Indian Chicken Masala Curry (Instant Pot + Stovetop)

Indian Chicken Masala Curry is a bold, spicy, and super flavorful chicken curry made by cooking chicken in an onion tomato-based gravy (gluten-free).

Make it in an instant pot, traditional pressure cooker, or in a pot over the stovetop using my easy recipe.

Here are some of my other favorite Indian chicken curries – Butter Chicken, Achari Chicken, Coriander Chicken, Coconut Curry Chicken, Fresh Methi Chicken, and Ginger Chicken Curry.

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• About This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How To Make Chicken Masala Curry
• Pro Tips By Neha
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About This Recipe

Chicken Masala Curry is an Indian chicken curry where chicken pieces are marinated and then cooked in a delicious onion-tomato-based gravy.

Spicy and full of flavor, this curry is a huge hit at all my house parties and get-togethers.

While this is a home-style curry, you will also find it on the menu of most North Indian restaurants. Everyone has a different style of making chicken masala and the recipe also changes from region to region.

There are many variations of this Indian chicken masala curry like chicken tikka masala, chicken butter masala, or malai chicken but in today’s post, I am sharing the basic chicken masala recipe that is super easy to make and even beginner cooks can easily attempt it.

You can make this curry in an instant pot, in a traditional pressure cooker, or in a pot over the stovetop. I am sharing all the 3 methods in the post below.

This easy chicken masala recipe needs no overnight marination, uses very simple ingredients, and yet is packed with flavors.

You can make it into a dry, semi-dry, or gravy dish, the choice is totally yours.

Ingredients

Chicken – I always prefer skinless bone-in chicken pieces to make the curries as they add so much flavor to it. But if you are not a bone-in chicken person, then use boneless chicken thighs or breasts cut into 1-inch cubes.

Oil – Use any cooking oil that you prefer. I make this curry in mustard oil.

Marination Ingredients – You will need salt, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, and lime juice.

Adjust the red chili powder according to your taste. You can replace Kashmiri red chili powder with cayenne pepper powder.

Spice Mix – This curry gets its flavor from a freshly ground spice mix made using whole spices like whole coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, green cardamoms, cumin seeds, and Kasuri methi.

Fresh Ingredients – You will need onions, fresh tomatoes, green chilies, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).

To puree the tomatoes, just chop them roughly and add them to a blender. Blend until smooth. You can replace fresh pureed tomatoes with canned tomato paste or tomato puree.

Others – You will also need dry red chilies, and plain yogurt (dahi, curd).

How To Make Chicken Masala Curry

Marinate The Chicken

Wash 2 lb (1 kg) bone-in skinless chicken (cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces) with water and transfer the pieces to a large mixing bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, and 1 tablespoon lime juice to the bowl and mix well using your fingers. 

Cover the bowl with a lid and set it aside.

Make The Spice Mix

Add 2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds, 4-5 cloves, 8-10 whole black peppercorns, 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, 3-4 green cardamoms, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, and 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi to a skillet.

Dry roast on low heat until fragrant and slightly browned (1-2 minutes).

Remove the skillet from the heat and let the ingredients cool down for 5 minutes.

Transfer them to a grinder and grind to make a fine powder. Set aside.

Make Chicken Masala Curry

In A Pot Over Stovetop

Heat 3 tablespoon mustard oil in a large wide pan over medium-high heat.

Add the marinated chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes until it is lightly browned.

Remove the pieces to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoon oil to the same pan and heat over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add 2-3 whole dry red chilies (remove the stalks) and 1 cup of chopped onions. Saute for 8-10 minutes until the onions are golden brown in color.

Keep stirring at regular intervals while frying.

Add 1 cup pureed tomatoes and 2-3 green chilies (slit into half) and cook for 3 minutes.

Now add 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and the spice mix that we made earlier and saute for 2-3 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan.

Add ½ cup whisked plain yogurt and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Now add the chicken pieces back to the pan and mix well.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked well.

Stir a few times while cooking.

Check for salt and add more if needed.

Add some water if you like thinner gravy and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (coriander) and serve hot.

In Instant Pot

Press SAUTE button of the instant pot and add 3 tablespoon mustard oil to it.

Add the marinated chicken to the pot and cook for 8-10 minutes until it is lightly browned.

Remove the chicken pieces to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoon oil to the instant pot.

Once the oil is hot, add 2-3 whole dry red chilies (remove the stalks) and 1 cup of chopped onions. Saute for 8-10 minutes until the onions are golden brown in color.

Keep stirring at regular intervals while frying.

Add 1 cup pureed tomatoes and 2-3 green chilies (slit into half) and cook for 3 minutes.

Now add 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and the spice mix that we made earlier and saute for 2-3 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan.

Add ½ cup whisked plain yogurt and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Now add the chicken pieces back to the pot and mix well.

Add ½ cup of water and close the lid of the instant pot. Set the valve to the sealing position.

Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes at high pressure.

Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid of the pot.

Check for salt and add more if needed.

Garnish with 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (coriander) and serve hot.

In A traditional Pressure Cooker

To make it in a traditional pressure cooker, follow the steps until adding the fried chicken back to the pan.

Now close the lid of the cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles on high heat.

Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.

Open the lid, garnish with cilantro and serve.

Pro Tips By Neha

You can add cashew paste, almond paste, sesame seeds paste, poppy seed paste, coconut milk (coconut cream), or fresh coconut paste to this chicken masala curry recipe for a taste change.

Replace mustard oil with coconut oil to give the curry a south Indian twist. You can also use olive oil or ghee to make this curry.

You can keep this chicken dish dry, semi-dry, or with thin gravy.

Bone-in skinless chicken gives the best flavor but you can make the curry using boneless chicken too.

Adjust the red chili powder according to your taste.

Add some heavy cream at the end of the cooking to make the curry richer.

Make a paste of ½ cup cilantro, ¼ cup mint, and 2 green chilies, and add it along with tomatoes to make a green masala chicken.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this Indian chicken masala curry with bread such as Phulka, Tawa Paratha, Laccha Paratha, Naan Bread, Missi Roti, Rumali Roti, or any other bread you prefer.

It also tastes great with Steamed Basmati Rice or Jeera Rice.

You can sprinkle some fried onions over it to make it even more indulgent.

Storage Suggestions

You can store this chicken masala in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2 days.

You can also freeze it for later use. Once the chicken masala curry is ready, let it cool down completely. Place it into an airtight container and freeze for about 2 months.

You can either reheat it in the pan or in the microwave.

Thaw the chicken curry for 2-3 hours over the counter. Then add it to a pan with a little water, and heat it for about 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure that you stir it occasionally in between.

To reheat it in a microwave, place the Indian chicken masala curry in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 3 minutes.

Stir and heat again for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the curry is heated properly. Add some water if the curry looks dry.

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