Instant Pot Butter Chicken
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!
Yield: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
For the marinated chicken:
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ 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
- ¾ teaspoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ 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
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- 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).
- 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.
- 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).
- Seal the Instant Pot and set to high pressure for 6 minutes.
- 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.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and remove the insert. Stir in the Greek yogurt then serve immediately.
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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 ½ 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.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 498mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g
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