A quick and easy Indian Butter Chicken Recipe that’s made in under 30 minutes. This Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken recipe features tender pieces of chicken smothered in a buttery curry sauce, filled with aromatic spices and herbs that taste even better as leftovers!
Pressure Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken is a buttery chicken that is smothered in a creamy tomato sauce. It’s one of my family’s absolute favorite Indian food dishes that we enjoy together.
This Instant Pot recipe is so simple to make, and frankly, tastes better than ordering from your favorite restaurant. A simple pressure cooker recipe that gives you that low and slow simmer taste, in every single bite.
Optional Add-Ins
- bay leaves
- parsley
- hand-chopped fresh tomatoes – for a more authentic Indian restaurant dish.
Easy Indian Butter Chicken
Exploring the many cultures we have in this world. Along with their food is something I’ve been passionate about since I was a teenager. One of the dishes I was so drawn to make was Indian Butter Chicken.
Watching Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmerman trip around the world and taste everything it has to offer. Has truly inspired me to adventure into the world of food. I’m famous in my family for saying, “What country are we visiting today?”
When it comes to picking which restaurant we are dining in on that day. Indian Cuisine is a new adventure I am on with my kids. I wanted to change things up and create one of our favorite restaurant dishes at home.
Butter Chicken Side Dishes
- Basmati Rice
- Naan Bread
- Saffron Rice
- Saag
- Aloo Gobi
- Samosa
- Kachumber Salad
- Daal
Indian Butter Chicken Recipe
I got to work on creating an Easy Indian Butter Chicken Recipe that I knew my family would love. Serve over a bed of rice for the most comforting dish you could imagine.
If you like Butter Chicken, you will love our recipe. We have had so many delicious dishes throughout the years, but without a doubt, Butter Chicken has to be our favorite. Not only is this dish easy to make, but it features a subtle flavor that packs a delicious punch you can’t go without.
Why Is It Called Butter Chicken?
The name Butter Chicken comes from the butter-based gravy used to give this chicken dish rich and vibrant flavors.
Helpful Cooking Notes
There have been some reports that the Instant Pots have been giving. This is the case for some users, depending on their geographical location.
To avoid getting a burn signal from the pot, DO NOT add the Tomato Paste as instructed in the recipe. Instead, add the tomato paste on top of all the other ingredients before closing the lid.
Health Benefits From Ingredients In Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is loaded with spices and ingredients to help add different dimensions of flavor to this chicken recipe. Let me share some of the health benefits behind a handful of the spices and other components used in this dish.
Indian Butter Chicken Spices
- Garam Masala
- Curry Powder
- Ground Ginger
- Coconut Milk
- Garlic Cloves
Garam Masala. So many benefits are in this one simple ingredient. Boosting your immunity, helping aid in digestion, promoting weight loss, and more. It is also useful for relieving inflammation and reducing pain in your joints. A great spice to have on hand for recipes.
Curry Powder. Reducing Alzheimer’s, bone health, protecting your body from heart disease are a few of the main benefits. Curry is a great spice that blends well with many recipes.
Ground Ginger. You can use ground ginger or fresh in this recipe. Ginger is excellent for nausea and morning sickness, as well as helping reduce pain or soreness. Ginger is also great for helping balance blood sugar as well.
Coconut Milk. High in fiber and loaded with vitamins like C, B1, B3, B6, calcium, magnesium, and so much more.
Garlic Cloves. Garlic is excellent for fighting against colds and flu, lowering cholesterol levels, and even reducing blood pressure levels.
Common Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken Questions
Do I need to marinate my Chicken?
Nope! This recipe was designed to be as simple as possible and does not require you to marinate the chicken.
Why am I getting a burn signal?
To avoid getting a burn signal from the pot, DO NOT add the Tomato Paste as instructed in the recipe. Instead, add the tomato paste on top of all the other ingredients before closing the lid.
What about leftovers?
I absolutely love this dish as leftovers. The longer it sits in the fridge, the more flavors you can taste! In the past, readers have come back to let me know they doubled their recipes to produce leftovers. The leftovers make great meal prep lunches and dinners. Or if you are like me, a midnight snack.
Can I use frozen Chicken?
Of course! That’s what makes this a great weeknight dinner recipe! I have used frozen chicken breast, tenderloin, and thighs plenty of times.
What is the best chicken to use in this recipe?
I personally like to use boneless chicken thighs, but you can use whatever part of the chicken you have on hand. I do suggest that you use boneless chicken to make the cooking process a breeze.
Do I need to use Greek Yogurt?
No, but if you have it, throw it in! I have found mixing in Greek yogurt brings a wonderful contrast to the sauce. It also helps thicken the sauce and just makes everything taste even more amazing.
Is this the same as Chicken Tikka Masala?
No, this dish is much smoother and has a richer buttery flavor. Chicken Tikka Masala has a rich tomato-based sauce that boasts a lot of herbs and spices.
