Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

This classic creamy Indian dish is full of flavor and spice, and can be made in your slow cooker or Instant Pot!! Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala only takes 10 minutes of prep time. A super simple weeknight dinner that is sure to be a crowd pleaser! Paleo, Keto, and Whole30.

I am not sure how many of you have an Instant Pot, but if you haven’t quite jumped on that bandwagon yet, let me just introduce you. You know how much I LOVE my slow cooker.

Well……….If I’m being totally honest, the Instant Pot might be even more awesome!

It cooks meals with the same taste and texture of the slow cooker, but it can cook in the shortest time EVER. Like take this Tikka Masala for example. It took me 20 minutes from start to finish! WHAT?!?! Pretty crazy I know. Now listen, I am not ditching my slow cooker ever because they do have different functions and the slow cooker will be a better option for me sometimes.

I just wanted to make sure that I keep you in the loop and in the know for all things cool in life.

Now let’s talk Chicken Tikka Masala.

What is Chicken Tikka Masala?

One of my absolute favorite Indian dishes!! Chicken Tikka Masala is a tomato and cream based chicken Indian dish with classic spices such as turmeric, and garam masala. In some variations, yogurt or heavy cream is used. In my rendition, we use coconut milk or coconut cream for the creamy portion!

Typical Chicken Tikka Masala is normally made for hours and served a day later. But with a slow cooker or Instant Pot, all the flavors meld much faster.

How to make Chicken Tikka Masala:

This bright and flavorful dish was whipped up on a busy school night last week. Full of flavor and spice (but not spicy), a little creamy texture with the coconut milk, and just downright delicious!

For the slow cooker, mix together the onion, ginger, garlic, and spices with tomatoes in a bowl. Pour in the bottom of the slow cooker, and nestle the chicken on top. Top with chicken broth and cook on low for 4 hours. At the end of cooking, stir in coconut milk, lemon, and top with cilantro to serve!

For the Instant Pot, the biggest difference is we saute the onion, garlic, and ginger in the Instant Pot before we add in the spices, tomatoes, and chicken. Be sure to deglaze the bottom of the pan with chicken broth to prevent the burn signal. Once cooking is complete, add in the coconut milk, lemon, and cilantro.

Below I’ve given directions for BOTH the instant pot and slow cooker. I’ve tried them both and love it equally. It really just depends on time constraints. If you are working all day and don’t have time to program a slow cooker, the Instant Pot may be a great solution for you. If you have a very busy afternoon and want dinner done when you arrive home, the slow cooker option is probably better.

Serving:

My family loves Indian food; it’s a close second place for me right behind my beloved Mexican. This dish is definitely one that I will make often because we all loved it! It works perfectly over rice or cauliflower rice, with salad, or naan. I top with some fresh cilantro to give the dish an nutritional punch, but also balance out the bold flavor.

My Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice is a perfect companion to this recipe!

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Slow Cooker (or Instant Pot) Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe can be made using an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Amy

4.29 from 14 votes

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1- inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp arrowroot starch optional
• Chopped fresh basil or cilantro optional

Instructions

1. For the Slow Cooker:
2. Mix together onion, ginger, and garlic with tomatoes in a small bowl. Add in all the spices and continue to whisk until well blended. Place on the bottom of the slow cooker, add chicken on the top, then chicken broth.
3. Set the slow cooker to low, and cook for 4 hours. Once cooking is complete, add in 1/2 cup coconut milk. Remove chicken for a minute to shred or cut, and place back into slow cooker. If mixture is too watery, add in arrowroot starch to lemon juice. Add to slow cooker for an extra 10-15 minutes and mixture thickens. If not using arrowroot starch, add the lemon juice and serve immediately with fresh basil or cilantro. Season with salt.
4. For the Instant Pot:
5. Select saute on your instant pot and turn to high heat. Once pot is hot add olive oil, ginger, onion, and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring until onion is translucent.
6. Select cancel, and add all the spices to the onion mixture scraping the bottom to form a paste. Add the tomatoes, stir, then nestle the chicken on top. Pour chicken broth on top. Secure the lid.
7. Select manual and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
8. Once cooking is complete, use a quick release. Remove the lid and chop chicken (a fork is fine since it will be nice and tender). Place chicken back into the Instant Pot.
9. Select saute, and simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Add in coconut milk. If mixture is too thin, add in arrowroot starch to the lemon juice, then pour into mixture.
10. Season with salt as needed, and once mixture is thick, serve immediately with fresh basil or cilantro.

*RECIPE UPDATE!! I make this recipe often and have added in an additional tsp of garam masala, because I think it enhances the flavor of the dish.