Instant Pot Butter Chicken
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Instant Pot Butter Chicken delivers restaurant quality butter chicken in the comfort of your own home. Ready in only 30 minutes, this Butter Chicken is extraordinary with a rich and creamy sauce and a fantastic blend of spices.
Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken Recipe
As promised, here’s my super easy butter chicken recipe that’s done in 30 minutes start to finish in an Instant Pot. If you’re wondering if your Instant Pot can develop flavors as rich and complex as other traditional methods, this Butter Chicken recipe is the perfect dish to deliver the answer. And the answer is yes.
This butter chicken is super creamy and full of beautiful spices. It delivers all the flavor of an incredibly popular restaurant dish, all in the comfort of your own home.
Why You’ll Love This Butter Chicken
- This Instant Pot Butter Chicken is so fast and easy to make.
- You’re going to be able to develop tons of flavor in your magic little Instant Pot.
- There’s no need to marinate your chicken as the intense pressure and heat will allow all that flavor to be absorbed by the chicken as it cooks.
- No need to brown your chicken first, as lots of butter chicken recipes call for. It will cook and become so tender just in the sauce itself.
- Spices – Coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, and garam masala. I also used a Kashmiri chili powder which is optional, but if you have it I strongly recommend to use it.
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe today because we want juicy and tender chicken. Chicken breast can also be substituted for thighs.
- Aromatics – Fresh ginger and garlic.
- Liquids – You’ll need water and whipping cream for the rich curry portion of this dish and also for liquid in our Instant Pot. The cream can be substituted for heavy cream or coconut milk or cream. We’re looking for something with a high fat content.
- Tomato – Tomato paste and passata, or tomato puree, are both needed for the sauce base of this dish.
- Butter – Unsalted because we want to control our sodium intake.
- Seasoning – Salt to taste so adjust as needed.
- Parsley – Garnish to be sprinkled liberally on top.
This is the easiest way to make a no-fuss Indian curry that is bursting with flavor! The Instant Pot sautes and pressure cooks the dish perfectly in just 3 simple steps!
Sauté The Garlic And Ginger In The Butter
To begin, check out your manufacturer’s guide for more details on how to use your Instant Pot. While they all pressure cook, the instructions on how to use different models can vary.
Then turn your IP on to the sauté setting. Then add the butter and cook it just until it has melted. Now, add the garlic and ginger to the pot and sauté it for about a minute or until aromatic. It’s very important in this step that you add the ginger and garlic to the pot right when the butter melts and also that you don’t burn the garlic.
Make The Curry
To start, add the tomato puree and tomato paste to the Instant Pot and combine well with the garlic and ginger. Next, stir in the garam masala, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and salt. Then cook the mixture for about 3 to 5 minutes before adding the chicken thighs and water. All the ingredients should be mixed together well and the chicken should be fully immersed in liquid. So if the chicken isn’t fully covered, you’ll need to add a bit more water.
Now, the magic part of pressure cooking! Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the timer to 5 minutes on the poultry setting. Then just sit back and let the curry cook!
Release The Steam And Add The Cream
When the IP is done cooking the chicken, you need to very carefully set the value to the releasing position to let the steam naturally release. This normally takes about 10 minutes. Then you can safely remove the lid.
Next, with the lid off, switch the Instant Pot back to the sauté setting. Then mix in the whipping cream and let it simmer for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. As the curry cooks it will reduce and thicken a bit, which is what you want. However, not too much. If it does thicken up too much you can add a tiny bit of water to thin it out. But it’s better just to watch it closely.
Garnish And Serve
Once the Instant Pot butter chicken is done, transfer it to your favorite dish and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Then serve it hot with steamed basmati rice and warm naan.
What Is Butter Chicken?
This is a modern Indian curry dish. It’s made up of chicken cooked till tender in a mildly spiced tomato based sauce. This dish traditionally takes some time to make, definitely over an hour especially when prepared at home because so much flavor has to develop. But as I’ve always said, homemade is better and I wanted to deliver to you guys a way to make this fantastic dish with as much ease as possible!
What Is Garam Masala?
Garam masala is a staple spice which when translated means “warm spice”. This is because it includes cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander, nutmeg and peppercorns. You can make your own garam masala spice blend if you’d like. Follow this guide for instructions how.
Expert Tips
- Always follow your Instant Pot manufacturer instructions for best and safest use of your Instant Pot.
- If you’re looking to cut calories from fat in this dish feel free to substitute half and half or evaporated milk.
- Spoon this dish over fluffy jasmine rice, serve alongside warm naan, serve it over fries, substitute it for pizza sauce, drizzle it over pasta. This sauce goes on anything!
Storing Leftovers
This recipe will store for up to 7 days stored in a shallow airtight container. It also freezes well. Store again in an airtight shallow container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stove when ready to eat!
Other Great Instant Pot Recipes To Try
- Chicken Shawarma
- Tikka Masala
- BBQ Pork Ribs
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Beef Stroganoff
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Mac and Cheese
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Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
- 8 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger (minced (or paste))
- 1 cup tomato puree (or passata)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 tablespoon coriander (ground)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (ground)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (optional)
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, cut into pieces)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. (See your manufacturer’s guide for detailed instructions on how to use your instant pot.)
