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Instead-of-Take-Out Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

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This insanely delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala cooks up faster than your favorite restaurant can deliver.

This insanely delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala cooks up faster than your favorite restaurant can deliver.

The Best Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala has been my go-to order from our favorite Indian food take-out place for years. But recently, we had a really, really, really disappointing delivery experience that completely turned me off to my former favorite restaurant. That initial disappointment turned to determination and I decided it was time for me to make my own homemade version.

After all, this isn’t my first try making Indian-inspired dishes. I make a pretty fantastic Lentil Dal and a super delicious Sheet Pan Curried Cauliflower. So why not give Tikka Masala a try? And while I’m at it, why not do it in the Instant Pot?

This insanely delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala cooks up faster than your favorite restaurant can deliver.

What’s in it?

It turns out, my favorite Indian take-out dish is actually easer to make than my favorite lentil dal recipe. This rich, flavorful Indian dish consists of juicy pieces of chicken cooked in a creamy tomato sauce spiced with Indian staples like garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander and garam masala. The creamy consistency comes from the addition of cream or half & half, mixed into the tomato sauce at the end. If you prefer a healthier chicken tikka masala, you can easily subtitle light coconut milk or Greek Yogurt for the cream.

How to make Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala?

I made my Chicken Tikka Masala in the Instant Pot for super-easy one-pot cooking. After a quick saute of the onions, garlic, spices and chicken, I added the tomato sauce and pressure cooked everything for 8 minutes. After a quick pressure release, I added the cream and put the pot back on saute to thicken things up for a few minutes. All-in-all, the entire recipe was ready in under 30 minutes.

This insanely delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala cooks up faster than your favorite restaurant can deliver.

Can I make Vegetarian Tikka Masala?

My recipe calls for chicken, which is a pretty traditional dish, but I actually like to save some of the sauce and pour it over roasted cauliflower. You could easily swap 2 pounds of cauliflower florets for the chicken in this recipe for a plant-based, vegetarian Tikka Masala.

This insanely delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala cooks up faster than your favorite restaurant can deliver.

What to serve with Chicken Tikka Masala?

We serve our Chicken Tikka Masala with a side of brown basmati rice and store-bought naan. I also like to make a tray of my Sheet Pan Curried Cauliflower for an extra helping of veggies.

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This insanely delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala cooks up faster than your favorite restaurant can deliver.

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

  • Author: Homemaker’s Habitat
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 50 min
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: Indian
Print Recipe

Description

This insanely delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala cooks up faster than your favorite restaurant can deliver.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-size pieces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
  • 1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk, half & half, heavy cream or Greek Yogurt**
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas
  • Garnishes: cooked brown basmati rice, naan bread, fresh minced cilantro

 

Instructions

  1. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and set aside.
  2. Add the olive oil to an Instant Pot and set to SAUTE. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and cook until the onions begin to soften. Add the garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chili powder. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent and the spices are very fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the chicken pieces, stir to coat with the spices and onion, and cook, stirring often, until the chicken starts to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and remaining salt. Cover and cook on HIGH pressure for 8 minutes. At the end of the cooking cycle, vent the pressure immediately release the pressure.
  4. Uncover and stir in the coconut milk or half & half or heavy cream (if using Greek Yogurt, see notes below). Turn the Instant Pot back to SAUTE. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and let it continue to simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Turn the Instant Pot off, and then stir in the peas (and Greek Yogurt, if using). Serve warm with rice and naan and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Notes

** If using Greek Yogurt, allow the mixture to cool slightly before stirring it in, to avoid curdling. 

Keywords: Chicken Tikka Masala, Take-Out, Chicken, Indian Food