Why does this recipe call for Coconut Milk?
I just love adding coconut milk to my recipes. I am from the Philippines, and we use a lot of coconut milk in our recipes. So it was a no-brainer to add this delicious ingredient to my Indian butter chicken. It, however, isn’t called for in an authentic Butter Chicken recipe.
Is Indian Butter Chicken Spicy?
Technically NO, however, in my dish, I do suggest you add cayenne pepper. Please feel free to omit the cayenne if you are preparing this dish for kids or if you just aren’t a fan of spicy dishes.
Is this an authentic Indian dish?
No, this dish is a westernized version of Chicken Tikka Masala. It gained a lot of popularity with Westerners because of its simplistic ingredients and ability to control the spices.
Pressure Cooker/ Instant Pot Recipe Ideas
We genuinely love this delicious butter chicken, and I think you and your family will too. Please come back and let me know how you like it. Have you ever tried butter chicken?
Pressure Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
This deliciously easy to make Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken is the perfect family dinner. Serve it for your next family dinner with a side of Naan bread.
Ingredients
- 2 lb's of chicken breast or tenderloins diced into 1/4 inch pieces if Frozen No need to Dice
- 1 Stick of Butter, or 1/2 a cup
- 2 Teaspoons of Garam Masala
- 2 Teaspoons of Cayenne Pepper, optional - omit if you don't want heat added to the dish
- 2 Teaspoons of Curry Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp Tumeric (Optional)
- 1 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger OR 2 Teaspoons of minced fresh ginger
- 1 Can of Coconut Milk, In can, sold at any grocery store
- 1 Cup of Chicken Stock
- 1 Cup Chunk Roasted Tomatoes (OR) 1 - 6 oz Can of Tomato Paste (Add at the End)
- 1 Onion Minced
- 5 Garlic Cloves Minced
- Cilantro for Garnishing
- Salt to taste
- 2 Tbs CornStarch
- 1 Tbs Water
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt (Optional)
Instructions
- Turn Pressure Cooker On Saute Mode or press Chicken/Meat.
- Place a stick of butter into the pot and let it fully melt until it becomes foamy and smells amazing.
- Toss in onions and garlic and cook until halfway done, then add the coconut milk, and chicken stock. Mix thoroughly.
- Add the Curry Powder, Ground Cumin, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper, Garam Masala, and salt to taste.
- Place frozen or thawed chicken in the pot and cover with sauce. Cook on Manual for 10 (15 if frozen) minutes or cook meal using Chicken/Meat button.
- Once finished let it sit in the pot for 10 minutes with an NPR. If the lid has not unlocked release the excess steam and remove the lid.
- If your chicken was already diced skip this next step.
- Turn pot back on to Saute or Keep Warm Method. Add the tomato paste or tomato sauce. With a sturdy spoon and fork gently cut/shred the chicken into desired size pieces.
- Mix the cornstarch and water together and then add to the pot, mix well. Let pot boil until sauce is thickened.
- If you desire, add the Greek Yogurt for a more sharp creamy texture.
- Serve over a bed of basmati rice or jasmine rice. Garnish with fresh-cut cilantro.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you are getting a burn sign flip off the pot and stir
With a dairy allergy, what would you use as a substitute for butter?
Is there something else to use instead of coconut milk? Could you use heavy cream? If so, how much would you recommend? The sauce just didn’t thicken up for me so I was wondering if there was something else I could do.
Hi Kelsey, yes you can replace the coconut milk with heavy cream (keep the measurements the same). To thicken the sauce after you have followed all the steps in the instructions, first you will need to remove the meat (I do this to ensure the chicken isn’t over cooked and dried out. In a small bowl mix cornstarch + water, flip the pot to sauté and add the mixture, stir then boil down the sauce to desired thickness. Add he chicken back in and then serve when your ready. I hope that helps! Please let me know how it turns out.
Ps. By replacing the coconut milk with heavy cream the end flavor of the recipe will differ slightly.
[…] Do you have that magic pot that everyone is raving about on social media? Try one of my most popular recipes – Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken. […]
How many adults would this recipe serve?
Depending on how you portion your plates, this should feed about 4 adults. I’ve had some families come back and say they had ample leftovers, I do suggest you double the recipe if you are feeding 2-4 adults. As I have been told that the leftovers taste even better the day after! 😀
Hi. The recipe sounds delicious but I’m confused about dicing the chicken. Your instructions say 2 lb’s of chicken breast or tenderloins diced into 1/4 inch pieces. I don’t think I could dice that small and then shred it. Would you clarify this for me? I’m looking forward to trying thisThank you!
I recent traveled to Spain and had my first taste of Butter Chicken there. I was excited to find this recipe and that it was so easy to make. It turned out just as good if not better than the restaurant version. Loved it and will be making this again soon!
Made this for dinner tonight, with rice and homemade tortillas (because I haven’t yet mastered naan or roti). It was SO delicious! I kept thinking I must be forgetting something because it was so easy to make and I had all the ingredients. Will be making this again…and again…. Wish I could give it 10 stars!!
