This Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is a restaurant-quality Instant Pot Indian recipe with succulent pieces of boneless skinless chicken in a flavorful creamy sauce. Ginger, garlic, and Indian spices combine to give this Indian chicken curry a heavenly aroma and taste! [Instant Pot and stovetop instructions included.]
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Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is the recipe most requested by my readers but I wanted a recipe that would be quick, easy, and convenient.
My original recipe uses grilled Tandoori chicken, which gets mixed into a creamy sauce. It’s a two-step process where you grill the chicken first and then make the creamy sauce.
I wanted to create an Instant Pot recipe without the extra step of barbecuing the chicken separately. And I think you’ll agree that it’s not only easy to make chicken tikka masala but it’s so tasty.
Robin says ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is…..SOOOOOO good. Not one thing wrong with it. Perfect texture, taste, & consistency. We gobbled it up. Neena is someone who’s recipes I TRUST.
People often wonder what the difference is between the two most popular dishes at Indian restaurants: Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala. They’re very similar. And ever-evolving. Every Indian restaurant probably has its own take of each recipe.
One thing is certain: this recipe is one of the easiest Indian chicken curry recipes you’ll make! For a vegetarian version of this recipe, try chickpea tikka masala.
If you like the flavor of chicken tikka masala, give this one-pot curry pasta recipe a try. If you want a comforting soup that’s a meal in itself, try this amazing chicken curry soup, which can be made on the stovetop or Instant Pot!
➡ For another Indian dish idea, try Instant Pot Lamb Biryani, Instant Pot Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower and Potatoes), Coconut Chicken Korma, my Pork Vindaloo Instant Pot adaptation of my mother-in-law’s recipe, or Instant Pot Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh).
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
💡 Ingredient and Recipe Tips
🧈 Ghee: Substitute ghee with butter with no changes. If you want extra richness, add more ghee to the finished dish.
🌶️ Kashmiri Chili Powder: This mild Indian chili powder adds bright red color without much heat. I use more than the recipe calls for! If you substitute with cayenne pepper, use less.
🍯 Honey: Honey balances the tartness of the tomato sauce perfectly. Many readers like to add more honey. Feel free to adjust the quantity.
🍅 Tomato Sauce: In the UK, tomato sauce is called tomato passata.
⭐ Garam Masala: Use homemade garam masala, preferably freshly ground, for the best flavor. Store-bought works well, but the fresher the better.
🌿 Fenugreek: This herb (called methi in Hindi) adds a special taste that’s noticeable when missing. Buy dried fenugreek leaves at Indian or South Asian stores. Don’t use fenugreek seeds, they’re not the same thing.
🍋 Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is optional if you don’t like tart flavors. The tomato sauce adds some tartness too.
🥛 Cream: Use less heavy cream or substitute half and half for a healthier version (flavor will differ slightly). Want richer curry? Add extra cream! You can use coconut milk instead of cream for a different flavor.
🥫 Tomato Paste: If you’ve made this recipe before, you’ll notice that I’ve changed the recipe by omitting tomato paste. My family felt that the tomato paste made the recipe too tangy. If you prefer the original, add a tablespoon of tomato paste on top, without stirring, before pressure cooking.
🍗 Chicken: Boneless chicken thighs are always best for the Instant Pot. However, you can use chicken breast in this recipe.
🔥 Burn Message: The recipe works as written, but if you regularly get the Burn message, add tomato sauce and paste on top without stirring. Still having issues? Add a few tablespoons of chicken broth when adding the yogurt.
❓ FAQs
You definitely may add vegetables to the chicken tikka masala. Since vegetables cook quite fast, add them after pressure cooking but before you add the cream. Some good choices are peas or spinach.
Paneer tikka masala is also a great option with this recipe. Pressure cook the paneer for two minutes instead of four minutes.
You can use crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. Blend the crushed tomatoes in a blender if you want to make the sauce smooth.
This Instant Pot tikka masala is not too spicy. To make it spicier, add more chili powder or chop up some jalapeno pepper or serrano pepper and saute with the garlic and ginger.
No, fenugreek seeds are completely different from fenugreek leaves, even though they come from the same plant. Omit the fenugreek leaves if you can’t find them.
Since garam masala is made from toasted and ground ingredients, it adds a special flavor and aroma to a dish. Adding it at the end adds to the freshness of the recipe.
To make a healthy chicken tikka masala, you can reduce the quantity of cream, but there will be a difference in flavor. You can also substitute vegetable oil for ghee. You might also want to try my healthy cashew butter chicken recipe – it’s delicious too!
Yes, the recipe can be doubled without changing the cooking time.
As long as you have the minimum quantity of liquid to get your pressure cooker to pressurize, you can reduce the recipe e.g. halve it, but keep the same cooking time.
