Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

4.92 from 35 votes

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! [Instant Pot and Stovetop Instructions]

Servings servings

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.

Video

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