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
