There are just certain days when I just want to eat a meal that is bursting with flavor! And one of my go-to meals would be curry, specifically, this butter chicken (chicken tikka masala) recipe that you can make easily in an instant pot.
Butter chicken is a well-known Indian dish that is famous for its velvety tomato-based sauce and aromatic spices. It is traditionally cooked in a tandoor or clay oven but in this recipe, we will be using an Instant Pot that is much more accessible in most households.
With that in mind, here is how you can make this Indian butter chicken recipe in an Instant Pot very easily!
Contents
How to make instant pot butter chicken recipe
Butter chicken curry is one of my go-to Indian foods because it’s everything I want in one meal – satiating, flavorful, and made with fresh, healthy ingredients! So, if you are craving for an authentic Indian tasting meal that you can do yourself, then try this recipe!
Ingredients:
2 pounds (900 grams) of chicken thighs skinless, boneless, diced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 15-ounce can (425 grams) tomato sauce or passata
1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream or coconut milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 cloves garlic about 5 teaspoons, minced or crushed
2 inch (5 cm) fresh ginger root grated (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or mint or cilantro, for garnish
½ teaspoon chili powder optional
salt to taste
Instructions:
Sautee and melt the butter on your Instant Pot. Then, add the garlic and ginger, and cook for around 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add all the spices and a pinch of salt. Stir everything and cook for a minute. If the mixture is getting stuck to the bottom of the pot, just add a splash of water and scrape it off with a spoon.
Add the tomato sauce to the mix and 1/4 cup of water. Switch off the saute setting, add the chicken thighs (diced into small-sized pieces), and mix everything.
Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and set the vent to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the time for 6 minutes at high pressure.
The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes for the pressure to come and the cooking to start. When the cooking ends, release the steam.
Remove the lid carefully and press on Saute. Stir in the whipping cream (or half and half), and allow the sauce to reduce a little. Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary.
Serve with warm rice and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.
More notes and tips for easy instant pot butter chicken
The ingredients list may look overwhelming at first but this recipe is actually very easy once you start with it. You will basically dump most of your ingredients on the Instant Pot and let the equipment do the cooking!
And because of that, you will most likely not mess up the whole cooking process. But, if you want to make sure that you will get the best result and taste, I have here more notes and tips for the best Instant Pot Butter Chicken.
- You can use either chicken breasts or chicken thighs in this recipe. However, chicken thighs are more tender when cooked and more rich in flavor.
- Do not add water since the chicken will produce enough liquid for the Instant Pot to start the pressure.
- Do not add the cream before pressure cooking as they might separate.
- If you want to substitute heavy cream with a non-dairy option, you can use coconut milk. However, the sauce may not be as creamy as compared to heavy cream.
- For a creamier texture, you can stir in more butter into the sauce.
- You can use tomato sauce or a can of tomatoes that are blended and sieved if you do not have any Passata sauce on hand.
- You can add a bit of sugar to your sauce to make it sweeter. I recommend adding 1 teaspoon of brown sugar to the sauce before pressure cooking.
What to serve with butter chicken
As you can probably already tell, this butter chicken dish is already so filling and bursting with flavor that is why you can eat it on its own and you are already satiated!
But, if you want some ideas on what to serve with your butter chicken, then I have some recommendations for you:
- Basmati rice
- Naan bread
- Roti or chapati
- Fresh salad
- Air fried broccoli
- Air fried Buffalo Cauliflower
- and more!
How to store butter chicken
If you accidentally made a big batch of butter chicken, then do not worry because you do not need to throw away your leftovers. Do note though that the sauce will thicken up. Reheat your butter chicken in the microwave – add a splash of water first and then mix.
You can store your butter chicken leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Why use an Instant Pot?
Sure, you can use a tandoor or clay oven for this recipe but it may take you a bit of time (and energy) to make this meal. With that said, if you are someone who has a long break to do your cooking, then I highly recommend getting an Instant Pot and doing this recipe with it – that is exactly why I’ve made this recipe 😉
Now, you may ask: out of all the cooking equipment, why an Instant Pot? Let me give you some reasons:
First, the Instant Pot is a huge time saver! An instant pot is just what its name means – it is designed to cook food and meals faster than traditional methods or other cooking equipment.
The pressure cooking feature allows for fast cooking which reduces the cooking time by up to 70%. This is perfect for cooking foods that require long cooking times such as meats, grains, legumes – and this butter chicken recipe!
Aside from the quick cooking time, an Instant Pot is also very convenient, easy to prepare, and easy to clean up! An Instant Pot can function as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker, and more – in just one machine!
With that, you will not have to prepare and use a bunch of kitchen equipment and then clean all of them after.
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
This Butter Chicken Instant Pot Recipe is very delicious and can be easily made in your home so you do not need to order takeout from an Indian restaurant! And the best part is that you can make this recipe in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 grams) of chicken thighs skinless, boneless, diced
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 15-ounce can (425 grams) tomato sauce or passata
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream or coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 cloves garlic about 5 teaspoons, minced or crushed
- 2 inch (5 cm) fresh ginger root grated (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or mint or cilantro, for garnish
- ½ teaspoon chili powder optional
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Sautee and melt the butter on your Instant Pot. Then, add the garlic and ginger, and cook for around 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add all the spices and a pinch of salt. Stir everything and cook for a minute. If the mixture is getting stuck to the bottom of the pot, just add a splash of water and scrape it off with a spoon.
- Add the tomato sauce to the mix and 1/4 cup of water. Switch off the saute setting, add the chicken thighs (diced into small-sized pieces), and mix everything.
- Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and set the vent to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the time for 6 minutes at high pressure.
- The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes for the pressure to come and the cooking to start. When the cooking ends, release the steam.
- Remove the lid carefully and press on Saute. Stir in the whipping cream (or half and half), and allow the sauce to reduce a little. Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary.
- Serve with warm rice and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.
I’m Anastasia and I’m a full-time blogger, online entrepreneur, and Pinterest marketing strategist. I help digital entrepreneurs and bloggers drive targeted traffic from Pinterest either through my online courses or through Pinterest consultancy.