This rich and creamy flavorsome Chicken Tikka Masala will rival any Indian restaurant! Why go out when you can make it better at home? With aromatic golden chicken pieces swimming in an incredible masala sauce, this recipe is one of the best you will try!
How to Make Homemade Tikka Masala
You are going to love this recipe. It is incredibly easy to make and the flavors are amazing. This recipe is great because it tastes better than what you get in restaurants and it’s easy to make.
What Is Tikka Masala?
Tikka masala is a dish, often served as an entree in Indian cuisine. It combines meat–usually chicken or lamb, in this case chicken–with onions and spices. The sauce for the tikka masala consists of tomato puree with yogurt added to it. Most recipes call for ground cumin, coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala and garlic. These are typical Indian spices.
What Does Chicken Tikka Masala Taste Like?
The dish is traditionally made with a creamy, tomato-based sauce which has been slowly simmered. It typically includes onion, garlic and ginger paste as well as ground coriander, cumin seeds and black pepper to create the Indian spice mixture called garam masala. The creaminess in the sauce comes from yogurt or coconut milk, in this case yogurt, while butter provides that rich flavor you get when cooking meats ..
Is it spicy
A lot of people ask if this recipe is spicy. This recipe does have one jalapeno and cayenne pepper in it, for the whole recipe. This will add a small amount of heat, like most Indian dishes, but it shouldn’t make it hot. Make sure to remove all of the seeds and the ribs from the jalapeno if you want to make sure it is not spicy. If you want some heat, you can leave the seeds and ribs or you can add more peppers.
What is tikka masala spice made of?
Tikka masala is a dish in which meat or vegetables are cooked with Indian spices. It’s typically made of tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger. The sauce might also include other ingredients like cayenne and cumin. Sometimes these seasonings will change depending on whose recipe you are using.
What is the difference between tikka masala and curry?
Tikka masala is a rich, creamy dish with layer upon layer of flavor. It’s made from tomatoes and spices like cardamom, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander and more. Curry dishes are typically spicier than tikka masalas because they’re usually made up of black pepper or chilies while tikkas use milder whole green chillies tends to have a sweeter taste. While similar to each other, there is a difference in flavors.
Is tikka masala healthy?
Some Tikka Masala recipes are not considered healthy and can be loaded with fat. This recipe is not. I have taken a lot of the fat and calories out of this recipe and use a lot of fresh ingredients and spices to give all the flavor without the added things that we do not need. It is sweetened with honey, which while still higher in calories, is a better choice than refined sugar.
What is the difference between butter chicken and tikka masala?
The difference between butter chicken and tikka masala is the use of yogurt. Butter chicken uses ghee, or clarified butter, while Tikka Masala uses a mixture of spices that includes ginger, garlic, coriander and fennel as well as yogurt.
While tikka masala and butter chicken are both popular dishes, they differ in how they taste. Tikka masala can have a rich tomato flavor and more subtle spice. Butter chicken is less spicy than traditional Indian cuisine.
Why Make Chicken Tikka Masala in a Pressure Cooker?
Making this in my Instant Pot not only saves time it gives it that long cooked taste. To create authentic Indian food recipes, it usually takes hours to prepare. When using the Instant Pot or another pressure cooker, it saves a lot of time getting the flavors into the meat. It also helps the recipe to not lose moisture which means a great tasting and moist chicken.
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
I have not tested this recipe in the slow cooker but there is no reason you could not adapt the recipe to the slow cooker. It will give the same great flavors just slowly through the day.
How to Store
You want to keep this chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for up to 5 days as long as it is covered well.
How to Reheat
When you are reheating this recipe, you can use the microwave for small portions. If you are reheating a lot, you can also heat it in a pot on the stove top. Reheat over medium high heat.
Can it Be Frozen
You know I love freezing leftovers. I store it in individual size servings because that way I can take out enough for one or 2 without having to reheat it all. With this recipe, the texture changes slightly when it is frozen, it becomes slightly grainy. It still tastes great so I freeze it. Store it in an airtight container like a freezer bag or container and place it in the freezer. It will last for up to 3 months.
What to Serve with this Recipe
There are a lot of things that you can serve with this.
- Rice is a typical side dish, although I tend to use cauliflower rice instead, which also taste great.
- Mashed Potatoes– Some people prefer mashed potatoes with this recipe.
- Veggies- a side of vegetables is always a great idea. My favorite veggies are roasted vegetables.
