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Sep 4

Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Paleo
Whole30
Gluten Free
Kid-Friendly
Slow Cooker
Instant Pot
Paleo
Whole30
Gluten Free
Kid-Friendly
Slow Cooker
Instant Pot

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 Rains
5 from 4 votes
Print

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. 

 

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Reader Interactions

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Join the Conversation
  1. Renee Kohley says

    February 21, 2017 at 8:27 pm

    5 stars
    Oh neat! So easy and fast in the IP! I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
  2. Tini says

    February 21, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    Can you taste the coconut milk in this disk? If so, is there something that can be used as a substitute for coconut milk? I don’t generally like coconut flavors in anything!

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      February 22, 2017 at 12:00 am

      Hi Tini! I think the coconut flavor is almost undetected because of the spices and tomatoes, it’s more to give it a “creamy” taste. I also love to use coconut milk as a replacement for dairy products like heavy cream, but if you don’t follow a dairy-free diet, go ahead and use 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or half and half.

      Reply
      • Tini says

        February 24, 2017 at 8:30 pm

        Thanks for the mods, Hopefully I get to try this over the weekend!

        Reply
    • Gina says

      July 15, 2017 at 8:29 pm

      Coconut milk doesn’t taste like coconut.

      Reply
  3. Cristina Curp says

    February 22, 2017 at 7:03 pm

    Oh yum, love Tikka Masala and I love using my pressure cooker. Thank you for including those cooking instructions.

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      February 22, 2017 at 8:14 pm

      You’re welcome! Enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  4. Michele Spring says

    February 23, 2017 at 1:08 am

    Tikka Masala is one of my favorite dishes and I always love trying out new recipes so I can’t wait to try this one out!

    Reply
  5. Katja says

    February 23, 2017 at 6:18 am

    I LOVE tikka masala. This looks so good and so easy. I have to try it!

    Reply
  6. Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says

    February 24, 2017 at 3:51 am

    This looks so delicious! I love all of those beautiful flavors, especially the ginger and the garam masala – one of my favorites!

    Reply
  7. ChihYu says

    February 25, 2017 at 4:10 pm

    5 stars
    I love slow cooker and instant duo recipes ! It just made life so much easier ! Tikka masala is such a great comfort food. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe !

    Reply
  8. Stacey Crawford says

    February 26, 2017 at 4:53 am

    5 stars
    This is one more delicious reason I should get an instant pot! I love tikka masala, and I really want to make this one. I have never made it myself before.

    Reply
  9. Becky Winkler says

    February 26, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    I was just thinking about how I wanted to make chicken tikka masala in my IP! Can’t wait to try this.

    Reply
  10. Jessica DeMay says

    February 26, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    This looks so good and flavorful! My husband always wants big, bold flavor so I think he’ll love this!

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      February 27, 2017 at 4:02 am

      And it’s not too spicy!! Hope he enjoys it 🙂

      Reply
  11. Hannah Healy says

    February 27, 2017 at 3:49 am

    Some more Instant Pot love for my heart and soul!

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      February 27, 2017 at 4:03 am

      YES!!! Love my IP 🙂

      Reply
  12. Carrie Forrest says

    February 27, 2017 at 3:53 am

    This is comfort food for the soul.

    Reply
  13. Erin Carter says

    February 27, 2017 at 3:58 pm

    Oh this sounds so flavourful! Cant wait to try it

    Reply
  14. Kari Peters says

    February 28, 2017 at 2:36 am

    5 stars
    I’m always looking for interesting slow cooker recipes, so I can’t wait to try this one out!

    Reply
  15. Madeline says

    March 7, 2017 at 5:59 pm

    Have you made this with chicken thighs? Any modifications if so? This sounds delish!
    I love my Instant Pot!

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      March 7, 2017 at 7:32 pm

      Hi Madeline, this will definitely work with chicken thighs! I would use boneless and the chicken should pull apart really easily 🙂 Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  16. Dan says

    April 28, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    Looks great! Will the instant pot come to pressure with only the 1/2 cup of broth? I thought at least 1 cup of liquid was necessary? I just want to make sure, thank you!

