Do you love curry? Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken is a buttery chicken that is smothered in a creamy tomato-based sauce. This crowd-pleasing dish will have your home smelling like your favorite Indian Restaurant.
Pressure Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken is a buttery chicken that is smothered in a creamy tomato-based sauce that is one of our favorite Indian food dishes we enjoy. This Instant Pot recipe is so simple to make, and frankly, taste 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.
Consider These Other Delicious Pressure Cooker Dishes
Easy Indian Butter Chicken
Exploring the many cultures, we have in this world, and 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 to Andrew Zimmerman trip the world and taste everything it has to offer, has truly inspired me to adventure 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 on that day. India 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.
Optional Add In’s
Add bay leaves, parsley, and hand-chopped fresh tomatoes for a more authentic restaurant dish.
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. It’s so easy to make, and the flavor is subtle yet packs a delicious punch you can’t go without in your life.
Why Is It Called Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is called this because of a butter-based gravy, that uses to give this chicken such 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 your geographical location. To avoid this DO NOT add the Tomato Paste as instructed in the recipe, add the tomato paste last 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.
Garam Masala | So many benefits are in this one simple ingredient. Boosting your immunity, helping aid in digestions, promoting weight loss, and more. It is also useful for relieving inflammation and reducing any 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.
We genuinely love this delicious butter chicken, and I think you and your family will too. Let me know how you like it. Have you ever tried butter chicken?
More Pressure Cooker/ Instant Pot Recipe’s
- Pressure Cooker Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup. Bring the restaurant home with my Instant Pot Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup. Better than the restaurant, make this deliciously easy creamy soup recipe goes perfectly with a fresh-baked breadstick.
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Florentine. Try this one-pot Pressure Cooker Chicken Florentine recipe for your next family meal. It’s an easy recipe that you can enjoy with a slice of freshly baked garlic bread on a busy weeknight.
- Pressure Cooker Filipino Oxtail Soup. This fall off the bone Pressure Cooker Filipino Oxtail Soup Recipe will surely please your family. A delicious soup broth with tender juicy Oxtail meat.
- Pressure Cooker Filipino Leche Flan. Try my stress-free Instant Pot Filipino Leche Flan Recipe. This Filipino version is made with eggs and milk for a custard-like texture, giving you a thick and smooth Leche flan that comes topped with homemade caramel sauce.
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. If you are getting a burn sign flip off the pot and stir 
Pressure Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Getting ready to try your dish now. Almost ready.
I’m so excited to hear what you think about it!
OMG. It was so awesome. We could not stop eating it. Best on day 3!!!
What does NPR stand for?
Natural pressure release
Natural pressure release
Natural pressure release. ie, let pot cool without using the release valve.
Well I’ve made this 3 Times now and I find it’s better to cut chicken breasts down the middle so they are thinner then cut in 2 “ pieces. I have the butcher do that so I don’t have to mess with the raw chicken. Next time I will omit the tomatoe paste also. Great Dish!!!
It’s a radio station.
Random question…..does cooking it in the instapot reduce the lingering smell? I adapted this recipe for a stovetop version since I don’t own an instapot and the spice smell lingered throughout the house for a couple of days (I had windows open while I cooked it and afterwards). Curious if/when I do get an instapot and try this again will the smell be less? My sister in law makes the instapot version and she swears the odor is minimal and doesn’t linger for too long.
Hi Sara,
I certainly agree with your sister in law with this cooking method yielding a minimal amount of odor. I have made this many times in my pressure cooker and most of the time you only smell it when it’s about done in the pot. When you do open the pot you will get an odor but in my opinion, it dissipates soon after you finish dinner and clean the kitchen. I like to soak my pressure cooker ring in soap and water to help remove the butter chicken odor from the ring. With this recipe, you would surely need to dedicate this specific ring for savory dishes and switch it out for your sweet dishes. If you don’t have a spare ring then no worries, it doesn’t leave a noticeable difference if you were to cook with it for a sweet dish. I’m just super picky and like to switch mine out to keep everything organized and running smoothly. I hope that info was helpful for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
~Jay
I love the smell! Don’t know if there’s any difference. Might be as the the cooking time is dramatically different.
I love the smell as well! I do know the butter chicken smell can linger like some Filipino recipes I make on the stove for a while. So if you are looking to minimize the smell using an instant pot is a great way to achieve that.
~Jay
How much is 370 ml of tomato paste?
I used a small 6oz can of tomato paste for my recipe
370 ml would be 12 oz. I was wondering if you thought it would be better w/ 2 cans or would you do it again the same way?
