Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala (Whole30 Paleo Keto) – A comforting, flavorful Whole30 compliant dish cooked in the Instant Pot or slow cooker! Paleo and Keto friendly.
When I first bought my Instant Pot two years ago I had no idea the amount of use it would get. After many months of debating if I really needed another kitchen appliance (let alone a pressure cooker!), I can honestly say it has been my best purchase yet. I use it so frequently, it has found a permanent spot on my kitchen counter. It’s excellent for soup/chili, big batches of pork/chicken, and whole chickens. All in a fraction of the time of slow cooker. Its my best friend on meal prep day and makes quick and efficient work of meal time. With all that said, this recipe for Whole30 Chicken Tikka Masala can absolutely be made in a slow cooker if you are not on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet!
The flavors in this traditional Indian dish are so fantastic and fragrant. This is some serious comfort food without any guilt! There are many variations of Chicken Tikka Masala out there, but I kept it Whole30 and Keto compliant by using coconut milk in the sauce. I also used mild spice because my husband is not a fan of spicy things, but some additional heat would be awesome. I serve it with cauliflower rice to make it a complete meal.
I am planning for a round of Whole30 in January and this recipe will definitely be on the menu. It is a favorite with so many readers and best of all, super simple to make. If you too are planning or contemplating a round of Whole30 but a little intimidated by the program, check out my Whole30 Survival Guide that makes surviving a Whole30 simple and doable even for busy families. I’ve even included a meal plan and shopping list with super easy recipes! And be sure to join my Facebook Whole30 Support Group for extra encouragement and ideas!
I also love to make this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala strictly for meal prep and pack individual servings for lunches during the week. These glass meal prep containers are my favorite for packaging prepped lunches.
Tips for Making Whole30 Chicken Tikka Masala
Stock up on staples for this recipe at Thrive Market. Thrive is my favorite source of Whole30 staples, including coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and spices used in this tikka masala. Use my code for 25% off your first purchase!
Play around with the spices depending on your preference. There is a lot of room for upping the spice/heat in this recipe.
Make this for Meal Prep and pack individual servings for lunches.
Variations on Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs are also great in this recipe. Whether using thighs or breasts, this is my favorite source for organic chicken.
After pureeing the sauce, add in some roasted cauliflower florets.
For non-Whole30, add some green peas to the sauce and serve with white rice.
Serve over spaghetti squash or zoodles instead of cauliflower rice.
For More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes, Check Out:
Instant Pot Cool Ranch Chicken
Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Apple Cider Pulled Chicken in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Did you make this recipe and love it too? Please leave your rating and review below!
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee for Whole30
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to Saute. Add butter, onion, and yellow peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes until veggies start to soften.
- Add garlic, ginger, spices and salt and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and coconut milk and stir well to combine. Place chicken on top of mixture. Close the lid and set to Poultry (or Manual setting for 15 minutes).
- When cycle is complete, remove chicken and shred. Using an immersion hand blender, puree the sauce. Add the chicken back to the sauce and adjust seasoning to taste.
For the Slow Cooker
- Combine onion, yellow pepper, spices, salt, tomatoes, and coconut milk in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top. Cook on High 3-4 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Puree sauce using an immersion hand blender and return chicken to the slow cooker.
This recipe was originally published in January 2017 and updated in July 2019.
*this post contains affiliate links
76 Comments
20 Deliciously Healthy Paleo Main Dishes
January 11, 2017 at 1:51 pm[…] Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Whole 30 Paleo [Tasty […]
Kiki adair
March 30, 2018 at 11:42 amI want to triple the recipe, should I cook it longer,? If so, how much longer? I have made this recipe in the past and love it! I want to make for my big family so I need to triple it! Thanks!
Kayla
December 5, 2019 at 3:04 amSo yum! A new family favorite!
Mindy
September 5, 2017 at 6:34 pmSo the newer instant pots don’t have a poultry setting. What would you do there? Also, other recipes say to stir in the coconut milk at the end… this has it before the pressure cooking. Is that bad for the pot?
