You can have a flavorful and tender Chicken Masala in 10 minutes in your Instant Pot® while sticking to your Whole30 diet plan.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 55 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any large areas of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
- 1 large onion, cut into a 3/4-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (see Cook’s Note)
- Cauliflower rice, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Combine the lemon juice, garam masala, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Use a fork or your hands to mix into a paste-like consistency. Add the diced chicken to the bowl and massage the spice mixture all over the chicken using your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Preheat a 6-quart Instant Pot® using the saute setting on high (see Cook’s Note). Meanwhile, mix together the cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Add the ghee to the pot, along with the onion and spice mixture. Saute until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and continue cooking, 1 minute, then add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, 1 minute. Pour in the tomato puree and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn off the pot. Add the marinated chicken to the sauce and gently stir to combine.
- Follow the manufacturer’s guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high 10 minutes. After the pressure cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer’s guide for quick release and wait until the quick release cycle is complete. Be careful of any remaining steam and unlock and remove the lid. Stir in the coconut cream, season to taste and serve over cauliflower rice if using.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 484 |
| Total Fat | 25 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 48 g |
| Cholesterol | 225 mg |
| Sodium | 920 mg |
Reviews
Wow. So tasty! The family declared it a new “must have”. Didn’t realize we were out of ginger when I began to cook, so I substituted with 1/4 tsp of cardamom. Worked great to help bring out the sweetness of the curry.
Really good! My teen daughter’s first experience with tikka masala (or any Indian food) and she liked it! I used regular butter, not ghee, and due to our preferences I used regular paprika, no cayenne pepper and no onions. I could only find regular coconut milk. Despite all that it was a hit and I will make it again.
This is really delicious! I didn’t mess around with ghee (not something you find in my neck of the woods). Regular butter works just fine. I also used regular smoked paprika since that’s what I had on hand. The flavor was fantastic. It was creamy and spicy but not screaming hot. We loved it. I served it over regular rice and it was delicioius. I made a half recipe in my instant pot and did not have any issues at all with burning.
I fully expected to be eating this myself because the kids and husband are not huge Indian food fans, but boy, was I wrong. I can’t speak for its authenticity but it was delicious. Followed the recipe exactly—it was so simple and had minimal clean up. I did not have the “burn” issue that some reviewers did, although it did seem to take a long time to come to pressure (and I usually do get burn messages with many of my instant pot recipes). The spices were complex but not overwhelming, the coconut cream was not at all too sweet and the tomato lent just the right touch of acidity. The onions just melt into this dish. Everyone loved it and I was asked to put it into our regular rotation, which I am happy to do since it was so easy!
I have made this recipe numerous times and it always comes out perfect! I use coconut milk. I serve it with regular rice and naan.
Love this recipe!
This is my son’s absolute favorite dish EVER!!! It is so flavorful and fantastic!! It is super easy to make. My son prefers this over rice noodles but I prefer the healthier cauliflower rice.
Fantastic taste and very easy. Taste even better the next day!
My family really enjoyed this. It comes together easily. Even my husband who has traveled many times to India and LOVES the flavors of Tikka masala said it was a definite keeper recipe. I served it with cauliflower rice and felt it was a reasonably healthy meal.
So good and so fast! I only had canned tomatoes so I used that instead of the other tomato ingredients. It was somewhat soupy but that’s not bad when served over rice