Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Yes! I succumbed. After years of trying to stay away from the very British interpretation of “curry”, it is time to be fair and accept that some of the British Indian food is absolutely delicious – the chicken tikka masala for example.

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This Instant pot chicken tikka masala recipe is not an average weeknight chicken dinner recipe. It is a bit more involved because it is a two step recipe. Having said that, with a little bit of planning this can be made mid week . Even after a busy day, searing an already marinated chicken and putting it into an instant pot will take a brief few minutes. And keep the leftovers for a couple of days. The flavors only improve with time.

To keep the flavors as close to what you would get in an Indian restaurant in London, there must be that chargrilled flavor. And to bring in those smoky flavors, we are using a few ingredients and a few techniques. Because we want to keep this as simple as possible, there is no grilling involved.

How to make the smoky chicken tikka masala in the instant pot

For this easy chicken tikka masala recipe, we add the smoked paprika, we add fire roasted tomatoes. Sear the marinated chicken in a pan to get that smoky effect. This extra step is worth the effort. All these things together make a dish that is every bit like the one you would get in an Indian restaurant.

You do however have to have a fair amount of spices in a tikka masala. I like to use ground cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne, kashmiri chilli powder and garam masala in both the marinade and the sauce. And my secret ingredient for a really good chicken tikka is Fenugreek leaves and onion powder. The Fenugreek rounds the flavors off and brings the dish together and the onion powder adds an umami.

Substitutions for onion powder and dried fenugreek leaves

Use one medium onion, finely diced and saute it in oil before adding other ingredients to the instant pot. This will change the texture of the final dish and you will also need more oil than what’s listed in the recipe.

The dried fenugreek leaves don’t really have a substitute. It’s also not an ingredient that you may just have laying around. If you have fenugreek seeds powder, use a small pinch in some oil before adding other ingredients.

The fenugreek leaves add that oomph, but is not a make or break ingredient. So skip it if you are not inclined to buy a huge pack of kasuri methi ( dried fenugreek leaves). Fresh fenugreek leaves are a different variety of fenugreek and are not a substitute for this dried version.

Notes : You may be tempted to make it with boneless meat. But if you are not serving it to kids, I recommend keeping the bones in. Also use a combination of breast, thigh and drumsticks. This adds a lot of flavor and keeps the chicken from drying out.

You may be thinking – “There are so many steps involved but I want a simple dish I can cook in the instant pot”. If you divide the process between two days, it becomes more manageable. Marinate on day 1, and cook on day 2.

Sometimes life happens and you are unable to plan ahead. You can still make a pretty good chicken tikka masala. You will just have to do all the steps in the same day. But remember to give the chicken time to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is Instant Pot Favorites, and our host is Karen who blogs at Karen’s Kitchen Stories. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious fiesta inspired dishes!