Instant Pot Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka Masala is a popular Indian take-out dish. Only problem is it’s made with lots of cream, which isn’t exactly good for the waistline. WW (formerly Weight Watchers) to the rescue with a slimmed down version from The Best of WW Cookbook. It’s a slow cooker recipe that you can also make in the Instant Pot if you need a hit of curry in less than an hour. Directions for both are included below.

The WW recipe calls for 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, which sounds like a lot. Kosher salt has coarser grains than regular table salt and is less salty by volume. Use half the amount of table salt.

You can enjoy chicken tikka masala on its own or serve it with rice to soak up the lightly spicy curry sauce. Totally worth the extra points if you ask me. Finally, we like Indian food on the spicy side. I added 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes to the pot.

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 small onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 Tbsp. garam masala

1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 Tbsp. kosher salt or 1 1/2 tsp. regular table sat

1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

In a 6-quart slow cooker combine all ingredients except the yogurt and cilantro. Cover and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

For the Instant Pot, combine ingredients and cook at high pressure for 8 to 10 minutes, manually releasing the pressure when it’s done.

Stir in yogurt and top each serving with cilantro.

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