Hi, Sharon! I updated the recipe to reflect one 6oz can, Sorry for the confusion. It’s really good with just one 6 oz can of tomato paste, if you use normal tomato sauce it will be too thin (I’ve seen some use regular tomato sauce and it and came out with the same flavor). If someone would rather use that then they would need to simply just add Corn Starch to just thicken it up to personal preference. I hope that was more clear. 🙂
Thanks so very much. I’ll make it exactly that way then. 1 can of tomato paste. It did seem that 370ml (12 oz) was a LOT of tomato paste so I’m following your suggestions.
No problem Sharon, I hope you enjoy this recipe. Please let me know how it turns out, enjoy!
I made this tonight. My BF loved it. It was fine w/ 1 small can of tomato paste as the recipe states, but the 370 oz originally called for in the recipe would have been tomato overkill. Really nice balance of spices as the recipe stands also.
This recipe was awesome, it came out perfect. I used 2 teaspoons of cayenne, I may use more next time. We love spicy!
Any advice on what to do when you get the “burn” message. I had mine on high for the 15 mins and at some point it kicked off and gave me a burn message. This has happened to me with other recipes. I followed the instructions to a t.
Hi Erica, I’m sorry that happened. There are a lot of scenarios that could have triggered the burn message. Although I have heard with my recipe when this happens it is because of the tomato paste. I suggest if the flavor isnt ruined by burnt sauce that you add 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup of water or chicken stock and try again. Some pots have this issue because of their geo location and others because of the size of the pot. I hope that was helpful, I hope you are able to salvage the dish and enjoy it tonight.
I couldn’t find a can of coconut milk – but I found a half gallon at Aldi of all places! Using the internet I concluded that a can’s worth would be 13.5 ounces. Also I used two pinches of sea salt before and 1/2 teaspoon AFTER cooking (after cooking I could taste all the spices but it still tasted a bit thin (like if you ever had low sodium soup). Allowing it to sautée with the extra bit of salt on low I believe helped cohere the flavors and thicken things up a little bit. (also I used a stick of unsalted butter – that could have had something to do with it also)
When I do this again I’d add all the salt before cooking And I say when because THIS RECIPE IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZINGLY GOOD!!! It’s the BEST thing I’ve made in my Instant Pot so far! I’m the only one in my household who likes curry, so I’ve been eating this for lunch / dinner the last several days, and just making more rice as needed. I swear it’s gotten better each time I’ve heated up a serving.
THANK YOU for posting this!
And if you’re thinking about making it, go for it! It’s super easy and super good!
Yay I’m so happy you loved the recipe Matt! It also sounds like you can put that half gallon to work with more recipes or making this recipe again soon. Thank you for sharing your story!
I agree! It should not be eaten the first day. Gets much better the second and third day. Try a really good mango chutney with it. Yummmm
The 1/2 gallon of coconut milk you found isn’t the same thing as canned coconut milk. The texture and taste of the two are quite different. Canned coconut milk is generally found in the Asian food section of your grocery store. That said, it sounds like you were delighted with the way this recipe turned out and in the end, that’s all that really matters. Bon Appetit!
Yes Nancy you are right. The canned coconut milk is more condensed making it way more sweeter. I would suspect that if someone did want to do a lighter (less calorie) version of this recipe that could sub with coconut milk from the dairy aisle. 🙂
What about using Thai Kitchen Organic Lite coconut milk? I need to reduce the fat content and thought I’d give this a try.
Yes, the half gallon is not “full fat” coconut milk used in Indian and Thai foods. The stuff in the cold case has 2.5 grams of fat/cup and is drinkable like cow’s milk. The stuff in the can has about 15 grams fat/cup and you probably wouldn’t want to drink it.
Does 15 minutes on manual mean high or low? I have a different multi-pot. Thanks!
Hi Kathy, it’s high
Thank you!
Your Welcome 🙂
When you say “let sit in pot for 10 minutes with NPR” – does that mean that once the 15 minutes is up, just let the chicken sit in the pot with pressure still in it? And then, after 10 minutes, release the pressure? Thanks!
Hello! Yes the npr stands for natural pressure release which means you let the pressure naturally release. If there is still pressure left after waiting 10 minutes, and your still unable to open the lid, just hit the release tab and let any pressure remaining release from the pot.
Do you leave the IP on during the NPR (where it automatically goes to a warm setting) or turn it off?
Yes you leave it on and let it switch to warm function ?
