Butter Chicken! Is it possible to enjoy a lighter version of Butter Chicken without compromising on the authentic flavors? Yes!! Read on for an EASY authentic-tasting butter chicken recipe in your Instant Pot that is ready in 30 minutes with an option to cook rice at the same time. Serve with rice and naan for a perfect home-cooked meal!
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Punjabi Murg Makhani is also known as butter chicken and is one of the most popular Indian dishes across the globe. Smoky flavorful chicken, grilled in the tandoor with the heavenly aroma of the garam masala and fenugreek, dunked in a creamy sauce with an orangish hue from the red chili powder and turmeric - is how I reminisce this dish!
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Difference between Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala
Butter Chicken is a Classic Indian restaurant/roadside Dhaba dish that is cooked in a buttery tomato-based sauce until the chicken is tender, fall-off-the-bone. Indian Butter Chicken is also a sweet and mild curry compared to Chicken Tikka Masala.
Chicken Tikka Masala, on the other hand, is more British than an Indian dish. A national dish of England, chicken tikka masala is made by marinating chicken in warm spices mixed with yogurt and then grilling it in the tandoor-clay oven. The cooked chicken is then simmered in an onion and tomato-based creamy tangy sauce. Here is my popular slow cooker chicken tikka masala recipe.
I recently purchased my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker and have been loving the one-pot cooking experience! Not much cleanup, no babysitting for the food and so many dishes that can be cooked in no time. My go-to Indian chicken curries include Achari Chicken and Shahi Chicken Korma! I also love cooking our favorite Ethiopian Doro Wat recipe as well as Thai curries like Chicken Massaman Curry, Red Curry Chicken, and Panang Curry Chicken in the Instant Pot.
This Butter Chicken recipe uses unsweetened coconut milk and ghee to get the same authentic creamy taste without having to use cream and butter. Best of all the butter chicken is ready in 30 minutes and there is no need to marinate the chicken. Try this paleo-friendly recipe and I promise it will become your new GO-TO recipe for easy weeknight dinners as well as hosting.
How to Make Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos to show you each step. All of the steps and the ingredients are in the printable recipe card just a little further down in this post.
Step 1: sauté onions & spices
Set the Instant Pot on Sauté mode and heat the ghee. Add onions and salt. Cook until onions are soft and translucent for 2-3 mins (with a glass lid on to speed this process). Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, and red chili powder. Mix well and cook until fragrant for 2 mins (photos 1 - 2)
Step 2: Add chicken and tomato puree
Separate the coconut cream and water. Keep the coconut cream aside. Add only the watery portion of coconut milk and pureed tomatoes mixing with spices and deglazing the pot if needed so nothing is sticking at the bottom. Add chicken and mix well (photos 3 - 4).
Step 3: Optional Pot-in-Pot Rice
This is an optional step to make pot-in-pot rice with butter chicken: To make rice, place a tall trivet over the chicken in the instant pot. Place a stainless steel pot with white rice, water, and salt over the trivet.
Step 4: Pressure Cook
Close the Instant Pot lid with the steam release handle to the sealing position. Pressure cook for 8 minutes followed by a quick release. (Note: If using chicken breasts, pressure cook for 5 minutes followed by 5 minutes of Natural Pressure Release)
Step 5: Finishing ingredients & Garnish
Open the Instant Pot, and stir in coconut cream, tomato paste, garam masala, fenugreek leaves, sugar, and half of the cilantro. Add more salt if needed. Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Cook without the lid to allow the curry to thicken for 5 minutes. If the sauce starts to splutter, adjust to Saute(Less). Garnish with remaining cilantro (photos 5 - 8).
Serving
Serve the butter chicken with Homemade Parathas or naan, Basmati Rice or Jeera Rice, and a cooling beet cucumber raita.
Storing
Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the curry for up to 2 months.
More Indian Chicken Curries
Did you enjoy Butter Chicken? Here are some popular Indian chicken recipes to try:
Butter chicken is always a big hit and I often make this one-pot meal when friends come over. It's quick, easy, and delicious. A gathering is not complete without dessert, so finish off the meal with a batch of Almond flour brownies. Your friends will love you for it!
