Heads up, there's a flavor bomb coming in! This Instant Pot (affiliate) Chicken Curry Recipe is packed full of delicious bite after delicious bite. Plus, thanks to the Instant Pot, it's ready in a fraction of the time! See why this great recipe for Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala.
Why I love Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
This is one of those fun-for-the-whole-family meals. Everyone in my house - from my wife, to the college kids to the four-year-old absolutely gobbles this one up. Personally, I love it's boldness. There's a flavor here that you really can't recreate with any normal meal. Your pallet will thank you!
If you're looking for a non, Instant Pot version, we have a great stovetop Chicken Tikka Masala recipe as well.
What is Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala?
Often associated with Indian cuisine, Tikka Masala is actually the national dish of Great Britain. But, whichever country you choose to associate it with, it's absolutely delicious. Chicken is seared, then stewed in a carefully flavored tomato sauce. We use a slew of spices to really pack a flavorful punch here.
When to make Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala?
Here's what makes this recipe great. Whereas the traditional stovetop Chicken Tikka Masala recipe works best as a Sunday meal, Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is perfect for a weeknight dinner. The Instant Pot really speeds up the process here, getting you from start to finish in under an hour. This is great when you want something totally the opposite of bland.
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Tips and Tricks
- I prefer to start by searing raw chicken thighs in my pot here, because I think that step really builds another layer of flavor. That said, this is also a great recipe to make with leftover rotisserie chicken. Simply skip the step of searing the chicken and go from there.
- There's a lot of flavors going on here, but the key is to build them in layers. Season the meat, season the veggies, season the sauce. Add a little bit each time, tasting along the way. By the time it's ready to serve, you should have a wonderfully built bite through these simple steps.
Let's make Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Season Chicken
Here's one key difference between the Instant Pot version and the stovetop version of this recipe - we're not marinating our chicken in yogurt this time. The reason is simple, the yogurt marinated chicken really stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Plus, the pressure of cooking it this way tenderizes the heck of of this anyway.
So, to begin, combine yellow curry powder, garam masala, tumeric, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well mingled. Lay chicken thighs out on a pan and season both sides well with spice mixture. This will take about ⅔ of your spice mixture. Place pan in fridge for 30 minutes to let spices penetrate.
Turn on that Instant Pot!
Turn Instant Pot to "Saute->More" and wait for display to read "HOT". Add ghee to pot and allow to heat for 30 seconds. Then, add chicken, skin side down. Cook for about 5 minutes, until skin turns nice and brown. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Now, add onions along with to pot and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Next, stir in remaining spice mixture and cook for another minute to toast slightly. Then, add garlic and cook another minute while stirring. Garlic should be nice and fragrant, but not burnt.
Pour in 1 cup of chicken stock and scrape up the fond off the bottom of the pan as soon as it begins to simmer. Get all that fond scraped up so that we get those spices and flavor into the dish. Now, add tomato sauce, ground cashews, bay leaf and freshly grated chicken. Stir everything together well. Place chicken on top of mixture, and pour in any pan drippings that collected while the chicken rested.
It Gets Better Under Pressure
With vent set to "venting" close lid to Instant Pot and twist until the pot chimes. Sitch vent to "Sealing" and set to "Manual->High" for 18 minutes. While Instant Pot (affiliate) is cooking, prepare rice according to directions on package. I run mine in a rice cooker alongside my Instant Pot.
When Instant Pot timer is off, flip vent to "venting" for a quick release. Always be careful of that steam, it's hot! When pressure has released and the indicator valve is down, open the lid tilting it away from you first to release steam opposite your face. Using tongs, remove chicken to a bowl for shredding.
Finishing Touches
In a small bowl, add heavy cream and a ladle of the hot curry from the pot. Stir together for about 30 seconds, bringing the cream up to temp a little bit. Pour mixture into pot. This will help your cream from splitting from being too cold.
