This is the Easiest Instant Pot Butter Chicken – it’s creamy, delicious and tastes just like Indian takeout. Plus, it’s ready in 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter – butter is pretty crucial to this dish but you can try using ghee or your favourite butter substitute instead.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also work.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best. Jarred minced garlic can also be used.
- Ginger – if you don’t have any fresh ginger, use a bit of ground ginger powder instead.
- Chicken breasts – boneless skinless chicken thighs would work but will increase the calorie count.
- Brown sugar – make your own brown sugar by mixing together white sugar and molasses.
- Garam masala – use a store-bought blend for easy prep or make your own garam masala.
- Turmeric – curry powder would be the best substitute here.
- Chili powder – use a blend of paprika, cumin and cayenne for a similar flavour.
- Cinnamon – swap out for a bit of curry powder instead.
- Salt – to taste.
- Crushed tomatoes – diced or chopped canned tomatoes would also work. You can even try using a can of plain tomato sauce.
- Heavy cream – use ¼ cup of sour cream instead or leave it out altogether.
- Naan – if you don’t have any naan, pita bread or flatbread would also be good with this curry dish.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
Rice
- Basmati rice – use any rice variety of your choice like brown rice or jasmine rice.
- Butter – margarine or olive oil would help make the rice nice and moist.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make butter chicken in the Instant Pot
- Add the first 12 ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Make the rice.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in the cream.
- Serve over rice with cilantro and naan.
What to serve with butter chicken
I typically like to serve my Instant Pot butter chicken with a side of cooked basmati rice and naan. If you’re looking for more side dish ideas, I rounded up some popular options:
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to make this Instant Pot butter chicken healthier, cut the cream out altogether and use 1/4 cup sour cream instead. You can also stir in some sliced red pepper and/or chopped baby spinach once everything is done cooking.
Yes! As long as you don’t go over the Instant Pot’s maximum line, you can double this recipe without changing the cooking time. If you’re serving a large group, I’d recommend cooking the butter chicken in batches.
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe instead of chicken breasts, but it will increase the calorie count.
You can use diced frozen chicken breasts for this recipe. If you have whole frozen chicken breasts, let them defrost in the fridge before adding them to the Instant Pot.
Storing and reheating
This Instant Pot butter chicken will last in the fridge for 3-5 days in glass meal prep containers. Make sure to store the rice and the butter chicken separately so everything stays fresh! When you’re ready to enjoy your dish, reheat the butter chicken in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in a pan on the stovetop.
The rice can also be reheated in the microwave, just make sure you sprinkle some water over top first so it doesn’t dry out.
Freezing this recipe
To freeze this butter chicken Instant Pot recipe, divide the dish into single servings or family-sized servings and freeze it in airtight containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags for up to 3 months. If you plan on freezing this dish, I recommend leaving out the heavy cream before freezing, as cream tends to curdle when it defrosts.
Let the butter chicken defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal, stir in the heavy cream and enjoy!
More Instant Pot Indian recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this Butter Chicken into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you’re marinating the chicken then freezing it.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
The Easiest Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 4 medium-sized chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 (796mL) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Naan, for serving
- Cilantro, for serving
Rice
- 1 cup dry basmati rice
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for chicken in the order listed to Instant Pot. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cook rice in a rice cooker. Instant Pot will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 3 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Stir in cream, then serve butter chicken overtop of basmati rice and garnish with cilantro. Serve with naan if desired. Enjoy!