- Naan- Naan is a typical side dish with everything in India. It is like bread or a tortilla. It is fluffy and delicious and perfect with this recipe. I haven’t tried it but I have heard of people making naan out of 2 ingredients dough.
How Many Weight Watchers Points in Tikka Masala
The chicken tikka masala is a a low point recipe on its own. It is generally served over basmati rice. Rice, however, can be higher in points. I like to serve it over cauliflower rice, especially because cauliflower rice is free. I am including points for serving it both ways.If you serve this Tikka masala with rice the point count is:
- Blue – 6 points
- Purple– 6 Points
- Green– 9 Points
If you serve this with cauliflower rice, the points are
- Blue– 3 points
- Purple– 3 points
- Green – 6 points
More Weight Watchers Recipes
- Weight Watchers Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Chicken Satay with a Peanut Sauce
- Weight Watchers Breakfast Sandwiches – Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit
- Easy General Tso Chicken Recipe
- Weight Watchers Banana Bread
If you’re looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal, this recipe is perfect. The tantalizing aroma will have your family begging for dinner before it’s even ready! Check out the step-by-step instructions below to see how fast and simple cooking chicken tikka masala in the Instant Pot can be.
Ingredients Needed
You will find a complete list of all of the ingredients that you need as well as the directions on the printable recipe card below.
- fat-free Greek yogurt– Learn how to make greek yogurt
- fresh ginger
- garlic powder
- ground cumin
- ground coriander
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
- boneless, skinless chicken breast
- extra virgin olive oil
- yellow onion
- garlic
- fresh ginger
- jalapeño
- tomato paste
- crushed tomatoes
- garam masala
- honey
- fat free half and half
- cilantro leaves
- basmati rice or cauliflower rice
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala
Add the Greek yogurt, fresh ginger, garlic powder, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper to a medium bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, stir together.
Add chicken to yogurt mixture and stir until coated. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour or cover and refrigerate overnight (if possible). When ready, cook in an Instant Pot® according to pressure cooker instructions.
Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot inner cooking pot, and select “Sauté” function. Use the “Adjust” button to set your desired temperature on “Normal”.
Once the pot is hot, add onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeño. Season with salt and black pepper as desired and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and soft.
Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, garam masala, and honey to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
Push the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button to stop sauteing.
Place marinated chicken in the Instant Pot® and put the lid on top. Lock it into place and select High pressure after setting for 10 minutes.
Once cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the IP and doing a quick release. To prevent curdling, temper the half and half by stirring in 2-3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from inside the pot before adding it to your soup.
Taste the chicken. If it needs more seasoning, add some. Then enjoy it with some rice on the side!
It’s easy to see why chicken tikka masala has been around for so long. This dish is a staple in Indian cuisine and can now be found all over the world due to its taste, ease of preparation, and versatility. Whether you want it on rice or naan, there are plenty of ways to enjoy this delicious dish. Enjoy!
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 c. fat-free Greek yogurt- Learn how to make greek yogurt
- 1 T. fresh ginger grated
- 1 t. garlic powder
- ½ t. ground cumin
- ½ t. ground coriander
- ¼ t. cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 T. fresh ginger grated
- 1 medium jalapeño finely diced
- 1 T. tomato paste
- 1 28- oz container crushed tomatoes
- 1 T. garam masala
- 2 t. honey preferably local
- ½ c. fat free half and half room temperature
- 3 T. fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 3 c. cooked basmati rice or cauliflower rice
Directions
- Add the Greek yogurt, fresh ginger, garlic powder, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper to a medium bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, stir together.
- Add chicken to yogurt mixture and stir until coated. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour or cover and refrigerate overnight (if possible). When ready, cook in an Instant Pot® according to pressure cooker instructions.
- Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot inner cooking pot, and select “Sauté” function. Use the “Adjust” button to set your desired temperature on “Normal”.
- Once the pot is hot, add onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeño. Season with salt and black pepper as desired and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and soft.
- Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, garam masala, and honey to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
- Push the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button to stop sauteing.
- Place marinated chicken in the Instant Pot® and put the lid on top. Lock it into place and select High pressure after setting for 10 minutes.
- Once cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the IP and doing a quick release. To prevent curdling, temper the half and half by stirring in 2-3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from inside the pot before adding it to your soup.
- Taste the food. If it needs more seasoning, add some. Then enjoy it with some rice on the side!
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