Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala with Lentils
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Chicken tikka masala and lentils are cooked together in an Instant Pot for an easy, gluten free weeknight meal made in under an hour!
It’s official, I am totally obsessed with the Instant Pot! It makes the most delicious meals in no time at all, like this Lentil Chicken Tikka Masala. All of the scrumptious flavors of a slow cooked tikka masala sauce, made in under an hour.
To make this recipe, you begin by using the sauté function on the Instant Pot to cook the onions, garlic, chicken and spices, then switch over to the pressure cooking function to cook the lentils and chicken in the tikka masala sauce. In no time at all, dinner is ready and it only took one pot to cook it all!
The lentils I added to this chicken tikka masala recipe add a good source of plant based protein, potassium and iron to the dish. You can serve the Lentil Chicken Tikka Masala on it’s own, like a stew, or serve it over rice.
Lentils are part of the “pulse” family, which includes dry peas, chickpeas, lentils and beans. Pulses are low in fat and sodium, cholesterol free, an excellent source of fiber and folate and a great addition to a healthy, balanced diet.
Check out these six recipe favorites featuring pulses to add to your weekly healthy dinner menu!
- Greek Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas
- One Pot Vegan Mexican Freekeh with Kidney Beans
- Healthy Greek Turkey Soup with Chickpeas
- One Pot Turkey Taco Soup
- Crock Pot Three Bean Taco Vegan Chili with Pinto Beans, Kidney Beans & Black Beans
- One Pot Mediterranean Sausage & Lentils
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala with Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb chicken, cubed
- 1 tbsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped + more for garnish, if desired
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot, use the adjust button to set on the “normal” setting.
- Add the coconut oil to the Instant Pot, when the display says “hot”, add the onion, garlic and chicken, saute 4-5 minutes, then add the garam marsala, fresh ginger and jalapeno, saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button on the Instant Pot.
- Add the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and lentils to the Instant pot and stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the steam release is set to “sealing”.
- Press the “manual” button and set the Instant Pot to high pressure, then use the +/- buttons to set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes.
- When the cooking time is up, turn off the Instant Pot and wait 10-15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure before unlocking the lid.
- Remove the lid and stir in the coconut milk, cilantro and salt.
- Serve immediately on it’s own or over rice.
Nutrition Facts
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12 Comments on “Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala with Lentils”
My 5 year old daughter loves this and so do parents!
What kind of lentils did you use? Red, yellow? And thanks for the recipe, I want to try it tonight!
Hi Amber, I used brown lentils. Enjoy!
Delicious! We ate it with naan bread. This is a keeper and will definitely make it again!
Love to hear that! Thanks for sharing RJ!
Hi, I was wondering why the coconut milk and salt go in at the end. Thanks!
Can you double this recipe?
Hi Nicole, I made this in a 6 quart Instant Pot and there was plenty of room to double it in this size. As long as your Instant Pot is 6 quart or bigger, you can definitely double it!
no need to add water for the lentils?
Hi Jorge, no need to add water. The chicken broth and juice from the cans of diced tomatoes will provide enough liquid to cook the lentils.
Excellent recipe! Thank you! I doubled the chicken and only put the coconut milk and cilantro in what I was eating. Hoping to be able to freeze or meal prep in individual portions as my husband won’t eat this.
Awesome, thanks Vivian! So glad you enjoyed it!