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      April 28, 2017 at 11:16 pm

      Hey Dan, good question! It works out great because of the juice from the canned tomatoes. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
    • Leslie says

      February 5, 2019 at 8:51 pm

      I forgot the chicken broth when pressure cooking and added it during the final sauté and it still turned out delicious!

      Reply
  17. Kali says

    July 14, 2017 at 9:12 pm

    Love this dish! I make it at least once a month in my instant pot. My husband who grew up in Souther California around all the authentic food says it is almost exactly like the authentic restaurants. Thank you for sharing this recipe

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      July 15, 2017 at 8:09 am

      So glad you love it Kali!

      Reply
  18. Kevin says

    July 24, 2017 at 2:08 am

    Hi I tried following your instructions for the instant pot, but it really didn’t turn out anything like a restaurant tikka masala. It didn’t cook down enough, there were still chunks of tomatoes and not one creamy sauce. Maybe I’ll have to try the slow cook method, but unfortunately there was no instant pot short cut for me.

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      July 24, 2017 at 2:18 pm

      Hi Kevin, sorry it didn’t turn out. If you are using diced tomatoes, you will have chunks of tomatoes (they don’t get broken down by an IP or slow cooker). You can add in extra coconut milk if you want a creamier taste. Also, additional arrowroot starch helps to thicken.

      Reply
  19. Veronica says

    August 8, 2017 at 12:53 pm

    5 stars
    I cooked up your recipe in my crocky using turkey breast. Turned out soooo nice, I just love masala and all the spices of the Indian kitchen. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
  20. Emily says

    August 17, 2017 at 5:04 pm

    Would you increase the cooking time if starting out with frozen chicken breasts? If so, by how much please? I am in dire need of this dish tonight! 🙂

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      August 17, 2017 at 5:22 pm

      Yes, I would increase by two minutes. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        August 20, 2017 at 10:05 am

        5 stars
        Thank you! The chicken breasts were frozen in a large lump, so it took an additional 6 minutes, (then checking), then after separating the chicken breasts another 7 minutes. This was delicious – thank you so much for an outstanding recipe!

        Reply
  21. Cristin says

    August 23, 2017 at 10:15 am

    1 star
    I made this last night, the lemon overpowered the whole dish. I was really disappointed. I think this would have been great without the lemon.

    Reply
  22. Lara says

    September 17, 2017 at 4:28 pm

    If I would double the recipe in the Instant Pot, how much more (if any) cooking time should I do?

    Reply
    • amy@wholesomelicious.com says

      October 11, 2017 at 6:28 am

      Sorry for the late response, Lara! No need to change cooking times!

      Reply
  23. Heidi says

    October 10, 2017 at 10:13 pm

    1 star
    I just finished making this in my instant pot. I found it to be bland and thin even with the arrowroot and extra spoon of marsala. Sad day.

    Reply
  24. Paige says

    December 18, 2017 at 3:32 pm

    Hi! I am brand new to IP cooking – like I’ve-ordered-it-but-haven’t-received-it-yet new – so this may be a newbie question. Do I not cook/brown/sear the chicken before it’s added to the IP with the tomatoes? Thanks! I can’t wait to try your recipe – Tikka Masala is one of the main reasons we’re getting an IP!!

    Reply
    • Amy says

      December 18, 2017 at 6:44 pm

      Hi Paige! Not a newbie question. So yes, you can sear the chicken if you want, but you don’t need to in this recipe. The chicken will have a slow cooker like consistency without the searing (like you’ll be able to shred with a few forks). But you can absolutely sear with the onion if you’d like!

      Reply
  25. Holli Passmore says

    January 15, 2018 at 8:48 pm

    5 stars
    I added salt (probably a couple teaspoons) and only did 1/2 tsp of cayenne for a little less kick and it was perfection! I also added cauliflower rice and spinach to the IP after the chicken cooked and sautéed for an additional few minutes. Turned out exactly as I had hoped.

    Reply
  26. Misty says

    January 19, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    3 stars
    Unfortunately this recipe didn’t quite turn out right. I followed to a T, but I thought the finished product was a little bland. It resembled restaurant chicken tikka masala, but fell short. I added salt and more garam masala after it was all done, but still not a fan. Does the brand of garam masala make a difference? Maybe I just don’t like the brand that I bought?

