Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

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Tips and substitutions

You can substitute ghee for the butter.  And if you want to add an additional tablespoon of ghee or butter to the finished dish, feel free to do that.

I use Kashmiri chili powder which is a colorful but milder Indian chili powder.  If you can’t find this kind of chili powder, use cayenne pepper, but decrease the quantity to suit your taste.  The great thing about Indian dishes is that you can make them as mild as you like by adjusting the quantity of chili powder or substituting paprika for the chili powder.  The recipe, as written, is not very spicy (by my Indian standards!)

And here’s a secret: although my recipe states that I use 1 tablespoon of honey, I do frequently add an extra teaspoon or two of honey, to taste, at the end.

Tomato sauce is  a canned tomato concentrate similar to tomato puree with minimal spices, used to make tomato-based sauces like pasta sauce.  In the UK, for example, it’s called tomato passata.

If possible, use a homemade garam masala, preferably ground fresh.   If you don’t have your own garam masala, here’s a quick way:

• 1 1/2 tsp whole cloves (1 tsp ground cloves)
• 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick (1 tsp cinnamon powder)
• 30 cardamom pods (1 tsp cardamom powder)
• 1/4 nutmeg (1/2 tsp nutmeg powder)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (1 tsp ground fennel)
• 2 pieces star anise (1 tsp powdered star anise)

Grind in a coffee grinder or mix powders together and store in a cool dry place.  The aroma is heavenly!!

Fenugreek is an herb that’s commonly used in Indian cooking.  In Hindi, it’s referred to as ‘methi’.  We use the leaves and the seeds in various Indian dishes.  For this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala, you can buy dried fenugreek leaves which you should be able to find at an Indian or South Asian store.  It adds a very special taste to this curry, and its absence is noticeable.

To make the dish healthy, reduce the quantity of heavy cream or substitute half and half.  There will be a taste difference!  If you’d like a richer curry, add some extra cream.

If you’ve made my Instant Pot Indian Chicken Curry before with no sealing/pressurizing issues, feel free to saute the tomato paste in this recipe (mixed with some water) after sauteing the ginger and garlic, and then add the spices.  Deglaze really well with water or broth after sauteing and before proceeding with the recipe.

I have no problem bringing my Instant Pot to pressure with the recipe, as written.  If you regularly encounter the ‘burn’ message,  you can add the tomato sauce and tomato paste together on top of the other ingredients, without stirring.  If you still have issues, add some more liquid, e.g. a few tablespoons of chicken broth, with the yogurt.

[Read more: Instant Pot Burn Message]

Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:

• Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
• Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘4′ (4 minutes).

Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:

• Close the lid.
• Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 4 minutes (00:04).
• Press ‘Start’.

Instant Pot DUO Quick Release:

• Move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
• When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
• Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot ULTRA Quick Release:

• Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
• When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
• Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

This Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala recipe makes a restaurant-quality Indian curry that has succulent pieces of boneless chicken in a flavorful creamy sauce.  Ginger, garlic and Indian spices combine to give the curry a heavenly aroma and taste!  Now there's no reason to go for takeout; cooking this recipe at home in the Instant Pot allows you to get the dish on the table in less than 30 minutes, with fresh and healthy ingredients!

4.85 from 20 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chicken tikka masala, instant pot

Main Ingredient: chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 330 kcal

Author: Paint the Kitchen Red

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter or ghee
• 1 Tbsp ginger finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp  coriander powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin powder
• 3/4 tsp  turmeric powder
• 1 tsp  black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp  Kashmiri chili powder or to taste
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup whole milk yogurt
• 8 oz. tomato sauce *
• 1 tsp  salt or to taste
• 4 tsp  lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp  honey or to taste
• 4 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp  garam masala
• 1 Tbsp  dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream **
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped

Instructions

• Select the 'Saute' function and pre-heat the  Instant Pot inner pot.
• Melt butter or ghee in the inner pot.
• Stir in ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and chili powder and cook until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Press ‘Cancel’.
• Add chicken to the spices and stir to coat.
• Add yogurt, tomato sauce, salt, lemon juice and honey.  Mix well.
• Add tomato paste on top and don't stir.
• Close the lid and pressure cook for 4 minutes.
• Do a quick release of pressure (QR).
• Open the Instant Pot and stir in dried fenugreek leaves, garam masala and cream.
• Cook in 'Saute' mode for 2 minutes, or until heated through and desired consistency.
• Garnish with cilantro leaves.
• Serve with rice or naan.

Notes

• Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut up chicken, etc.
• * American tomato sauce (called tomato passata in the UK), not tomato ketchup
• ** Feel free to add more cream to make the dish richer and creamier!
• I make the recipe as written with no sealing problems.  If you regularly encounter the ‘burn’ message,  you can add the tomato sauce and tomato paste together on top of the other ingredients, without stirring.  If you still have issues, add some more liquid, e.g. a few tablespoons of chicken broth, with the yogurt. [Read more: Instant Pot Burn Message]
• See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 330 kcal | Carbohydrates: 17 g | Protein: 33 g | Fat: 15 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Cholesterol: 156 mg | Sodium: 752 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 10 g

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I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

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