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This Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is an easy and flavorful weeknight dinner made with chicken in a creamy tomato-based sauce with a lot of bold spices. Always a family favorite.

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala-3

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Easy Weeknight Dinner

Instant Pot dinner recipes are favorite for busy weeknights – they are so easy to make, very hands-off and the clean-up is a breeze. I also love that dinner usually takes only about 30 minutes from the refrigerator to the table. And even though, they cook so quickly, the flavors are always so rich and delicious. Perfect if you are looking for healthy dinners that also taste amazing! Ditch the take-out and join the Instant Pot revolution with these Instant Pot recipes on the blog.

Make sure you also try my other Instant Pot recipes – Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice, Instant Pot Pot Roast with Vegetables and Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Why you will love this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe!

  • Quick & easy: It takes only about 10 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of cook time in the pressure cooker. This recipe for chicken tikka masala is definitely one of my favorite quick family meals.
  • Flavorful: All the flavor is in this delicious tomato-based sauce made with several bold spices from the Indian cuisine.
  • Comfort food: This pressure cooker tikka masala recipe is a delicious comforing meal and everyone will be asking for seconds.

Ingredients And Substitutions

For a full ingredients list with measurements, check the recipe card below.

chicken marinade ingredients
Chicken marinade ingredients
Tikka Masala Sauce ingredients
Tikka Masala Sauce
  • Chicken breasts: You can use chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs. Dice the chicken breasts in 1″ chunks
  • Greek yogurt: I prefer to use organic plain Greek yogurt but you could also use any dairy-free yogurt
  • Heavy whipping cream: For a dairy-free version, you could also use full-fat coconut milk or cream instead.
  • Seasonings: garam masala, ground cumin, paprika, turmeric, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, kosher salt and black pepper
  • Vegetables: yellow onion, a few cloves garlic, and fresh ginger
  • Tomato puree: Or diluted tomato paste
  • Lemon juice
  • Butter

How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala in the Pressure Cooker

marinating chicken with yogurt and spices
  1. Marinate chicken: In a large bowl, mix all marinade ingredients thoroughly, ensuring the chicken is fully coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 48 hours.
sauteing aromatics
  1. Sauté aromatics: Turn on the Instant Pot to the ‘Sauté’ setting. Melt the butter and add onion, garlic, ginger, and spices (garam masala, cumin, paprika, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, salt, and black pepper). Stir and cook for 2–3 minutes until the onion softens.
cooking chicken tikka masala in instant pot
  1. Add chicken & puree: Add the tomato puree and marinated chicken (with the marinade) to the pot. Stir well. Cancel the ‘Sauté’ setting.
pressure cooking
  1. Pressure cook: Close the lid, set the Instant Pot to ‘Manual’ (high pressure) for 6 minutes, and let it cook. 
  1. Release pressure: Once done, move the steam release valve to quickly release the pressure.
adding heavy cream to chicken tikka masala
  1. Finish & serve: Stir in the heavy cream and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve warm over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN

Recipe Notes and Tips

  • Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes for the most tender chicken (if you have time, marinate the bite-sized pieces overnight). Marinating the chicken in yogurt and lemon juice will tenderize the meat, and the spices will infuse it with additional flavor.
  • Don’t omit any of the spices for best flavor! Popular spices found in Indian Chicken Tikka Masala are garam masala spice blend (cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon), turmeric, paprika, cayenne pepper. And of course the fresh garlic and ginger add a lot of fresh flavor to the recipe as well.
  • In order to achieve a thick sauce (instead of a soup-like consistency) use tomato puree or diluted tomato paste instead of tomato sauce. Add 1/2 cup of water to 1/2 cup of tomato paste.
Indian Chicken Tikka Masala

Perfect Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipe

This Instant Pot chicken recipe is perfect for meal prep. It requires very minimal prep work since it has only 6 simple main ingredients (chicken, yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato puree) and the rest are spices.

You can marinate the chicken and store it in the refrigerator for a couple of days until it’s time to cook. Chop the onion, garlic, and ginger, and store them in the fridge.

On the day of cooking, saute the vegetables in the Instant Pot, add marinated chicken, tomato puree, and spices, and cook for 6 minutes. Doesn’t get easier than that!

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala recipe with rice (I prefer jasmine or basmati rice) but any long grain rice would do. If you want to make it low-carb, whole30, and paleo, you can serve it with cauliflower rice. You can also serve it with naan.

Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Recipe FAQs

Can you freeze Chicken Tikka Masala?

You can freeze Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala for 3–4 months. Portion it into containers once cooled. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight, warm in a saucepan, and cook rice as directed.

Other Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

If you are looking for more delicious chicken recipes made in the Instant Pot, check these out. They will not disappoint.

If you enjoyed this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

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Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala-3
5 from 17 votes

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Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

This Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is an easy and flavorful weeknight dinner made with chicken in a creamy tomato based sauce with a lot of bold spices. Always a family favorite.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Pressure Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
Servings: 6

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Ingredients 
 

Chicken Marinade

Tikka Masala Sauce

Instructions 

  • Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and mix thoroughly so that each piece of chicken is fully coated in the yogurt mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 48 hours.
  • Turn on your Instant Pot to the ‘Saute’ setting. Add the butter, chopped onion, minced garlic & ginger, and all spices (garam masala, cumin, paprika, turmeric, coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper). Stir and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion softens. 
  • Add the tomato puree and the chicken (along with the marinade) to the pot. Stir everything. Cancel the ‘Saute’ setting, close the lid, and select the ‘Manual’ setting, and adjust to 6 minutes on high pressure. 
  • Once the cook cycle is complete, carefully move the steam release valve to quickly release pressure. 
  • Add the heavy whipping cream, and season with more salt and black pepper, if necessary. 
  • Serve warm over rice, and garnish with cilantro.

Video

Notes

  • Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes for the most tender chicken (if you have time, marinate the bite-sized pieces overnight). Marinating the chicken in yogurt and lemon juice will tenderize the meat, and the spices will infuse it with additional flavor.
  • Don’t omit any of the spices for best flavor! Popular spices found in Indian Chicken Tikka Masala are garam masala spice blend (cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon), turmeric, paprika, cayenne pepper. And of course the fresh garlic and ginger add a lot of fresh flavor to the recipe as well.
  • In order to achieve a thick sauce (instead of a soup-like consistency) use tomato puree or diluted tomato paste instead of tomato sauce. Add 1/2 cup of water to 1/2 cup of tomato paste.

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 1184mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1160IU | Vitamin C: 8.6mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.9mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this recipe is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. I am not a doctor or a dietitian. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance regarding your diet or health. For more details, please read my full disclosure page.

About Neli Howard

Meet Neli Howard, the food blogger and recipe developer behind Delicious Meets Healthy. With over 12 years of cooking experience, Neli shares easy, wholesome recipes made with real ingredients to help you cook stress-free, flavorful meals the whole family will love. Her work has been featured in Healthline, Forbes, CNN, and more.

5 from 17 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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18 Comments

  1. Deb says:

    This was delicious! Best Iโ€™ve ever made, and this is the first IP type Iโ€™ve tried. The sauce is a bit thin, but I might have put in too much coconut milk, which I used instead of heavy cream.

    1. Deb says:

      5 stars
      Forgot to add 5 stars!

  2. Pea says:

    5 stars
    I made a substitution of sour cream for yogurt and cooked it 15mins natural release. It is soo yummy and simple. Will be coming back to this recipe!

  3. Anne E Miller says:

    5 stars
    Tastes amazing!!! Omg!! Only complaint is it burned to the bottom of my instant pot, setting off the burn warning. I followed it to the T. Maybe add water? Idk I’m new to this. But this is the first recipe that did this.

  4. Matt says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! We doubled the marinade for 2lbs of chicken and let the chicken marinate for about 24 hrs in the fridge. Used 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper and it had quite a spicy kick! We appreciate spicy but next time we might knock it back to 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. Served w basmati rice and roasted garlic naan, and ate way too much of it. Can you say “food coma”? Hoping to polish it off w a little bit of French vanilla ice cream but that’s if I can get up off the couch! ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Kate P says:

    I tried this, but my instant pot said “food burn” when it was supposed to be done with the pre-heating. I’ve had this issue with other dishes too. The only way my pressure cook function works is if the grate is in with the food elevated above just liquid.

    1. Neli | Delicious Meets Healthy says:

      I have never had this happen to me but I have an older model IP. I have heard this happen mostly with newer models… I don’t know why. Maybe if you try to add the tomato puree last and don’t stir it in. Yes, and maybe the trivet will help too. Hope it works better next time!

  6. Aimee says:

    5 stars
    I followed the recipe using the coconut cream and diluted tomato paste option. It is delicious! Thank you.