Thanks for your help.
Nikki
September 5, 2017 at 7:00 pmHi Mindy, you can use your Manual setting for 15 minutes, which is the same as the poultry setting. I haven’t had any issues adding the coconut milk during the cooking process in this recipe and others, but it can easily be added after if you prefer! Thanks and hope you enjoy!
Beth Coombs
November 26, 2017 at 2:04 pmI’ve made this twice already!! Fantastic recipe. Thank you.
Nikki
November 26, 2017 at 3:37 pmBeth – awesome, so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
Karen
December 18, 2017 at 11:48 pmThis was awesome and my family devoured it. Doubled the recipe using 28 oz can of tomatoes and 1 can of coconut milk. I sauted the chicken cut up into bite sized pieces and removed until the end and added after the tomatoes. Added the coconut milk (with one Tbsp. Of cornstarch whisked in) after release and sauted for five min. To thicken. YUM.
Nikki
December 19, 2017 at 1:47 pmKaren, thank you! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Jen
December 3, 2018 at 7:51 pmTrying to follow your guide but I’m confused ha
Melissa
December 30, 2017 at 1:22 pmDo you think this could be made ahead and frozen and then reheated? Thanks
India
January 4, 2018 at 6:51 pmIs the Yellow Pepper a Yellow Bell pepper?
Nikki
January 5, 2018 at 11:28 amIndia, yes! I will make that correction on the recipe. thanks!!
Sara
January 12, 2018 at 10:31 amHave you tried this with frozen chicken breast? Wanting to give this recipe a try, but curious if I need to bother with thawing chicken first
Nikki
January 12, 2018 at 12:08 pmI have not tried frozen chicken in this recipe but I have cooked it from frozen by itself in the Instant Pot. Great results, just takes a little longer to come to pressure.
Tara
January 16, 2018 at 7:21 pmI made it with a hunk of Frozen chicken breasts tonight. I cooked for 25 mins and it was AMAZING!!
Meg
January 14, 2018 at 3:58 pmIs it best to use the natural release or quick release for this recipe?
Nikki
January 15, 2018 at 12:20 pmMeg – I like to use natural release whenever cooking meat from its raw state.
Leane
February 27, 2018 at 9:45 pmI had 5 min of lag time before turning to quick release but only because this was my first time using Instant Pot and the recipe didn’t say, so I made a judgement called. Turned out great. If I had let that sit for another 15+ minutes or more for natural, the chicken would have been way over done, I think. The sauce had such great flavor!
Melanie
January 17, 2018 at 2:21 amHello!
I made this tonight and while it was yummy, mine turned out totally differently! I’ve tried many recipes for paleo Tikka masalas (with chicken, veggies, jackfruit), in instant pots and crock pots, and they always turn out more like a brown Indian stew as opposed to an orange creamy Tikka Masala. I always follow the recipes exactly. Anyone know what I may consistently be doing wrong??
Ellen
January 18, 2018 at 9:05 pmThis recipe was amazing. My instant pot read “burn” after a minute, I depressurized and checked chicken and everything was fine. I added about a half cup of almond milk and cooked it on Manuel for 12 more minutes. I added rice and voila, deliciousness! We will add this to our repertoire. Thank you!!
Kim
January 21, 2018 at 9:37 pmSo… making this recipe was a bit of a bumpy ride at first, but the end result was great. A couple of tips: 1. Place chicken on the rack insert to prevent the “burn” message. I also added a little extra coconut milk. 2. To get the signature creamy, orange sauce put the sauce in the blender (but wait until it cools to do so!).
Natasha
January 25, 2018 at 11:03 pmWow, this was wonderfully tasty, rich and filling. A keeper recipe for us, even when not doing Whole30. Thanks!
