Instant Pot Butter Chicken
The easiest ever Instant Pot butter chicken! This super creamy, and fragrant Indian dish is so comforting, healthy and delicious.
Ingredients
2 pounds chicken thighs skinless, boneless, diced into bite-size pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 cloves garlic about 5 teaspoons, minced or crushed
2 inch (5 cm) fresh ginger root grated (about 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon chili powder (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (add more if needed)
20 oz (2x 10 oz cans) tomato sauce or passata
1 cup (250ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons cilantro for garnish
Directions
On the Instant Pot press on SAUTE and melt the butter. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
Add all of the spices, and the salt, stir, and cook for a minute. You might want to deglaze the pot at this point if the mixture is stuck to the bottom of the pot, just add a splash of water and scrape off any stuck bits with a wooden spoon. Then add the tomato sauce (passata) and a ¼ cup of water. Switch off the saute setting.
Add the chicken thighs, give everything a mix.
Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 6 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam.
Carefully remove the lid, and press on SAUTE. Stir in the cream, and allow the sauce to reduce a little (season with more salt if necessary). Taste the sauce and see if you need to add a little bit more salt.
Serve warm over rice with chopped parsley or cilantro.
Chicken breasts can also be used in this recipe, however, chicken thighs are more flavorful and are more tender. If using chicken breasts, pressure cook for 5 minutes.
The Passata sauce can be substituted with tomato sauce, or a can of plain tomatoes that are blended and sieved.
Do not add the cream before pressure cooking as it might separate.