open the lid.
4. Turn Instant Pot back to Saute. Set the pot back to the Saute function and reduce the liquid by half. If desired, now is a good time to add quick-cooking veggies like frozen peas, snow peas, bell pepper, or baby spinach. Stir in the remaining coconut cream.
5. Taste and adjust. Taste, adjusting the salt and spice levels to your preference. Add more garam masala or cayenne, or if serving over rice, add more salt (the rice will soak it up a bit). Keep in mind, when preparing pressure-cooked meats, the flavor is much better after the chicken has time to soak up the flavor! If desired, garnish with fresh cilantro or scallions.
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala on the Stovetop
- Warm oil in a large Dutch oven. Sauté onion, garlic, and ginger over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Lightly brown the cut, seasoned chicken, stirring for a few minutes. Add the spices and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and coconut milk, stir, then add the salt and sugar. Simmer on medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
Chef’s Tips
- Toast the spices. Take an extra minute to sauté the spices in oil before pressure cooking. This “blooms” their essential oils and unlocks deeper, more complex flavor.
- Use full-fat coconut milk, and split it. Pour in the thinner coconut milk for pressure cooking, then finish with the thick coconut cream at the end. This keeps the sauce rich and silky without breaking during cooking.
- Don’t skip the reduction! After pressure cooking, switch back to “Saute” and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes. Reducing the liquid concentrates flavor.
- Taste and adjust. Once the sauce has reduced, adjust the salt, garam masala, and cayenne to your preference. Keep in mind that rice absorbs flavor!
- Chicken thighs yield juicier results. Both breasts and thighs work, but thighs stay especially tender and forgiving under pressure. If using breasts, stick to the shorter cook time.
- Add veggies after pressure cooking. Quick-cooking vegetables like bell peppers, peas, or spinach should be added during the final “Saute” phase so they stay vibrant and tender.
- Let rest before serving. Tikka masala, like most curries, tastes even better after sitting for 10-15 minutes. This gives the chicken time to soak up the sauce and allows the flavors to fully meld.
- Make it once, enjoy it twice! This dish reheats beautifully and often tastes even better the next day.
What to serve with Tikka Masala?
Serve over a bowl of fluffy basmati rice, or over a bed of cauliflower rice or baby spinach for a low-carb option. Tikka masala is delicious with naan bread or roti, too. Or serve with a side salad, such as our Indian Spinach Salad or Indian Carrot Salad.
Storage & Meal Prep
Leftovers are divine! I love meal-prepping a batch on Sunday and enjoying it for lunches throughout the week. It tastes better and better as the flavors have a chance to meld.
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
You can also freeze tikka masala for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. It makes a great freezer meal.
FAQs
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala comes together in just 30 minutes, making it a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Not properly searing the chicken and not allowing the spices to bloom can be two of the biggest mistakes that will result in a lack of flavor and texture. Don’t rush either of these steps!
No, you don’t need to prepare a marinade for the chicken in this tikka masala recipe. The chicken is seared in the pot with the aromatics and whole spices, giving it incredible depth of flavor.
Chicken tikka masala is a tomato-based curry with a creamy, tangy flavor that has mild heat.
Give this instant pot recipe a try this week – and let me know what you think in the comments below.
xoxo
More Indian Recipes You Might Like
After you try this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: dinner idea, chicken recipe, Weeknight dinner, indian recipe, instant pot recipes, healthy dinner, freezer meal, meal prep dinner, easy dinner,
- Method: Instant Pot, Stovetop, Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala made with chicken breasts or thighs, bathed in the most fragrant Indian coconut curry sauce. A fast and easy weeknight dinner, meal-prep recipe, or freezer meal.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1-2 inch cubes (sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper) or see notes for vegan version.
- 2 tablespoons ghee ( or olive oil, coconut oil)
- 2 fat shallots, diced ( or sub 1 onion)
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 4–6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced ( or use paste)
- 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds or use 1/2 teaspoon ground (optional)
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (optional, but good!)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves ( this really elevates the dish, but if you don’t have use 2 bay leaves)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala spice (or make your own)
- 1/2–1 teaspoon cayenne ( more to taste)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar (or alternative sweetener like honey or agave)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 14-ounce can of coconut milk, divided (do not use “lite” coconut milk -it will result in a very thin, soup-like consistency; the thicker the better).
Optional: add after it pressure cooks: 1 can chickpeas (drained) or 1 red bell pepper ( diced) or 1-2 cups peas
Instructions
- Prep chicken. Cut chicken into cubes and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon each, salt and pepper and set aside.
- Saute. Set the pressure cooker to the saute function. Saute shallot, garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add whole spices (cumin, fennel and mustard) and the chicken, and get a little color to the chicken, stirring about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices and remaining spices and salt and sugar. Add 1/2 cup broth and scrape all the brown bits to prevent a burn error. Add 1/2 cup of the coconut milk liquid, saving the thick cream for the end. Give a good stir.
- Pressure cook. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 7 minutes (for chicken breast) or 9 minutes for chicken thighs, and manually release (throw a kitchen towel over the steam spout). Open the pot.
- Reduce. Turn the Instant Pot back to the saute function, and reduce the liquid by half. (At this point you could toss in some quick-cooking veggies- frozen peas, snow peas, bell pepper, baby spinach, or beans.) After it reduces, stir in the remaining coconut cream.
- Taste and adjust. Adjust salt and spice level to your liking. Feel free to add more garam masala to taste, or cayenne if you need a kick of heat. If serving over rice, I like to “up” the salt a bit, as the rice will absorb it.