Nikki
January 26, 2018 at 10:19 amThank you!! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Kelly
January 28, 2018 at 9:42 pmThis recipe is a winner. My husband is picky and he loved it. 2nd time I’ve made this in 2 weeks. I found that 15 min wasn’t enough time for the chicken to be tender. Checked it and then put it back on the poultry setting for 15 more min. Turned out perfect. Got the burn message but nothing was burnt. I also used the full bell pepper and 3/4 can of coconut milk Bc i didn’t want it to go to waste. Amazing flavor and you wouldn’t know it was so healthy. Thank you!
Nikki
January 29, 2018 at 9:13 amThanks, Kelly! 🙂
Carrie
January 31, 2018 at 10:35 amGood recipe! Thank you ?
Jen
February 15, 2018 at 10:00 pmthis was seriously so good! Thank you!
Nikki
February 16, 2018 at 9:31 amThanks, Jen! Glad you enjoyed it!
Lisa Valerie Morgan
February 23, 2018 at 1:20 pmThis looks so delicious and much less time consuming than the Tikka Masala recipe I’ve currently been using. Just pinned and can’t wait to try it.
Lisa
http://www.prettylittleshoppers.com
Jen Lingeman
March 4, 2018 at 1:06 pmIs the cooking time the same if you Double the recipe?
Nikki
March 4, 2018 at 1:20 pmYes, the cooking time is the same…it will just take the pot longer to come to pressure if you double the ingredients. 🙂
Jen
March 5, 2018 at 7:58 amThank you!
Gin
March 25, 2018 at 9:43 amI had arrow root ready thinking I’d need to thicken the sauce, but it didn’t need it at all.
Fabulous flavor and so easy!
Nikki
March 25, 2018 at 1:27 pmThanks! Glad you enjoyed it!!
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Hadley
June 6, 2018 at 9:34 amWould coconut oil work in place of the ghee/butter? We are dairy free due to my daughter having a dairy intolerance. Thanks!
Nikki
June 6, 2018 at 1:55 pmYes, absolutely!
Jayde
June 7, 2018 at 1:04 amWhen it’s done cooking do you use NPR or QPR?
Nikki
June 7, 2018 at 11:04 amEither works just fine…I prefer NPR for poultry because QR can sometimes result in dry chicken.
Annie
August 27, 2018 at 2:23 pmDo you still need to add 1 cup of water? I just bought an Instant Pot and am confused if you always need to add water if you have other fluid in the pot like coconut milk.
Nikki
August 27, 2018 at 6:36 pmHey Annie – no water is necessary if there are other liquids included in the recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
Donna
September 25, 2018 at 10:04 amWhat are zoodles and would all grocery stores have them
Nikki
September 25, 2018 at 1:19 pmZoodles are “noodles” made from zucchini using a spiralizer. Lots of grocery stores are starting to sell them packaged in the produce dept. Or you can make your own if you have a spiralizer!
Cheryl
September 30, 2018 at 6:59 pmDelicious and quick. My Instant Pot doesn’t have ave a poultry setting so I used Meat/Stew instead. Very good and we will make it again!
Nikki
October 1, 2018 at 7:40 amThanks, Cheryl!
Erin
December 2, 2018 at 3:50 pmIf making in slow cooker, do you still need to cook the veggies or put everything in raw?
Nikki
December 2, 2018 at 4:36 pmHey Erin – you can add the veggies raw for the slow cooker!
Ellen
December 5, 2018 at 9:17 pmDo you know the macros per serving on this? I only see the calories listed. And how many servings this makes? I made this tonight and it was perfect! It will be on rotation. We follow macros and would like to be able to figure out the macros for this recipe. Thanks!
Nikki
December 5, 2018 at 10:34 pmHey Ellen – the recipe is calculated for 6 servings, about 1 cup each. Do you use My Fitness Pal app? I’m pretty sure you can enter recipes there and it will calculate macros for you!
