This dump and go Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala will knock your socks off! I am obsessed with how good this recipe is! This Chicken Tikka Masala is so creamy and delicious, you’re going to want to drink up every last drop of sauce.
Dump and Go Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
I am so excited to share this delicious recipe with you. Ever since I had chicken tikka masala take out, I’ve been wanting to make my own at home. However, with marinating time and cook time on the stovetop, it can take quite a while to make it. Ever since owning the Instant Pot, I just want to do a toss and go kinda thing since it means I can do other things while the meal is cooking.
Even better is that this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala is a dump and go styled recipe. There is no sautéing, no browning, just put everything in (layered of course), and then pressure cook! Okay, maybe there’s a little stirring involved since the coconut milk goes in last. But other than that, this recipe is easy as pie. Bonus, this makes for a delicious meal prep as well!
What You Need To Make This Quick Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- onions
- garlic
- chicken thighs
- paprika
- cinnamon
- turmeric
- garam masala
- passata (aka strained tomatoes)
- salt
- coconut milk
How To Make This Dump and Go Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
- In your Instant Pot, put your ingredients in a layer in this order: onion, garlic, chicken, seasonings (paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, garama masala), passata, pinch of salt.
- Close your Instant Pot, sealing the lid, and set it on manual pressure for 15 minutes.
- Once done, quick release the pressure and then stir in the coconut milk. If you would like a thicker sauce, you can simmer the sauce on low heat on sauté mode.
Tips and Notes on this Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
- You may notice that there isn’t the typical 1 cup of liquid in this recipe. Shocking, I know, but hear me out! The reason I specified the layering is because the onions on the bottom because 1. it helps prevent burning from happening and 2. the onion releases enough water when paired with the strained tomatoes.
- I use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, you can swap it for chicken breasts but the time will have to be adjusted.
- This recipe has only been tested in the Instant Pot Duo 9 in 1 in the 6 qt.
- If you want a less saucy chicken tikka masala, half the amount of coconut milk. I love to drench my rice with the sauce so I love having extra sauce to use.
- Authentic/Traditional Chicken Tikka Masala is usually made with chicken that’s marinated in yogurt, then skewered and chargrilled but this is my lazy easy homemade version so I skipped that to cut down on time. Yogurt is used to tenderize the chicken so if you’d like to do a yogurt marinade, that’s up to you!
- I use these airtight container to store the chicken tikka masala when meal prepping.
- Feel free to shred up the chicken or remove it to cut into chunks before putting the coconut milk in.
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
Instructions
- In your Instant Pot, put your ingredients in a layer in this order: onion, garlic, chicken, seasonings (paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, garama masala), passata, pinch of salt.
- Close your Instant Pot, sealing the lid, and set it on manual pressure for 15 minutes.
- Once done, quick release the pressure and then stir in the coconut milk. If you would like a thicker sauce, you can simmer the sauce on low heat on sauté mode.
RESOURCES AND TIPS FOR MEAL PREPPING
- How To Cook Chicken Breasts Perfectly
- What Is An Instant Pot
- Tips To Help You Meal Prep For The Week Successfully
- Tips for Meal Prepping on a Budget
- 7 Freezer Friendly Chicken Marinades
- 5 Freezer Friendly Marinades
MORE CHICKEN RECIPES TO TRY
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]
Ari Krichiver says
Burned before the instant pot even pressurized. Fail.
Carmy says
I’m sorry to hear. Do you mind sharing what sized pot you are using and what sized onions you put in? Also, did you substitute the passaata or use a different brand?
Mindy says
Made this last night after seeing it on Saturday. It came so good! I had thought the coconut would be too strong but it was perfect. Thanks! I’m going to try to double this next time.
Carmy says
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that you liked it Mindy. Thanks for sharing. I’d love to hear how doubling the recipe goes :)
Ari says
I used an 8-qt. Instant Pot, and and sliced the onions about 1/4′ thick. I could not find passata, so i used tomato puree.
