This delicious Instant Pot butter chicken is styled after your favorite Indian dish. It’s a snap to make and ready in about half an hour!
Serve it with cauliflower rice and this pickled turmeric for a low carb or Whole 30 eating plan.
If you love Indian food, you’re going to love how easy it is to make a pretty darned good replication of your favorite meal right at home!
Making this Instant Pot butter chicken
This recipe starts with whole food ingredients and the spices that give this dish its flavor.
Start by gathering the ingredients, then coarsely chop both the onions and boneless chicken thighs.
Saute the onions in butter. (Can you smell that fabulous fragrance already??) Add the chicken, tomatoes, and spices and put that Instant Pot to work!
Once cooking time has lapsed, you’ll add in the cream. How easy is that??
Low carb Indian butter chicken
Now, while the butter chicken is cooking, you’ll want to prepare the jasmine rice that traditionally goes with this dish, OR cauliflower rice if you’re aiming for a low carb butter chicken.
Then simply scoop the chicken and sauce over the base and serve.
Ahhh. It’s almost like going out to dinner. Or on vacation. Especially if you follow up the meal with a relaxing up of chai.
Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken
This delicious butter chicken is styled after your favorite Indian dish. Serve it with cauliflower rice and it's perfect for a low carb or Whole 30 eating plan.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup coconut milk or heavy cream
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Using the sauté mode, heat the electric pressure cooker until “hot.”
- Melt the butter and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cancel the sauté mode.
- Add the chicken to the electric pressure cooker over the onions.
- Mix together the chicken stock, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red curry paste, cumin, ground ginger, salt, and smoked paprika and pour over the chicken.
- Place the lid on the electric pressure cooker and set the valve to sealing. Program the pressure cooker to “pressure cook” or “manual” for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes prior to a quick release of the remaining pressure.
- Stir the coconut milk or heavy cream into the chicken. If a thicker sauce is desired, remove the chicken from the pressure cooker. Set the electric pressure cooker to “sauté” and cook the sauce for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Serve over rice or cauliflower rice and garnish with chopped cilantro.