- Add the butter and cook until the butter has melted. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute or until the garlic becomes aromatic. Do not cook too long because you don’t want to burn it.
- Add the tomato puree and tomato paste to the Instant Pot and stir. Add the garam masala, coriander, cumin, paprika, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric and salt to the Instant Pot, stir and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken thighs, water and stir everything together. There should be enough liquid in the pot to cover the chicken, so add more water if needed.
- Close the lid (follow the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set the Instant Pot to the Poultry setting and set the timer to 5 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete, should take about 10 minutes. Follow the manufacturer’s guide for quick release, if in a rush. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.
- Switch the Instant Pot to the saute setting (do not put the lid on). Add the whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should thicken and reduce a bit. You don’t want it to reduce too much.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve warm over rice and with naan.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- I strongly recommend reading the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to use your Instant Pot before attempting this recipe.
- Chicken breasts can also be used.
- This recipe will store for up to 7 days stored in a shallow airtight container. It also freezes well. Store again in an airtight shallow container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stove when ready to eat!
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Recipe originally shared September 2017.
Can I make this in the slow cooker?
I don’t see why you can’t!
Can I substitute beef in this recipe? If so how would I change cooking time?
You can, but yes, it will probably take longer to cook and it all depends on the cut of beef you use.
I have now made this over a dozen times. So easy to make yet so delicious. Thank you!!
My pleasure, glad you like it!
Looks delicious! I would like to try it, but could I do it on the stove top? Thank you!
Absolutely! Or you could try my stovetop version of butter chicken here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/butter-chicken/
My son-in-law has made this for us twice (once with chicken thights and once with breast meat) and it was delicious! Now I’d like to make it for a group of friends, but I don’t have an Instant Pot. Can I make this in a slow cooker or stove top or in the oven? If yes, do you have any suggested modifications? Thank you!
Absolutely! You can make them the same way in a skillet with a lid or you could try my stovetop version of butter chicken here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/butter-chicken/
What do I do if my instant pot doesn’t have a poultry setting?
Just use the manual mode, same time.
The flavors were nice, a little Smokey for my tastes. I was surprised no curry was in the recipe! I had to use fire roasted tomatoes, so that may have been part of the smoke! I loved the ease of the recipe, I’ll try again for sure…just modify the smoke a little!
As a relatively new Instant Pot user and first time making any sort of Indian dish, my family really enjoyed this recipe! Served over Jasmin Rice with fresh buttered Naan to scoop it up with – yum! Thanks Jo!!!
My notes:
– I used Ghee instead of butter and though I almost doubled the chicken thigh quantity, the sauce was plentiful enough using all ingredient amounts exactly as listed.
– It was a mild sauce… (Maybe was result of my adding the extra meat). Still flavorful, not necessarily bland.. But just not enough spicy kick for a couple of us. Others certainly enjoyed it as is. Some dashes of hot sauce on the side did the trick for my son and me. Thinking I may add some cayenne next attempt.
This recipe was good, warm and satisfying. I love how quickly it came together. Our usual butter chicken recipe takes at least 4 hours with the prep, marinade, and cooking. I didn’t cut the chicken. I put the thighs in straight from the pack, because I was lazy and I cooked it for 12 minutes instead of 5. I guessed. The chicken was fall apart yummy. At the end I added lime juice and some cayenne pepper because to our taste it needed more of a kick. Will definitely make again but I’ll add the cayenne with the other spices next time.
This was a great recipe. I really didn’t alter it at all. The only thing I did different is that since I made it to eat later in the week, I waited until I reheated it to add the cream.
Next time I’ll double the recipe, this one was really tasty and easy
I loved the butter chicken meatballs recipe so thought I’d try this but the sauce was just okay. Strange because I know the spices are similar/the same.
The sauce for the meatballs was orange, creamy and amazing. This was thinner, red, and just okay.
I am going to use the sauce from meatball recipe next time and do it on the stove.
Our family loves this recipe. If we wanted to double it, do we double all the measurements? I seem to recall there’s something about the liquids that differs with the Instant Pot. Thanks,
I think you can double it, just make sure your instant pot is big enough.
Very easy to follow, but super delicious! Not too spicy, but has amazing flavor! Will be adding this to my regular rotation!
This is a fantastic recipe which my kids love. Have made dozens of time, literally. Even used for parties with lots of amazing comments. Some subtle alterations which really work well – whole milk instead of heavy cream, adding some riced cauliflower at the end (after all has cooked) to hide the veggies inside which kids will not even perceive but eat, and using a mix of 1 lb of chicken breast and 1 lb of skinless boneless chicken thighs if you want a lower fat option. I also suggest a re-saute at the end to concentrate the final blend into something a little thicker than what comes out right after the current times for the pressure cook and release. Thanks so much for this great recipe!
This is stupid delicious. My family loved it. Even my picky 5-year old helped herself to more! Unheard of in our house.
I used bone-in thighs and shredded the meat after the natural release. It was incredible!
Thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure, so glad you guys enjoyed it!