Carmy says
Hi Ari, as this recipe was written for the 6 qt, you would have to add more onions to make sure there’s enough to cover the bottom. Also, unfortunately, tomato puree is thicker than passata which would have contributed to your burn message. Hope this helps!
Marit Halper says
If I make w/ boneless chicken breasts, how long do I cook for? First time using instant pot!
Carmy says
Hi Marit! For boneless chicken breasts, cook at 6 mins per pound!
Angie says
This was so easy, and delicious!!
Carmy says
Thank you Angie!
Joan Roma says
Great recipe, Carmy! Practical and easy! Will give it a try soon. Thanks!
Heather Musto says
This recipe is AWESOME! I will say though, that the end result without sautee for thickening- was rather flat and tasteless to my taste (only my opinion) I sauteed the sauce WITHOUT the chicken in it for 20 minutes and added about 3x the called for salt and a tbsp of butter and OMG the end result was GOLD!!!!! Thank you, Carmy for posting this recipe and giving me the advice to adjust the seasonings as well as sautee advice.
Kate says
I would really like to try this recipe, but where in the world can I buy passata? I looked at Smith’s and Walmart with no luck. It seems pricey to order it online but it must be a more specialty ingredient. Where do you buy it?
Carmy says
Hi Kate,
I’m based in Toronto and I can find passata at all major grocery stores. If you’re in the US, it looks like Wholefoods carries it according to Google!
Kate says
I ordered some online for not too much and look forward to trying it. Thanks!
Sabrina says
Hi! Im planning on making this but I have to adjust for allergies. I need to remove all garlic and onion. Do you think doing do will burn the pot? How do you recommend I adjust? I thought a little chicken stock for liquid and some asafoetida powder to add some onion like flavor.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Carmy says
Hi Sabrina, unfortunately I think removing the onions would cause a burn message as they release extra liquid and helps keeps the bottom from burning. The only thing I can think of is maybe cooking it pot in pot method could be an alternative? However, I have no tried it myself and can’t say confidently how it will turn out!
Elliott says
Tried your recipe to a T, same size IP read about the other comment about the onions so put in 1.5 the amount plus we like onions. Same brand of sauce as well. Got the burn notice. Pulled the chicken add some stock and “scrubbed” the bottom of the pan to clean it off. Add chicken back to try again, burn notice for a second time. Any suggestions, it smelled heavenly and was so disappointed. Thanks so much!
Carmy says
Hi Elliot – I’m sorry that this didn’t work for you. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what went wrong! I’ve tried this many times and never had a burn notice. The only thing I can think of is making make this pot-in-pot method so there won’t be a burn issue. I hope this helps!
Katie says
What can I substitute for the Passata? Is that the same as tomato purée? Thanks!
Carmy says
I have not tried this but on Facebook under this video, a viewer commented “I just made this and used 6 Tablespoons if tomato paste mixed with 3 cups of water. The sauce was very runny but the flavor was excellent. I would use this sub again in a pinch.” Hope this helps Katie!
Kat says
I am excited to try this out. Can the coconut milk in the carton be used as a substitute for canned coconut milk?
Carmy says
I believe coconut milk from cartons are more thin than the ones from a can. It’ll be less creamy and thick so it’s up to you if you’re ok with that!
Mia says
Burn notice and pretty bland taste wise. I’m very experienced with InstantPot and this is one of the few times I’ve had that happen. If I’m ever making again, I will definitely up the spices and use some oil for the onions and garlic. It burnt pretty bad. I used Kirkland tomato sauce instead of the passata. Shouldn’t make that much difference.
Carmy says
Hi Mia – sorry this didn’t work out for you but just a heads up, tomato sauce tends to be thicker than passata sauce which would in theory, increase the risk of a burn notice.
Daniel says
Bland. Followed the recipe exactly and had to deal with the whole “burn notice” and when we finally were able to cook it, it was so watery that we had to simmer it for over an hour to get it to thicken. Still hopeful, we tried it and were shocked at how bland it was. Stick to traditional recipes that can be trusted for flavor and technique. Don’t waste your ingredients with this method/recipe.