Instant Pot Butter Chicken {Healthy & Authentic}

Butter Chicken! Is it possible to enjoy “healthy” 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.

Punjabi Murg Makhani also know as butter chicken is one of the most popular Indian dish across the globe. Smoky flavorful chicken, grilled in the tandoor with heavenly aroma of the garam masala and fenugreek, dunked in a creamy sauce with orangish hue from the red chili powder and turmeric – is how I reminisce this dish!

Difference between Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala

Butter Chicken is a Classic Indian restaurant / road-side dhaba dish that is cooked in a buttery tomato based sauce until the chicken is tender, fall off the bone. Butter Chicken is also a sweet and mild curry compared to Chicken Tikka Masala.

Chicken Tikka Masala, on the other hand is a more British than India dish. A national dish of England, chicken tikka masala is made by marinating chicken in warm spices, mixed in 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.

I recently purchased my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker and have been loving the one pot cooking experience! Not much clean up, no babysitting the food and so many healthy dishes that can be cooked in no time.

While I was searching for some instant pot recipes, I came across theprimaldesire.com, a wonderful blog with a delicious and healthy recipe for Paleo butter chicken. I am not dairy free, but looking at the ingredient list, the butter chicken that is usually drenched in butter and cream, all of a suddenly looked so much more healthy and appetizing.

The Paleo version uses coconut milk and ghee to get the same authentic creamy taste without all that butter or cream. Best of all the butter chicken is ready in 30 minutes without having to marinate the chicken. I have tried the recipe a few times this recipe has now become a GO-TO recipe for a quick meal as well as hosting.

I am so excited to post my first Instant pot recipe and thought a video to go with it would hopefully make it easier for everyone to follow this recipe. Here is my EASY Instant Pot butter chicken recipe that is now on repeat in my house.

Step by step Recipe to make Instant Pot Butter Chicken:

Step 1 – sauté onions & spices

Set the Instant Pot on Sauté (More) mode and heat 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 there is nothing 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 pot in pot 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 steam release handle to sealing position. Set to Manual/pressure cook mode and cook on high pressure for 8 mins followed by quick release. (Note: If using chicken breasts, cook on Manual(Hi) for 5 mins followed by 5 mins NPR) 

Step 5: Finishing ingredients & Garnish

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, set adjust to Saute(Less). Garnish with remaining cilantro (photos 5 – 8).

Serve the butter chicken with homemade parathas or naan and basmati rice.

Did you enjoy Butter Chicken? Here are some more popular chicken recipes from the blog:

• Chicken Korma
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Mom’s Chicken Curry
• Kadai Chicken
• Shahi Chicken Korma

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 Instant Pot chocolate brownies. Your friends will love you for it!

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4.6 from 54 votes

Butter chicken {Instant pot paleo recipe}

butter chicken -A flavorful chicken with heavenly aroma of the garam masala and fenugreek, in a creamy sauce with orangish hue from the red chili powder and turmeric.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: butter chicken

Servings: 6

Calories: 381kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon 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 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala**
• 2 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
• 2 teaspoon sugar skip for paleo
• 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped, for garnish

Instructions

• Set Instant Pot on Saute(More) mode and heat 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.
• Separate the coconut cream and water. Keep the coconut cream aside. Add 1/2 cup of the 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 position. Set to Manual/pressure cook mode and cook on high pressure for 8 mins followed by quick release. (Note: If using chicken breasts, cook on Manual(Hi) for 5 mins followed by 5 mins NPR)
• 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, set adjust to Saute(Less).
• Garnish with remaining cilantro.** Add more red chili powder and garam masala for spicer version.
  

Video

Notes

Notes:

1. Instead of coconut milk, you can use 1/2 cup of water to pressure cook the chicken and then add heavy cream in the end to garnish 
2. 3/4 cup of store bought puree can be used instead of homemade tomato puree 
3. Skip tomato paste if you do not have it, tomato paste adds a vibrant red color and thickness to the butter chicken 

Vegetarian Options:

• This sauce is so incredibly delicious that I also make a vegetarian version with this recipe. To make Paneer Makhani, skip the chicken and simply follow the recipe and pressure cook. Then stir in cubed paneer to the hot curry after opening the Instant Pot along with the garnish ingredients and cream. Cook on Sauté mode for 5 minutes. Note: Do not pressure cook paneer
• If you have frozen paneer, thaw it first and then add to the sauce. You can also  remove any excess ice, condensation from it by drying it with paper towels and then add frozen cubes as they will cook well in the hot curry

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 791mg | Potassium: 697mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 860IU | Vitamin C: 8.2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3.9mg

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