    Reply
    • Amy says

      January 19, 2018 at 2:04 pm

      Hi Misty,

      Thanks for your comments, they are helpful. To answer your question, I definitely think the brand of garam masala makes a difference. I make it using Primal Palate’s Garam Masala (which is amazing), and I can taste a more bold flavor. With another brand, I had to doctor it up a bit with cilantro and fresh lime juice.

      Reply
  27. Rob says

    January 24, 2018 at 9:41 pm

    I’m making this now. I wonder if a lot of people are finding it bland because store bought chicken had so much liquid in it?

    I find the chicken I buy from Costco has a lot of liquid in it. Maybe omit the chicken stock?

    Reply
  28. Ayumi says

    February 15, 2018 at 8:04 pm

    My first instant pot meal and it was a success! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  29. Jo says

    April 22, 2018 at 5:08 pm

    Not sure what happened but this burned in my Favor multicooker. Never had a problem with other recipes before. Chicken was salvaged.

    Reply
  30. Gina says

    July 23, 2018 at 8:15 am

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it was very good. Next time I will add a bit more garam masala and a little bit of cream to be indulgent.

    Reply
  31. Stephanie says

    July 29, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I love making this meal. However, the finished product always comes out too “soupy”… any suggestions? :/

    Reply
  32. SA says

    August 21, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    Have you doubled this recipe in the instant pot and if so, how does it change the liquid measurements (chicken stock, coconut milk, etc)? Thanks! Love this recipe and hoping to make it for friends!

    Reply
    • Amy says

      August 22, 2018 at 11:37 am

      You can double it. I would keep the chicken broth the same, but double all other ingredients.

      Reply
  33. Jackie says

    January 9, 2019 at 3:43 pm

    Can regular cornstarch be used instead of arrowroot starch?

    Reply
    • Amy says

      January 9, 2019 at 10:59 pm

      Yes!

      Reply
  34. Pauline says

    February 25, 2019 at 11:31 pm

    I added an extra yogurt cup full of free yogurt, some peas, a spoonful of ghee, and doubled the Garam Masala and cayenne pepper and turned out amazing! This recipe is so good.

    Reply
  35. Deb says

    May 4, 2019 at 10:59 am

    Hi, Amy! I’ve been making this in my IP for over a year and it is my go-to comfort food. When we go camping, I make it ahead and just cook riced cauliflower in a pan and heat the tikka masala in our 3-qt IP we bought just for our camper. It makes enough for two nights and is so easy! Oh, and I also add an extra teaspoon of garam masala for a “brighter” flavor.

    Reply
  36. SR says

    November 6, 2019 at 9:32 am

    Why not just add the coconut milk in in place of some of the liquid? I do that when I make dahl in my IP and it comes out nice and creamy

    Reply
  37. Jes says

    November 23, 2019 at 12:39 am

    5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious! Had it over cauliflower rice with a side of garlic roasted broccoli, and it was amazing.

    Reply
  38. Dave says

    April 26, 2020 at 11:07 am

    Made it for the first time last night. Success! I think next time, I will chop the chicken into a little bit smaller pieces (I made them about 1″ cubes, and there were still some big chicken pieces in the finished product) after the 7 minutes in the IP. Any suggestions on making it spicier, other than just more cayenne pepper? Two members of the family liked it as-is, but 2 of us like it hotter. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dave says

      May 7, 2020 at 3:46 pm

      5 stars
      Forgot to rate!

      Reply
  39. Rose Martine says

    July 9, 2020 at 12:51 am

    5 stars
    This recipe looks awesome!!! Since I don’t use grain flour, do you think almond or coconut flour would work well as a substitute? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amy says

      July 9, 2020 at 8:03 am

      Hi Rose, no grain flour in this recipe!!

      Reply
  40. Rose Martine says

    September 7, 2020 at 1:51 am

    You are AMAZING! Thank you thank you thank you so much for this. I was considering doing the same thing and you’ve just made the task a lot less daunting.

    Reply

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Welcome!

I’m Amy, foodie, nutritionist, recipe developer, wife, and busy mom of 2. I am on a mission to create everyday nutritious recipes that taste absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I love comfort food with a healthy twist. Follow me as I share the simple meals I make for my family. I’ll make meal planning easy by telling you exactly what we eat every week! Read More

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