Instant Pot chicken tikka masala
Yogurt-marinated chicken in a rich, creamy tomato masala that tastes like it simmered for hours, served over fluffy basmati.
- 55 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.19 a serving
- 660 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ lb chicken breasts, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp garam masala, divided
- 1½ cups basmati rice, rinsed
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cans tomato sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 2¾ cups water, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Each serving has about 660 calories, 50 g protein, 68 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.19 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No tomato sauce? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the chicken in a bowl with the yogurt, 1 teaspoon of garam masala and ½ teaspoon of salt, and wash your hands and board.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Put the rice in a medium with 2¼ cups of water and ½ teaspoon of salt and bring it over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes, then take it off the heat with the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Set the Instant Pot to , the butter, and cook the onion 4 to 5 minutes, until .
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Softened. For vegetables it means cooked until they bend and lose their crunch; for butter, left out until it dents easily. Soft onions taste sweet, and soft butter mixes in smoothly.
How you’ll know: Onions squash easily against the pan with your spoon, and butter dents under a finger without looking greasy.
Timer: 4 min 30 sec
Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne and the rest of the garam masala and salt, and for 1 minute, .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Timer: 1 min
Pour in ½ cup of water and scrape the bottom clean, then add the chicken with its yogurt and pour the tomato sauce over the top without .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: Anything stuck to the bottom can set off the burn warning, and tomato on top instead of underneath keeps it happy.Lock the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on HIGH for 6 minutes.
Timer: 6 min
Let the pressure come down on its own for 10 minutes, then vent the rest and check that the biggest piece of chicken reads 165°F.
Timer: 10 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
in the cream until the sauce turns a deep orange.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Fluff the rice and serve the tikka masala over it with cilantro on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Easy chicken curry
45 min
Slow cooker chicken korma
280 min
Chicken saag
45 min
Instant Pot chicken burrito bowls
45 min
High-protein dinners ›Cozy comfort food ›What to make with chicken and rice ›What to make with canned tomatoes and rice ›What to make with chicken and canned tomatoes ›