- Tip: As usual, pressure-cooked meats taste much better after the chicken has time rest and soak up the flavor.
Notes
If cooking chicken version on the stove top, heat oil in a large Dutch Oven. Saute onion, garlic and ginger in oil, until fragrant, about 2 minutes, over medium heat. Brown the chicken lightly, sauting and stirring for a few minutes. Add all the spices to the chicken, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and coconut milk. Give a good stir and add the salt and sugar. Simmer gently on medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: using chicken breast ( 6 ounce servings)
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 665 mg
- Fat: 18.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.7 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 27.9 g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
Can I use fenugreek powder instead of the leaves? If so, about how much? Thx!
Hi Lexi- the leaves and seeds have a completely different flavor. The powder is ground from the seeds. Of course you can add to taste- but the leaves make this!
Thanks for the quick response. I opted to not use the powdered fenugreek and just used the bay leaves instead. It turned out good; can’t wait to try it with the fenugreek leaves though!
Glad you enjoyed this Lexi- yes, the fenugreek leaves really elevate!
Can these recipes be frozen?
Should be fine to freeze.
I made batches of the sauce to freeze for after baby.
Left out the coconut milk and potatoes (i don’t like cooked then frozen potatoes).
I also use bullion, so I leave out the water and add it when cooking.
I frozen this one, and the Teriyaki chicken sauce from here.
Both recipes do well with subbing the chicken for tofu or chickpeas.
Great to hear this Fiona! Glad you are nourishing yourself and babe.❤️
Wonderful flavor – an excellent weekday meal. But each time I make this, I wonder: How do you “reduce liquid by half” without boiling/overcooking the chicken? I’ve ended up scooping out about 2 cups of the liquid to make it less soupy. Any other recommendations?
Hi JP, quick question are you making this in an instant pot or stovetop? The liquid called for is ½ cup broth + ½ cup of the coconut milk. I’m confused as why yours is so liquidy? Are you adding any other liquid? Just trying to figure this out for you! 🙂
I also left out the sugar!
👍
This was so good! Having recently made real butter chicken (with butter and heavy cream) for guests and having frozen the extra sauce, I was about to defrost it and throw in some chickpeas for a lazy, weeknight dinner when I came across this recipe. I can’t believe how quick and easy this was – I made the vegan Instant Pot version. I left out the fennel seeds and used chilli powder instead of cayenne. I didn’t have tomatoes so I used about 1/4-1/2 cup of strained tomatoes instead and it basically tasted like the real thing! But better because of the wholesome, nutritious ingredients 🙂 Looking forward to trying out along with your homemade naan recipe, Sylvia – thank you!!
Great to hear Leanne!
This is a household favorite!
Great to hear Jen! thanks 🙏 😊
I have made this countless times! So so good!
Gathering the spices sometimes takes up a bit too much time… (young children. IYKYK) so I made little spice packs.
Took my spices out, and put 1 recipe worth of spices into each snack bag, then, into the cupboard. Now when I want tikka masala – I just empty a bag into the pot. Kinda like the meal prep boxes you can buy… but cheaper… AND SO MUCH MORE TASTY!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful cooking knowledge, Sylvia!
Thanks Fiona- love the idea of spice packs. Do you use your instant pot for this, or Stovetop?
Sorry for the reply… a year or more late.
I usually make the instant pot version. its more mentally fuss free, for me.
Yes, it does make it very easy! Thanks for getting back!
A hit every time we make it. Stove top works just great. Thanks for a great one!
Great to hear!
I make this recipe all the time. I make the vegan version, or the regular one but simply swap out the chicken for tofu, and use veggie broth. I top it with your Raita recipe and it’s one of my favourite meals!
Great to hear Jamie!
This was delicious. Thank you. I added small cubes of sweet potato to mine and let it cook away. It blended into the sauce and thickened it up beautifully, adding the nutritional value of the vegetable at the same time. Yum!
Great to hear Clare! Love this.
This is a simple and flavorful Tikka Masala. I’ve tried various recipes & this one is the best for my family. I use breast meat & it’s always moist. Just love it.
Thanks Nancy, One of our favorites too!
This is a delicious recipe that I’ve successfully made in a larger instant pot. Recently I decided to try to half the meal and cook in a smaller IP. I also got the burn warning. Should I put more liquid in? I’m new to coming and I’m not sure how to tweak it!
Hi Jen! I wonder if halving it caused the burn error? Yes, it may need more liquid. You can always cook it off after.
Thank you! I will try again!
Can I cook this in my slow cooker?
Yes, Joanne, I think so, but I don’t have any specifics to offer you.
We love masala, so a recipe that also allows us to make it in an instant pot, fantastic. I’ve made this twice now and its been brilliant both times. The last time I made the vegan version and also added cooked tofu. Served over brown rice. Just as good the second day. Many thanks for sharing all of your incredible recipes. Any time we are stuck for a recipe we just log onto your site and guaranteed it will be delicious.
Awww… thanks so much for your kind words David. ❤️ Very appreciated and so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
My husband tried this dish at an authentic Indian restaurant. He looooved it so much that I did research into it. My husband, and his entire family (including one that’s not crazy about curry) demolish this dish. I have to make 2 pots now when I fix this. Do you recommend any changes for diabetic people before I make my next pot? I make this about once a month now…
Thanks Kastine- you could try cutting back, or leaving out the sugar?
If I triple the recipe, how does this impact the cook time in an Instant pot?
Technically it shouldn’t but I still would add a few mintues. 🙂