Pressure Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

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Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala โ€” ๐Ÿงก๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป Make this Indian favorite at home in 30 minutes in your pressure cooker OR make it in your slow cooker! Juicy chicken is coated with an ultra FLAVORFUL creamy sauce! You don’t need to go to a restaurant because this EASY recipe tastes BETTER!

overhead view of instant pot chicken tikka masala and rice in a white dish

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

I think chicken tikka masala is one of the most popular recipes I see in Indian restaurants or in the ethnic section of the freezer section of my grocery store. 

With this easy recipe you won’t need either the Indian restaurant or the frozen dinner. Whew. And it tastes better than either, I promise. It’s low carb, naturally gluten-free, and new recipes like this will impress your family.

The chicken is juicy, moist, and tender with a richly developed flavor profile thanks to warming spices like garam masala, cumin, coriander, ginger, smoked paprika, and more. The sauce is fragrant, creamy, and I want it on everything!

overhead view of instant pot chicken tikka masala and rice in a white dish

I made the recipe using the a Crock-Potยฎ Express Crock Multi Cooker. It combines the functions of a pressure cooker (i.e. Instant Pot), as well as slow cooker, steamer, sautรฉ/browning, along with 8 built-in preset buttons that effortlessly cook a variety of great tasting meals. You can choose whatever function you need with the touch of a button.

The Crock-Potยฎ Express Crock Multi Cooker can help prepare meals fast, which is perfect for busy schedules and hectic weeknights.

serving of instant pot tikka masala and basmati rice in a white dish with a fork

One of the reasons I tend not to use my traditional slow cookers as much is because I don’t enjoy the step of dirtying a pan to sautรฉ things on the stovetop (but you just have to if you want to develop rich flavor or to sear anything). And then after transferring everything to the Crock-Pot, waiting around for many hours isn’t my favorite. Patience is not my virtue.

With the Crock-Potยฎ Express Crock Multi Cooker, all the challenges are solved! <— Love this.

If you haven’t already, you’re going to want to jump on the pressure cooking  bandwagon and this new multi cooker is going to be your new BFF.

Crock-Potยฎ Pressure Cooker

What’s in Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala? 

To make the marinade and the chicken tikka masala sauce, you’ll need: 

  • Chicken breasts (or boneless skinless chicken thighs)
  • Plain Greek yogurt
  • Garlic
  • Olive oil 
  • Lemon juice
  • Spices 
  • Sweet Vidalia onion
  • Unsalted butter
  • Tomato sauce
  • Heavy cream (or half and half) 
  • Fresh cilantro 

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

Crock-Potยฎ Pressure Cooker filled with easy chicken tikka masala

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Add the tikka masala marinade and chicken breasts to a zip-top bag and allow chicken to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 to 2 hours. 

Once the chicken has had time to marinate, saute the onions and garlic in the Crock-Potยฎ Express Crock Multi Cooker on saute mode before adding the marinated chicken. 

After sautรฉing, I added the sauce ingredients, and switched over to high pressure cooking mode for 10 minutes, and then sealing the lid so it can cook. Allow the steam to release naturally (as opposed to manual release).

I finished it with half-and-half, and this impressive-tasting dish was ready in no time.

portion of instant pot tikka masala in front of a Crock Pot Pressure Cooker

Can I Make Chicken Tikka Masala in a Slow Cooker? 

Yes! If you’re not in a rush, you can use the slow cooker mode rather than the pressure cooking mode, and let things simmer away for hours like you would with a traditional slow cooker. I’ve given detailed instructions on making slow cooker chicken tikka masala in the recipe card below. 

Pressure Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala - Make this Indian favorite at home in 30 minutes in your pressure cooker, or make it in your slow cooker!! Juicy chicken is coated with an ultra FLAVORFUL creamy sauce! You don't need to go to a restaurant because this EASY recipe tastes BETTER!!

Tips for Making Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

This is a very saucy dish, which we love. However, if you prefer less sauce, you can halve the amount of butter and/or cream and use 1.50 pounds of chicken.

A few readers have asked if they can substitute the cream in the chicken tikka masala sauce. If you can’t have dairy, you may get similar results using full-fat canned coconut milk. Or, look for a dairy-free half and half at your grocery store. 

Serve this with rice such as jasmine rice, basmati rice, or even cauliflower rice.

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala โ€” Make this Indian favorite at home in 30 minutes in your pressure cooker, or make it in your slow cooker!! Juicy chicken is coated with an ultra FLAVORFUL creamy sauce! You donโ€™t need to go to a restaurant because this EASY recipe tastes BETTER!!

Storage

In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing leftovers of this Instant Pot tikka masala since the sauce contains so much dairy. I worry it could ‘break’ or split during the freezing/thawing process and have a grainy texture upon being thawed. 

However, there are tons of frozen dinners in every grocer’s freezer case so maybe it will be fine. I haven’t tried.

To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed. Reheat on the stove top or however is easiest for you.

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala โ€” Make this Indian favorite at home in 30 minutes in your pressure cooker, or make it in your slow cooker!! Juicy chicken is coated with an ultra FLAVORFUL creamy sauce! You don't need to go to a restaurant because this EASY recipe tastes BETTER!!