You can make the tikka masala ahead of time – it actually tastes better the next day! – but don’t add the cream and garam masala until you’re ready to heat it up before serving.
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
⏲️ Instant Pot Instructions
- Add butter or ghee to pre-heated Instant Pot inner pot. Once butter has melted, stir in garlic and ginger. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and Kashmiri chili powder. Cook until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn! If necessary, deglaze with a couple of tablespoons of broth. Stir to remove any brown bits. Press Cancel.
- Add the chicken pieces to the pot and stir to coat.
- Add yogurt, tomato sauce, salt, lemon juice and honey. Stir well.
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- The display will go from On to 04:00. The float valve will go up after a few minutes. The display will count down to 00:00.
- Do a quick release of pressure. Once the float valve goes down, the lid can be opened.
- Add garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and heavy cream to the Instant Pot Tikka Masala.
- Select Saute function. Allow the curry to cook for another 2 minutes, or until heated through. Press Cancel. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with basmati rice or naan.
♨️ Stovetop Instructions
- Sauté garlic and ginger in ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Sauté spices till fragrant.
- Sauté chicken until lightly browned.
- Add tomato sauce, salt, lemon juice, honey, and fenugreek leaves.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
- Add the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Simmer the chicken on medium-low heat until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in garam masala and cream.
- Heat through, stirring occasionally until the tikka masala sauce thickens.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon ghee or butter
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- ¾ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder or to taste
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup plain yogurt (whole milk)
- 8 oz. tomato sauce [See Note 1]
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice [See Note 2]
- 1 Tbsp honey or to taste
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste optional [See Note 3]
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ½ cup heavy cream [See Note 4]
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Select the Saute function and pre-heat the Instant Pot inner pot.
- Melt 2 tablespoon ghee or butter in the inner pot.
- Stir in 2 tablespoon garlic and 1 tablespoon ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add 2 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 tablespoon cumin powder, ¾ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp black pepper powder, and 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder and cook until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Press Cancel.
- Add 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs to the spices and stir to coat.
- Add 1 cup plain yogurt, 8 oz. tomato sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp honey. Mix well.
- Add 2 tablespoon tomato paste (if using) on top and don't stir.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 4 minutes on High Pressure.
- Do a quick release of pressure (QR). [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Open the Instant Pot and stir in 1 tsp garam masala, 1 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves, and ½ cup heavy cream.
- Select Saute mode and cook for 2 minutes, or until heated through and desired consistency.
- Garnish with ¼ cup cilantro leaves.
- Serve with rice or naan.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat butter or ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and ginger to the pot. Saute for about 30 seconds to one minute.
- Add coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and chili powder and cook until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken and stir to coat, letting the chicken brown slightly, about 2 minutes. Deglaze with some broth or water, if necessary.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, salt, lemon juice, honey, and fenugreek leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Add a couple of tablespoons of water or chicken broth if needed, to deglaze.
- Add the yogurt, a couple of tablespoons at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Simmer the chicken on medium low heat until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in garam masala and cream.
- Heat through, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.
- Serve over rice or with 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.
- Note 1: American tomato sauce (called tomato passata in the UK), not tomato ketchup!
- Note 2: The original version of this recipe called for 4 teaspoons of lemon juice. I’ve reduced it to 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon). Feel free to add the extra teaspoon for a tangier dish.
- Note 3: The original version of this recipe used 4 tablespoons tomato paste. If you enjoyed that version of the recipe, feel free to add it. However, I feel that 2 tablespoons would be more than enough. I choose to omit it altogether.
- Note 4: 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].
Nutrition
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<RECIPE CARD>
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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Dee says
What is the substitute for yogurt and cream since I want to try dairy free ?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Dee, I would actually try my Cashew Butter Chicken recipe if I were you. It’s similar to this one, very tasty. If you still want to make this one, you could substitute the yogurt with broth and add some cashew or almond butter at the end.
Liz Csordas says
so easy & tasty!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Liz. I’m so happy to hear that.
Cole says
Awesome. This is the third one of your recipes that I’ve done, and they’ve all been great. I couldn’t find fenugreek or kashmiri chile powder at the normal grocery, but I substituted cayenne and paprika. I also added several habaneros, which I think complimented the other flavors well and made it quite spicy. For the fenugreek, I replaced the honey with maple syrup, and then drizzled in some extra maple syrup when adding the heavy cream because I read online that maple syrup has some similarities to fenugreek.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Cole, so happy to hear you’ve enjoyed the recipes. Try out my latest one: Instant Pot Cashew Butter Chicken. Similar to tikka masala, but different. Very yummy!
