Instant Pot Tikka Masala (Vegan Adaptable!)
Instant Pot Tikka Masala using chicken breast or thighs, bathed in the most fragrant Indian coconut curry sauce. A fast and easy weeknight dinner! Vegan Adaptable-see notes!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 pounds chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1-2 inch cubes ( sprinkled with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper) or see notes for vegan version.
- 2 tablespoons ghee ( or olive oil, coconut oil)
- 2 fat shallots, diced ( or sub 1 onion)
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 4-6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced ( or use paste)
- 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds or use ½ teaspoon ground (optional)
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (optional, but good!)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves ( this really elevates the dish, but if you don’t have use 2 bay leaves)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala spice (or make your own)
- ½-1 teaspoon cayenne ( more to taste)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar (or alternative sweetener like honey or agave)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 14 ounce can coconut milk, divided (do not use “lite” coconut milk -it will result in a very thin, soup-like consistency, the thicker the better).
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 2-3 cups potatoes, cut into larger 1 inch cubes ( or cauliflower florets)
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
- 2 cups peas ( either fresh peas or frozen peas, or snap peas, or a combo – add at the end. )
Instructions
- 1
Turn instant pot pressure cooker to Saute function.
- 2
Cut chicken into cubes and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon each, salt and pepper and set aside.
- 3
Saute shallot, garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add whole spices ( cumin, fennel and mustard) and the chicken, and add a little color to the chicken, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices and remaining spices and salt and sugar. Add 1/2 cup broth, and scrape all the brown bits -to prevent the burn error. Add 1/2 cup of the liquid part of the coconut milk, saving the thick cream for the end. Give a stir.
- 4
Set the Instant Pot -if using chicken breast, to pressure cook on high for 7 minutes (9 minutes for chicken thighs) and manually release (throw a kitchen towel over the steam spout). Open the pot.
- 5
Turn instant pot back to saute function, and reduce the liquid by half. (At this point you could toss in some quick-cooking veggies- frozen peas, snow peas, bell pepper, baby spinach, etc.) Stir in the remaining coconut cream.
- 6
Adjust salt and spice level to your liking. Feel free to add more garam masala to taste, or cayenne if you need a kick of heat. If serving over rice, I like to “up” the salt a bit as the rice will soak it up.
- 7
As usual, with pressure-cooked meats, this will taste much better after the chicken has time to soak up the flavor.
- 8
If making the VEGAN VERSION – Saute shallot, garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant. Add all the spices, sauce 1-2 more minutes, letting them toast. Add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Add the sugar and salt. Add the drained chickpeas, potatoes (or cauliflower) and red bell peppers, and give a good stir. Pressure cook on high for only 5 minutes! Manually release to keep veggies from getting too soft. Set Instant Pot to “saute” function, add peas and let them cook five minutes. As the sauce cools, it will thicken.