Instant Pot Butter Chicken

I was inspired to try my hand at cooking Indian food at a dinner I had at Raag a few weeks back. The dinner was a 7-course exploration of visiting Chef Rosh from Austin, Texas’s native Pakiatsni dishes. It was wonderful and full of bright flavors on a drab February evening.  In 2019 Rosh appeared on the Food Network hit show and beat Bobby Flay as she presented Sindhi food brilliantly, putting it on the US map nationally. Rosh’s travel, vast knowledge, and hunger for the culinary world have led her to be one of the top 5 Indian chefs in the USA by India Currents magazine in 2016.

It was the perfect mid-winter pick-me-up, and they have another Pop-Up Dinner on March 15; get tickets at Raag Indian Cuisine.

Here is my Indian at-home recipe for my Instant Pot Butter Chicken. Serve it with my Naan Sourdough Recipe, that’s surprisingly easy to make.

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Yield: 4

This pot-in-pot method makes the rice and the sauce at the same time

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Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp Coconut oil
• 5 cloves garlic microplaned
• 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 .5 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice strained and reserved
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 pounds chicken thighs skinless, boneless, diced into bite-size pieces (you may swap chicken breasts here if you prefer)

For the rice

• 2 cups rice
• 2 cups water

To finish the sauce

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

To garnish

• 2 Tbsp cilantro
• 2 Tbsp mint

Instructions

• Set your Instant Pot to the saute feature and melt the butter and coconut oil
• Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for one minute
• Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute.
• Turn off your Instant Pot, add the tomato paste, scrape up any brown bits from the pan, combine with the chopped tomatoes and their juice, and stir it all together.
• Add the chicken pieces and mix.
• Secure the Instant Pot Trivet on top of the chicken and tomato sauce
• Add 2 cups rice and 2 cups water in a smaller pot. Cover tightly with foil and set on the trivet
• Secure the lid and set the vent to seal, select manual pressure and cook for 10 minutes
• Let the pressure release naturally for 10 more minutes
• Carefully remove the lid
• Set covered rice aside while you finish the sauce
• Stir in the coconut milk and the cream into the sauce
• If the sauce is too thin you can take the chicken out, set it aside and reduce it a little before adding the chicken back in
• Uncover rice and fluff with a fork
• Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary
• Serve warm over rice with chopped cilantro and mint

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Yield: 4

This pot-in-pot method makes the rice and the sauce at the same time

Print

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp Coconut oil
• 5 cloves garlic microplaned
• 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 .5 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice strained and reserved
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 pounds chicken thighs skinless, boneless, diced into bite-size pieces (you may swap chicken breasts here if you prefer)

For the rice

• 2 cups rice
• 2 cups water

To finish the sauce

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

To garnish

• 2 Tbsp cilantro
• 2 Tbsp mint

Instructions

• Set your Instant Pot to the saute feature and melt the butter and coconut oil
• Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for one minute
• Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute.
• Turn off your Instant Pot, add the tomato paste, scrape up any brown bits from the pan, combine with the chopped tomatoes and their juice, and stir it all together.
• Add the chicken pieces and mix.
• Secure the Instant Pot Trivet on top of the chicken and tomato sauce
• Add 2 cups rice and 2 cups water in a smaller pot. Cover tightly with foil and set on the trivet
• Secure the lid and set the vent to seal, select manual pressure and cook for 10 minutes
• Let the pressure release naturally for 10 more minutes
• Carefully remove the lid
• Set covered rice aside while you finish the sauce
• Stir in the coconut milk and the cream into the sauce
• If the sauce is too thin you can take the chicken out, set it aside and reduce it a little before adding the chicken back in
• Uncover rice and fluff with a fork
• Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary
• Serve warm over rice with chopped cilantro and mint