Danielle says
Just made this for dinner. It was a big hit with the hubby, he was leaning over the pot to dip his naan in!! I thought he might fall in. Next time I will make the extra stop at the Indian food store for the fenugreek and Kashmiri. I used cayenne as substitute. By far the best thing I’ve made in the Instapot. Thanks so much for the recipe and I’ll be checking out your others:)
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Don’t you just love that?! Fenugreek especially will make a difference to the taste. Thank you for your comment, Danielle! 🙂
Minh says
I love this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe! I made it for 2 weeks in a row!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Oh, thank you Minh! I could go for some right now!
Lori says
This was AMAZING!!! I had all the ingredients on hand except for the Kasmiri chili powder so I just used cayenne. I served it with homemade baked naan bread and roasted broccoli. This was easy to make and so delicious to eat. I mean better than restaurant quality! Thank you for this recipe! Definitely making this again and again! P. S. It was too spicy for the kids which means more for me haha
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Lori! I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe. And when my kids were little I used to feel that way about chocolate with nuts haha – there was always more for me because they didn’t like it. Alas, no more….
BJones says
This was delicious! My family loved it, very flavorful!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you for your comment – I’m really glad you like the recipe 🙂
Jeff says
I followed your Tikka Masala recipe to a T and it was nothing short of outstanding! Just what my wife and I needed on a Friday evening after a long work week. It was fast and easy to put together. The complexity and depth of flavor of this dish blew my mind. I’m not sure how this could be any better at an Indian restaurant. It’s always a good sign when nobody is talking at the dinner table…just savoring…that was us…blown away at what we were experiencing in our own home with minimal effort. Thank you for sharing this incredible Indian recipe with us!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Aww, thanks Jeff! I’m glad to hear that you found the recipe to be easy and approachable! Your comment made my day 🙂
Terence says
This was the second Instant Pot recipe from this site that I tried. Like the red beans and rice, this was a great success! Personally would have added more cream (as indicated in the recipe), but my wife didn’t want the extra calories. It was just fine without it. I will add that the dish is a little spicy (maybe a 2 on a scale of 1-10). Another 5* recipe!
Lindsay says
This was my first IP recipe. I got all my spices from a local Indian grocery store which is a must for this recipe. It turned out amazing that I had seconds! Time to do some cardio lol
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I love it when the first Instant Pot recipe is a success. That decreases the chances of a disappointed IP user 🙂 Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂
Nancy says
Hi Neena,
I just tried this recipe as my first Instant Pot and it was amazing! The family ate it up! Can’t wait to try something else.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Nancy, I’m so glad your first IP recipe turned out well. Try the Thai recipes, but make sure you get the ingredients I recommend (online or at an Asian grocery store). Thank you for your review and comment!
Marise Hauber says
I noticed you live in Salt Lake City, so do I. I was wondering where you buy all your spices?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey Marise, great to meet another SLC person! I go to the huge Asian grocery store at 33rd and State St for my non-Indian supplies and I go to Namaste Nanglo on 33rd for my Indian groceries. There’s also an Asian store near Liberty Park that I like: Southeast Market.
Jeremiah Roth says
Just want to chime in that I also loved this recipe (first time making this but I’ve liked everything I’ve made from this site so much that I always tell anyone with an IP to go to this site).
Anyway, if you live down town SLC, Shop N Go on 6th E and 3rd S is great. I don’t know if there’s anything I’ve needed that they haven’t had. Also grab a bag of hara chiwda for a delicious snack!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jeremiah, great to hear from a fellow SLC resident! I shop at Namaste Nanglo on 33rd 🙂 Thank you for your wonderful comment and review!
Laura says
I made this recipe, even though I typically eat vegetarian. My kids love Chicken Tikka Masala though so I gave this recipe a try! it is SO close to restaurant quality Chicken Tikka Masala. Delicious, rich, and very filling! I ate the sauce with a big bowl of veggies and the kids loved the chicken, and of course the naan we gave them to dip in the sauce. 🙂 I can’t wait to try more of your recipes soon!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Laura – I’m so glad that the kids were happy! Do keep in touch.
Barbara Pratt says
I’m so glad to have found your web site. If I had seen it before trying my first ultra pot eggplant potato curry last night I would have been better off! ( It all worked out in the end but I was caught off guard by the recipe calling for tomato purée. I put in tomato paste instead and had to add a lot of water after getting the ‘burn’ message. I just stopped the cooking, used my wooden spoon to get food off the bottom, added water and stirred. Admittedly, I had to do this a few times before the ‘burn’ message would stop. As a result, my eggplant got over cooked, texture-wise, but we still got the good flavors and nutrition – not bad for a misguided first IP attempt.)