Brittney
December 28, 2018 at 10:25 pmDelicious! My one year old devoured it and my husband loved it as well. I sauted onions, peppers, and mushrooms and added them to finished sauce. And served over roasted cauliflower florets. Thank you for the great recipe!
Nikki
December 29, 2018 at 4:57 amThank you SO much, Brittney! Glad your family enjoyed it!
Elizabeth Vanderheiden
January 21, 2019 at 10:20 pmHow do it make it less spicy? (as you did for your husband?)
Thanks!
Nikki
January 22, 2019 at 1:16 amHey Elizabeth – the recipe as written is the less spicy version. If I’m making it just for myself, I like to up the spice level!
Anna
January 23, 2019 at 2:19 amOk, I don’t normally write on posts but this was AMAZING! Felt like I was eating at a restaurant. And it saved me. I am just over half way done my whole 30 and have really been struggling to not stray. This was the tasty dish I needed! Thank you!!
Nikki
January 23, 2019 at 12:26 pmAnna, thank you so much!! Comments like this totally make my day! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Amanda
January 27, 2019 at 6:22 pmFive stars for sure! My favorite recipe since starting the whole30 on 1/2. So grateful I found this! It has saved me this month. Making for the third time tonight, and this is absolutely going in the rotation in my post-W30 phase. Can’t wait to try with white rice! Haha. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
Nikki
January 27, 2019 at 10:49 pmThanks so much, Amanda!!
Christine
January 28, 2019 at 5:36 pmThis is my first time using my pot. I have a Mealthy pot. I think the chicken breasts might have been too big because they were still raw in the center after cooking. I ended up putting them on the slow cooker function because I needed to leave. Fantastic! I think adding little sour cream would taste delish!
Alyssa
February 12, 2019 at 10:30 pmThe spice mix in this was so tasty! But mine turned out watery. I don’t have an immersion blender, so I skipped that portion, which definitely contributed some. I’m going to blend it up once it cools, but any other ideas how to thicken this up?
Nikki
February 12, 2019 at 10:37 pmSome arrowroot powder dissolved in a little bit of water should do the trick!
Anna
February 27, 2019 at 5:53 pmIf using a slow cooker, do you still use ghee? And if so, do you add it at the beginning or after slow cooking but before the immersion blender? Thanks!
Nikki
February 27, 2019 at 9:43 pmAnna – you would just omit the ghee if using the slow cooker since you are skipping the saute step. Hope you enjoy it!
Tyler
March 23, 2019 at 2:54 pmDo we drain the tomatoes or keep the liquid?
Nikki
March 23, 2019 at 9:58 pmKeep the liquid!
Tom Costigan
June 10, 2019 at 2:21 pmAnyone have any success freezing the recipe? My wife loves it so much!
Andrea
June 17, 2019 at 8:34 pmMy husband and I love this recipe! It is definitely going into regular rotation at our house.
Nikki
June 17, 2019 at 11:44 pmHey Andrea, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a rating and review! Glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Brigitte
July 19, 2019 at 5:29 amHello, I’m planning on making this today, but my chicken breasts are already cut up in little squares. Does thit effect the cooking time?
Nikki
July 19, 2019 at 9:48 amHi there – if your chicken is cut into very small pieces I would reduce the cook time by a few minutes.
Monica Martinez
August 5, 2019 at 9:11 pmHi. Cooking this now. But I added 1/2 cup of coconut milk but noticed the video shows the whole can of coconut milk. What’s the difference? do I need more?
Nikki
August 5, 2019 at 11:33 pmHi! The recipe instructions are correct. 1/2 cup!
Christine S.
September 24, 2019 at 6:47 pmMy family loved it. Thank you.
Nikki
September 24, 2019 at 11:36 pmGreat to hear! Thank you so much!
D ixie
November 30, 2019 at 1:18 pmWonderful recipe Nikki! My husband does not care for chicken at all but mixed with your delicious sauce he could not stop eating! Thank you!!
Nikki
December 1, 2019 at 12:55 amThanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating! So glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe 🙂