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4.65 from 39 votes

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

By Averie Sunshine
๐Ÿงก๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป Make this Indian favorite at home in 30 minutes in your pressure cooker OR make it in your slow cooker! Juicy chicken is coated with an ultra FLAVORFUL creamy sauce! You don't need to go to a restaurant because this EASY recipe tastes BETTER!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Marinating Time: 2 hours
Servings: 4
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Equipment

Ingredients  

Chicken Marinade

  • about 1.25 to 1.50 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 6 ounces plain Greek yogurt, I use 0% fat
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced or finely pressed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or regular paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ยฝ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ยฝ teaspoon ground ginger

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • one small sweet Vidalia onion, diced small
  • ยผ cup unsalted butter
  • 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced or finely pressed
  • one 15-ounce can tomato sauce or tomato puree
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or regular paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • ยฝ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • ยฝ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
  • ยผ to ยฝ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional an to taste
  • ยฝ cup cream or half-and-half, use a dairy-free milk if desired
  • about 1/4 cup finely minced fresh cilantro, divided for garnishing
  • naan, basmati rice, etc. for serving, if desired

Instructions 

Chicken Marinade:

  • Add all ingredients to a gallon-sized ziptop bag, seal, squish contents around to distribute evenly, and allow chicken to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 to 2 hours (overnight is ideal).

Sauce:

  • Turnย Crock-Potยฎ Express Crock Multi Cookerย toย brown and sautรฉ mode, add the onion, and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes; stir intermittently.
  • Add the butter, garlic, and cook until butter has melted and garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute; stirring nearly constantly.
  • Add the chicken (fish it out of the marinating bag, and discard the bag with the marinade and the marinating mixture), tomato sauce, garam masala, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, ginger, salt, pepper, optional cayenne, cover, lock the lid, and set to pressure cook mode by touching the meat/poultry button on the top lefthand corner. Make sure the steam valve is set to lock on the top/backside of the machine. It will take about 10 minutes for it to ‘preheat’ into the pressure cooking mode and when it has preheated, ’15 minutes’ will appear on the screen. You don’t need all 15 minutes of pressure cooking time. Stop cooking after 10 minutes has elapsed by pressing the stop button.
  • Allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then flick the steam valve with a utensil (the steam that escapes is hot) and remove the lid.
  • Alternatively, rather than pressure cooking you can use theย slow cooker mode and cook for about 4 hours on low or about 2 hours on high, or until chicken is cooked through and sauce is as thickened as desired.
  • After the lid is open, set toย brown and sautรฉ mode, add the cream, stir to combine, and cook for about 2 minutes or until sauce is warmed through.
  • Optionally, allow sauce to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce and thicken in volume. Taste sauce to check for flavor balance and if desired make any necessary tweaks, i.e. more pepper, salt, cayenne, etc. to taste.
  • Portion chicken and sauce into bowls (use a slotted spoon if desired because there is a lot of sauce), evenly garnish with cilantro, and serve with naan, basmati rice, etc. or as desired.

Notes

  1. Step 5 in the directions discusses using either pressure cookingย orย slow cooking.
  2. This is a very saucy dish which we love. However, if you prefer less sauce, you can halve the amount of butter and/or cream and use 1.50 pounds of chicken.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion, Calories: 612kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 53g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g, Cholesterol: 147mg, Sodium: 1730mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Post is brought to you by the Crock-Potยฎ Slow Cooker brand. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.

4.65 from 39 votes (29 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. Iโ€™m making this recipe this evening and am still confused as to add the marinade or toss it out and fish the chicken out of it

    1. Once you’re ready to put the chicken into the pressure cooker, you fish it out of the marinade bag and then discard the marinade. All the other ingredients in the recipe for ‘sauce’ are what creates the sauce.

  2. 3 stars
    Don’t want to sound rude but this is far removed from a standard Tikka Masala. I would change to normal paprika and also add 3 tbsp of ground almonds and a tbsp of brown sugar. Masala is a very sweet dish here in the UK, this is really meaty in comparison.

    Nice try though :)

  3. 5 stars
    It does not get any better then this. This is the best recipe for chicken tikka masala. I almost gave up trying to find a recipe that worked. I am glad I did not. The ingredients are perfect.

  4. 5 stars
    It does not get any better then this. This is the best recipe for chicken tikka masala. I almost gave up trying to find a recipe that worked. I am glad I did not. The ingredients are perfect.

  5. 5 stars
    I’ve made this recipie about 6 times. It’s awesome!!! I use authentic garaham masala from the indian store. I also take the chicken out at the end while the sauce is simmering for another 7 mins in saute mode so I can thicken it up. TASTES delish!!!

    1. Thanks for the five star review and Iโ€™m glad you love this recipe and that’s a good tip about taking the chicken out at the end so you can thicken up the sauce!

  6. 5 stars
    I’ve made this recipie about 6 times. It’s awesome!!! I use authentic garaham masala from the indian store. I also take the chicken out at the end while the sauce is simmering for another 7 mins in saute mode so I can thicken it up. TASTES delish!!!

  7. 5 stars
    This has been my โ€œgo toโ€ chicken tikka masala recipe for quite a few months now, it never disappoints and everyone LOVES it. I usually ended up doubling or tripling the recipe because itโ€™s always requested when we have guests for dinner :) marinading the chicken overnight is definitely key in making this recipe absolutely amazing! Thanks for this awesome winner of a dish!

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this has been your go to chicken tikka masala recipe and that everyone loves it!

  8. 5 stars
    This has been my โ€œgo toโ€ chicken tikka masala recipe for quite a few months now, it never disappoints and everyone LOVES it. I usually ended up doubling or tripling the recipe because itโ€™s always requested when we have guests for dinner :) marinading the chicken overnight is definitely key in making this recipe absolutely amazing! Thanks for this awesome winner of a dish!

  9. 5 stars
    Yes! I make this in the instant pot and itโ€™s 10 mins high pressure, then natural release ten mins, then I take the chicken out and let the sauce thicken up on sautรฉ mode for like 6 mins