Nevertheless, I’m writing to ask you whether you have ever cooked brown jasmine rice (California);or brown basmati rice ( also California) in your IP. I am committed to using brown Rice’s with my Indian and Thai cooking. I’d like to know cooking times and if the water:rice ratios are different from those I’ve used on my stovetop. Thanks for any help you can give. Warm regards.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Barbara, yes, you can absolutely cook brown rice in the Instant Pot. I generally do it for 22 minutes and it’s perfect. You might need to adjust based on your own IP after trying it out once. I use 1:1.25, but I know some people do 1:1. I don’t soak, just rinse. And I’m glad you found me too 🙂 !
Usha Setlur says
Dear Mss Nina
I made your Chiken Tikka masala as my & his wife both like butter chicken, it was a big hit with them.
Your instruction are so simple & early to follow
Thanks making it easy for people like me who are afraid of the machines!
Usha
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Usha – I’m so glad you liked the recipe and the website! Thank you for commenting!
GordN says
Impressive structure to your instructions, well done!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you! I’m a bit OCD and this comes naturally to me – except that it takes me 3 times longer!
Adriana says
The Chicken Tikka Masala was delicious. Perfect spice and easy to do. To make it easy, set all the ingredients with the right quantities before starting. The only substitutions we did was the butter instead of ghee and chicken breast. Thank you for sharing.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Great point, Adriana – having all the ingredients ready to go – mise en place – is so helpful. I am very happy you liked the recipe.
Shannon says
Made this tonight. The sauce was great. The chicken was flavorless though. Next time I will season, brown and set aside the chicken as a first step. Also, the prep time was over 30 minutes (with pre-cut chicken). There are a lot of ingredients to mince, measure, open … This recipe should be adjusted to read ‘one hour meal.’ That said, looking forward to making more of your IP meals. We love Indian Food and your recipes all look amazing. (Pro tip, soak the rice while prepping, cook the rice while you’re cooking the meal and the timing will be about perfect.)
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Shannon – glad you (sorta!) liked it – thanks for taking the time to comment and add your notes. I think your idea is good. You can also season the chicken with some of the spices and some yogurt for a few hours. I also feel that letting the curry sit overnight allows the flavors to develop – don’t add the cream until you’re ready to reheat it.
Clarie says
Tried this yesterday and it turned out great, The only issue I had with it was the tomato paste. If it was sauteed a little bit it would have gotten rid of the raw tomato taste. But overall good flavor. My kids loved it.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Clarie, do try sauteeing the paste next time. I give those directions to account for all different types of Instant Pots – many have sealing problems and burn message issues. So you can definitely try this and see how it goes.
– Saute the ginger, garlic
– Add the tomato paste diluted with a few tablespoons of water. Press cancel, as needed, to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn.
– Press cancel and add the spices and saute briefly.
– Be sure to deglaze really well with some broth or water and proceed with the recipe.
Hopefully your Instant Pot won’t be persnickety 🙂 and will seal fine.
Thank you for your comment!
Cole says
Awesome. This is the third one of your recipes that I’ve done, and they’ve all been great. I couldn’t find fenugreek or kashmiri chile powder at the normal grocery, but I substituted cayenne and paprika. I also added several habaneros, which I think complimented the other flavors well and made it quite spicy. For the fenugreek, I replaced the honey with maple syrup, and then drizzled in some extra maple syrup when adding the heavy cream because I read online that maple syrup has some similarities to fenugreek.
Hilary Cable says
I love your blog! The way you lay it all out with useful photos of the process and ingredients is great! You mentioned how every Indian restaurant has its own take on butter chicken and tikka masala. The same is true for garam masala. My recipe for this blend is different from yours by a couple of ingredients – every chef has her version. Thank you for sharing – I am going to make tikka masala today!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Hilary, yes! My garam masala comes from my mom, with a few ingredients omitted because they’re harder to get here. I come from South India, and our garam masala does not contain coriander, cumin, etc. like many North Indian garam masalas have 🙂 Thank you for your comment and I hope you enjoy the curry.
Darren says
This looks delicious I can’t wait to try it. Can I use regular chili powder or should it really be the Kashmiri chili powder? also for your Garam Masala, do you use green or black cardamom pods?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Darren, thanks for your question. You can use cayenne pepper or any chili powder without other fillers. I’m not sure where you’re located, but here in the US, ‘chili powder’ is usually the Mexican chili powder which has other spices added. If you’re using plain chili powder, you might want to adjust the quantity because Kashmiri chili powder is fairly mild. For the garam masala, I use green cardamom pods.
Darren says
I did end up getting the Kashmiri chili powder, it turned out great! Love the recipe! My wife made me use chicken breast instead of thigh, it will be even better next time using the thighs!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Lol! Some people can’t stand dark meat chicken, and I don’t use anything but dark meat – so I’d have to agree with you 🙂 You can also try and do something different by cooking whole bone-in thighs for about 10 minutes. Apply some salt and spices to the chicken ahead of time, and let it sit for a few hours and proceed with the recipe.