Shred chicken from the bone and add meat back to pot, again pouring in any pan juices. Stir in all but a pinch of the chopped cilantro and taste for salt. Turn Instant pot back to "Saute->More" and cook for 2-3 minutes to thicken. When it's reached the viscosity of a thick soup, turn Instant Pot to "keep warm"
To plate, first spoon rice into one side of a wide bowl. Then, ladle curry in opposite site, creating a half-and-half look. Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve hot!
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What to serve with Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala?
A good naan bread is a given, as it works well to soak up your extra curry sauce. A nice mint cucumber yogurt would create a nice counter to the flavor punch of the Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala. If you're feeling extra fancy, a batch of Veggie Samosas could be a great side as well, too.
What to do with leftover Chicken Tikka Masala?
This is a leftover ALL-STAR! Similar to chili, this is a dish that only gets better when it sits in the fridge. Simply combine the leftover rice and tikka masala in a single container, and reheat in the microwave. Keeps well in the fridge for about 5 days. Pro tip: it is a pretty pungent dish, so be mindful of that if you're heating it up for lunch in your office. This is nice a heat-it-up-and-bring-it-back-to-your-cubicle kind of lunch.
Print
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
Description
This is one of those fun-for-the-whole-family meals. Everyone in my house - from my wife, to the college kids to the four-year-old absolutely gobbles this one up. Personally, I love it's boldness. There's a flavor here that you really can't recreate with any normal meal. Your pallet will thank you!
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 yellow onion (sliced)
- 2 oz cashews (grounded)
- 1 green onion (sliced)
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves garlic (diced)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 15 oz canned tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
Prep
- Combine spices in bowl together, then dust over chicken, using about ⅔ of the spice mix. Let rest in fridge for 30 minutes to let flavors penetrate.
- Slice onions into thin half moons.
- Chop scallions
- Dice garlic
Cooking
- Turn Instant Pot (affiliate) to "Saute->More" and wait for display to read "HOT". Add ghee to pot and allow to heat for 30 seconds. Add chicken, skin side down and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Add onions to pot and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in remaining spice mixture and cook for another minute. StAdd garlic and chopped green onion and cook another minute.
- Pour in chicken stock and scrape up the fond off the bottom of the pan as soon as it begins to simmer. Get all that fond scraped up so that we get those spices and flavor into the dish.
- Add in tomato sauce, ground cashews and freshly grated ginger. Stir everything together well. Place chicken on top of mixture, and pour in any pan drippings that collected while the chicken rested.
- With vent set to "venting" close lid to Instant Pot and twist until the pot chimes. Sitch vent to "Sealing" and set to "Manual->High" for 18 minutes.
- While Instant Pot is cooking, prepare rice according to directions on package. I run mine in a rice cooker alongside my Instant Pot.
- When Instant Pot timer is off, flip vent to "venting" for a quick release. Always be careful of that steam, it's hot! When pressure has released and the indicator valve is down, open the lid. Remove chicken to a bowl for shredding.
- In a small bowl, add heavy cream and a ladle of the hot curry from the pot. Stir together for about 30 seconds, then add to the pot. This will help your cream from splitting from being too cold.
- Shred chicken from the bone and add meat back to pot, again pouring in any pan juices.
- Stir in chopped all but a pinch of the cilantro and taste for salt.
- Turn Instant pot back to "Saute->More" and cook for 2-3 minutes to thicken. When it's reached the viscosity of a thick soup, turn Instant Pot to "keep warm"
- To plate, first spoon rice into one side of a wide bowl. Then, ladle curry in opposite site, creating a half-and-half look. Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve hot!
Notes
- If you're looking for a non, Instant Pot (affiliate) version, we have a great stovetop Chicken Tikka Masala recipe as well.
- I prefer to start by searing raw chicken thighs in my pot here, because I think that step really builds another layer of flavor. That said, this is also a great recipe to make with leftover rotisserie chicken. Simply skip the step of searing the chicken and go from there.
- There's a lot of flavors going on here, but the key is to build them in layers. Season the meat, season the veggies, season the sauce. Add a little bit each time, tasting along the way. By the time it's ready to serve, you should have a wonderfully built bite through these simple steps.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: British, Indian
Keywords: Indian, Curry, Chicken and Rice