Thank you so much Marlene! I’m so happy you loved it! Tortillas actually sound like a tasty option 🙂 .
I just got an Instant Pot yesterday, and this was the first recipe I made in it. I loved it, it was so yummy! I added the full amount of cayenne, and it was a little bit too hot for me, but I still loved it…I’ll just cut down on the cayenne next time. Will definitely be making this again and again. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Made this tonight, thought I had the ground cumin but didn’t and subbed the coconut milk for heavy cream as my family doesn’t like coconut milk and this was amazing! Will add more cayenne pepper for more heat next time!
Hi. Am getting ready to cook this soon. Will the cooking time change depending on whether I use fresh or frozen chicken breasts or if I use whole breasts vs cubed? I’m not sure which of these options the 15 mins cook time refers to. I’m a bit worried about overcooking the chicken as some other IP recipes that use bobe in chicken thighs only call for 10 mins. Or is the extra time needed for the sauce? Thanks
This is the most perfect dish. I add some frozen peas. It has become the dish that my kids ask for. So easy and so yummy.
Enjoyed this very much. And while i enjoy a lot of spice, that much cayenne seemed to over power the other flavors. Still great though
First thing I made in my new IP, I thought it was pretty good. I used thighs and added mushrooms., will make again.
I just made this tonight for my husband, son and myself. It is AMAZING! What wonderful, exotic flavors; thank you so much for this recipe, it’s a keeper for sure!
Made this 4 times now. The family loves it and my hubby is a butter chicken snob ;). One change though, I use coconut cream instead of milk. It gives the sauce a creamy taste and texture. It’s even better the next day if it lasts that long. Thanks for a stunning recipe!
If I use the meat setting do I stay with the default timing that pops us (35mins on my ip) or do I still decrease the time to 15mins as suggested when using the “manual” setting?
For this recipe, you will definitely need to decrease the time to 15 minutes in the manual setting. If you cook the dish for over 15 minutes the chicken will dry out. I hope that was helpful, please let me know if you have any other questions. Please come back and let me know how your dish turned out, I would love to know your thoughts on it and how you prepared it.
-Jay
Can you add rice in mixture to cook?
[…] Indian Butter Chicken – Jay’s Sweet and Sour Life […]
I know it’s not traditional, but is there any way to add veggies to this?
Hello! I don’t see why you couldn’t, for the cooking time with the veggies I would definitely say that would depend on the specific veggie your planning to add. If you would like to add them I would cut the cooking time down, where you would leave just enough time to add the veggies at the end to steam/cook in the sauce. I would definitely be careful with adding time to this dish since it could dry out the chicken from being overcooked. Please let me know if you were able to add any and how you tweaked the recipe, I would love to know how it turned out. 🙂
I cant eat rice so i put it on roasted cauliflower. Came out amazing.
Made this a couple nights ago and it was delicious. I did use 2X as much garam masala because I like it spicy. I will be making this again. 🙂
Is the chicken necessary for this sauce or could it be made to go over rice without the chicken? I love Indian food but don’t eat chicken at all.
Can’t wait to try this! Using the pressure cooker hasn’t come as easy to me as I thought. My chicken always comes out tough. So I finally reduced the cooking time to only 5 minutes! This recipe says 15 minutes….should I majorly reduce the time based on my previous experiences
Question! Do you think the ingredients offer enough liquid for sufficient cooking in a 8qt pot? I’ve had a few challenges with a bigger pot and the additional liquid needed. Thank you and I’m so excited to try this dish!
I just made this last night in an 8 qt and it was perfect as is.
My family (including the picky eaters ?) love this! It’s great!! Thank you!!
What size cooker are you using? Will I need to modify to fit a 5 quart cooker? Thanks!
Hey hun,
Its a 6 quart. Thanks SO much!
Oh this recipe looks PERRRRFECT! One question… how could I convert the cooking time to using a crockpot instead of a pressure cooker? Thanks so much. Blessings.
Hi Meg, I’m actually unsure of that. I’ve only ever made it in the pressure cooker. If you happen to find the time in your crockpot could you please let me know how long it took and how it turned out? Good luck and cheers!
I don’t know what I did wrong! Mine came out brownish red and not golden and the chicken is over done. I followed the recipe to a T except no cayenne pepper. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t amazing and trust me the pic above looks amazing! It’s almost like too tomato-y…. I used the small little can of the tomato paste. Who knows!
Hi Liz, you can omit the tomato paste or cut it in half if the color wasn’t what you were aiming for. You can also pull back the cooking time for the chicken by 2-3 minutes. I know these pots work differently according to your environment so the weather, altitude and geo location can alter how each recipe turns out. The cool thing about this recipe is you can always edit it to fit your tastebuds and personal preferences. I hope that helps and I would love to hear if those tips work for you.