Recipe
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 3 plum tomatoes pureed
- 1 can unsweetened full fat coconut milk allow these to separate - DO NOT shake. Best if left in fridge overnight
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 2 teaspoons sugar skip for paleo
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup cilantro chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to Saute mode and heat ghee. Add onions and salt. Cook until onions are soft and translucent for 2-3 minutes (with a glass lid on to speed this process)
- Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, and red chili powder. Mix well and cook until fragrant for 2 minutes.
- Separate the coconut cream and water. Keep the coconut cream aside. Add half a cup of the watery portion of coconut milk and pureed tomatoes mixing with spices. Add chicken and stir well.
- Close the Instant Pot lid with steam release handle to sealing. Pressure cook for 8 minutes followed by quick release. (Note: If using chicken breasts, pressure cook for 5 minutes followed by 5 minutes of natural pressure release)
- Open the Instant Pot, stir in coconut cream, tomato paste, garam masala, fenugreek leaves, sugar, and half of the cilantro. Add more salt if needed.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Cook without the lid to allow the curry to thicken for 5 minutes. If the sauce starts to splutter, adjust to Saute(Less).
- Garnish with remaining cilantro. Serve the butter chicken with Homemade Parathas and Basmati Rice or Cumin Rice and Cucumber Raita. For a low-carb meal serve with Cauliflower Cumin Rice.
Notes
- Instead of coconut milk, you can use ½ cup of water to pressure cook the chicken and then add heavy cream in the end to garnish
- ¾ cup of store-bought puree can be used instead of homemade tomato puree
- Skip tomato paste if you do not have it, tomato paste adds vibrant red color and thickness to the butter chicken
- Check out my Paneer Makhani recipe that uses the same sauce for a delicious vegetarian option
Nutrition
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Minu A says
I tried the recipe yesterday and it turned out super yum. The best thing was no marination and only 30 mins of total time!! Planning to make again within a week.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you Minu.
JPatel says
Rave reviews on this recipe, thank you so much!
B says
Great recipe, very quick and easy to prepare! I did not use the whole can of coconut cream and this was still pretty creamy and delicious. Of course, the chicken breast meat was so tender when cooked in the instant pot which added to the recipe's success since it tends to get dry.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you for sharing your feedback! I'm so glad you found the recipe quick and easy. Using less coconut cream sounds like a great tweak, and I agree the Instant Pot keeps the chicken so tender.
Sarah says
This is absolutely delicious and so quick and easy! I have loved this Indian dish for a long time but am just now making it for myself in the instant pot. I would like to reduce the amount of hot spiciness though. Which spice should I reduce?
Archana Mundhe says
Hi Sarah, Thank you for your feedback. Make sure you are using Kashmiri Chilli Powder which is very mild, its the onyl spice in this recipe that adds heat. The Garam Masala adds more warmth, but can be added to taste.
Ashley Ambati says
This is a nearly weekly rotation at my house! We love it! I make it in a Dutch oven and it works out perfectly. I use ginger garlic paste as a quick and easy substitute for fresh garlic and ginger and it tastes great. Thank you for this loved recipe!
Archana Mundhe says
You are most welcome! I am so happy to hear that this butter chicken is on your weekly rotation.
EJ says
Yum! I thought the spices were a bit too mild (I did use paprika instead of chili powder because my spouse is sensitive so that's probably on me). My family loves it. I added carrots as well. I think next time I'll use ghee instead of coconut oil but I can see this becoming a regular meal in our house.
Archana Mundhe says
I love the addition of carrots. I also add baby spinach in the end sometimes to make it a one pot meal. And yes ghee will be soo good.
Michael says
Is there a stovetop version of this?
Archana Mundhe says
Not yet, but I will share the authentic version soon.
Mia says
Perfect butter chicken!! Made it for guests and my son, and we all loved it. Easy to make, and restaurant quality.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you!