Instant Pot butter chicken is a delicious Indian dish with tender chicken pieces swimming in an amazing creamy tomato sauce that’s packed with spices and flavor!

The countdown is on…

My kiddos have spring break next week and we leave on Saturday to drive to Florida for a few days at Disney World and one at Universal.

I’m in full on packing mode and getting SO excited! It’s going to be a packed trip, but considering this visit has been delayed for more than 2 years, we are READY for it!

OK though, let’s move straight along to the food.

Today’s recipe for Instant Pot butter chicken is one that makes me go a bit weak in the knees.

I’m so in love with this dish you guys!

The aroma, the spices, the luscious sauce… it’s all gonna have you drooling as you wait to dive in.

It’s a classic for a reason!

And my original healthy butter chicken is an easy weeknight recipe that I adore.

But I’ve been dying to adapt it for the Instant Pot – cause I love that thing – and that brings us to today.

First things first though.

What is butter chicken?

– Butter chicken is an Indian dish of chicken in a mildly spiced tomato sauce.

– It’s also called murgh makhani or chicken makhani.

Funny enough, it’s not uncommon to not actually use butter in the sauce for a butter chicken recipe.

And it’s not needed. My version uses no butter, is made without any cream and you don’t miss it one bit.

(The creaminess comes from the Greek yogurt. 👍)

It’s got such a rich, flavorful creamy tomato sauce that’s begging to be spooned greedily over all of the chicken and rice on your plate.

Or to be slurped from a spoon as soon as it’s ready…

It’s seriously THAT good!

OK, let’s get cooking.

Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make Instant Pot butter chicken. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making Instant Pot butter chicken: 

• Marinade: I think this tastes best when you let the chicken marinate for at least 45 minutes to an hour. If you’ve only got 30 minutes, that’s good too. If you don’t have time to marinate it at all, just mix it all together first and then start cooking. It’ll still taste great!
• Spices: Garam masala is a tasty blend of ground spices often used in Indian cooking. If you don’t have any, you can substitute curry powder.
• Spicy: Like it spicy? 🌶 You can increase the amount of cayenne up to 1/2 teaspoon.
• Cornstarch: We’re using a cornstarch slurry (made with cornstarch and the liquid from the Instant Pot) to help thicken the sauce at the end. I highly recommend taking the few minutes to do this so the consistency is right.
• Greek yogurt: I use a nonfat or 2% Greek yogurt to stir into this dish at the end. You could try substituting half and half or heavy cream, but I’ve not tested it that way.

Oh, and I never have an issue with curdling, but milk and yogurt can curdle if it heats too quickly, or if it comes to a boil.

That’s why I recommend you remove the Instant Pot insert before you stir in the Greek yogurt.

Also, a quick disclaimer: Instant Pot recipes often fail to mention the time it takes for the pot to come to pressure or to release it.

I have found it misleading when trying to plan, so I wanted to be sure to include it here.

I’ve included 15 minutes of “additional time” to account for the amount of time it will take for the pot to come to pressure and then the time for the quick release. The exact amount of time can vary, but that’s at least a rough estimate.

(The total additional time is 1 hour, 15 minutes, with the hour being for the marinade time. That is adjustable.)

Oh and in case you’re in the market for one, I have and love this 6-quart Instant Pot.

OK, let’s get ready to eat!

As for serving, we love this over steamed brown or basmati rice. You could also use cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.

I love this with peas and sometimes mix them right in with the chicken and sauce to warm them and get them all coated in the sauce. It’s so dang yummy!

You could also use steamed broccoli or asparagus as a veggie side to round out this meal.

Last thing, let’s talk about the leftovers.

How to store leftover butter chicken: 

– Leftover butter chicken, once cooled, can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

– Reheat over medium low in a small pot on the stove or reheat individual servings in the microwave.

– You can also freeze leftover butter chicken. Label, date and freeze it for up to 5-6 months in a freezer-safe ziptop bag or container.

– Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

So much yum in store for you with this dish. I hope you give it a try soon cause I think you are going to love it as much as we do!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 4-6 servings

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

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Instant Pot butter chicken is a delicious Indian dish with tender chicken pieces swimming in an amazing, creamy tomato sauce that’s packed with spices and flavor!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the marinated chicken:

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For cooking:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Place the cut pieces of chicken in a bowl or ziptop plastic bag. Combine all of the marinate ingredients in a bowl and stir well. (It will be very thick.) Pour the marinate over the chicken and stir to coat all of the chicken. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours (see notes).
2. Set the Instant Pot to saute mode. Add the oil and when hot, add the onion. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic, stir well and turn off saute mode.
3. Add the marinated chicken, brown sugar and broth to the Instant Pot. Scrape the bottom to remove any stuck on pieces (which can trigger a burn warning).
4. Seal the Instant Pot and set to high pressure for 6 minutes.
5. Once the time is up, use the quick release to release the pressure from the Instant Pot. Once the pressure has dropped, open the Instant Pot. Add a tablespoon of the cooking liquid from the pot to a small bowl and add the cornstarch. Mix to form a slurry then add back to the Instant Pot and stir into the dish. Set to Saute mode and let the mixture cook and thicken for 3-4 minutes.
6. Turn off the Instant Pot and remove the insert. Stir in the Greek yogurt then serve immediately.

Notes

Marinade: I think this tastes best when you let the chicken marinate for at least 45 minutes to an hour. If you’ve only got 30 minutes, that’s good too. If you don’t have time to marinate it at all, just mix it all together first and then start cooking. It’ll still taste great!

Spices: Garam masala is a tasty blend of ground spices often used in Indian cooking. If you don’t have any, you can substitute curry powder.

Spicy: Like it spicy? 🌶 You can increase the amount of cayenne up to 1/2 teaspoon.

Cornstarch: We’re using a cornstarch slurry (made with cornstarch and the liquid from the Instant Pot) to help thicken the sauce at the end. I highly recommend taking the few minutes to do this so the consistency is right.

Greek yogurt: I use a nonfat or 2% Greek yogurt to stir into this dish at the end. You could try substituting half and half or heavy cream, but I’ve not tested it that way.

Leftovers: Leftover butter chicken, once cooled, can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over medium low in a small pot on the stove or reheat individual servings in the microwave. You can also freeze leftover butter chicken. Label, date and freeze it for up to 5-6 months in a freezer-safe ziptop bag or container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 339Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 498mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 52g