Thanks for the quick reply. I’m an IP newbie. 🙂
No problem, please let me what you think of the recipe, I would love to know how it turned out for you.
Going to give this a try this week, curious what type of curry I should be looking for, green, red, yellow?
Thanks
I just used curry powder. I believe that is what is expected, as it is listed with other dry/powdered spices.
Making this now. Just wanted to stand over the pot after adding the spices – smelled heavenly. I used frozen boneless/skinless thighs because that’s what I had. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Oh man, yes the smell is amazing! It’s one of my favorite parts of this recipe ?
2 tsp cayenne isn’t too hot for just 2lbs of chicken? I’d like to be able to eat it
No it isn’t Laura ? it’s like a nice nudge vs a kick in your mouth. The sweetness from the coconut milk helps with the heat so it’s like adding pepper to your food.
We loved it! It was a bit hot for my taste but perfect for my husband, and I was still able to tolerate it. I might add a little less cayenne next time, but I’m adding it to our regular rotation!
Yay! I’m so happy y’all loved it! You could also omit the cayenne and then have your husband just add what he needs to his individual bowl ?
My husband and I LOVED this recipe, and son too, but a little spicy, so we added a bit of coconut milk. However the girls are wimps and couldn’t eat it, sigh, so I suppose I’ll use less cayenne next time. I loved it so much left over too!! Amazing flavor!!
Wonderful recipe. Thank you so much. The flavor is incredible. I love the way all the spices come together. Definitely a new go to recipe. I cut the pepper back to 1/2 tsp as my wife and kids don’t enjoy much heat. That gave it a very mild heat. My Indian SIL thought 2 tsp was great. All a matter of taste.
Thanks again for sharing this wonderful creation.
I’m so happy your family loves the recipe! Your so welcome for sharing and thank you for sharing how your family enjoyed it. I’ve had a few questions about the heat ratio for this dish arise, It’s always great to see how everyone enjoys it since everyone’s taste differs. Cheers to the possible leftovers! The 3rd day is always the best!
Can you use chicken broth instead of stock?
Yes you can Amida
Yum!! This was so good 😀
That’s awesome Lene! Did you enjoy yours with basatmi rice or jasmine rice? We usually just use jasmine rice since that’s what we always have on hand.
We use basmati rice. The dish was so good. I live in Sweden, so we measure in grams and dl, so that was a little challenging, but I think I got the measurements just about correct 🙂 We will for sure make this again and try other recepies from your website. Another challenge can be to find the correct ingredients, but not for this recepy. I had everything in my cabinets, but there are items I have seen in other recepies that we simply do not have in our stores.
Hello! I am getting to make this and was wondering if you recommended I do adjust for high altitude. I am in Colorado and am a newbie IP girl!
Hi Susan! I found this article really helpful for altitude issues. I hope it’s able to answer your questions. https://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-psi-faq-the-stuff-you-didnt-think-to-ask/
This was delicious! It was a little too spicy for the kids so next time I may do 1 or 1 1/2 tsp of cayenne. I loved it! This was the first dinner that I’ve made in my IP and it was a hit! Thank you for the recipe!
Yay I’m so happy you loved it! You could def pull back the cayenne or omit, and then just add as much as you want to your own separate bowl. I do that all the time with the kiddos.
I tried your recipe last night and the sauce was delicious. It is a little thin for me. Is there a way to thicken the sauce without altering the flavor?
I thickened it with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. You mix it in cold water and then add it to the pot, then let it cook for a few minutes. That’s how I thicken all my sauces when they turn out too thin!
Do you make your own garam masala? I’m trying to make my own and can’t settle on a recipe.
My husband and I loved this! I made it one evening while he was working, so I ate it for dinner and he took leftovers for lunch the next day. He texted me as soon as he warmed up his lunch to let me know how amazing it was! Thanks for sharing this. It’ll become a part of our rotation! I also appreciated that it was very easy to put together–I’m still new to the Instant Pot, but this wasn’t intimidating at all. Thanks, Jay! 🙂
Hey Hayley, that’s amazing! I’m so happy both you loved the recipe. The leftovers are always best part I believe lol if you can make it to the third day it’s fabulous and totally worth the wait.
My husband & I really enjoy making Butter Chicken and your recipe is not only the tastiest but also the easiest to make. Thank you for sharing.
I forgot to add, we are trying to eat low carb @ our house so now I serve the Butter Chicken over roasted cauliflower florets. Oh my goodness! It’s wonderful stuff!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, I haven’t tried it on cauliflower florets yet. I would love to give it a try, it sounds like an amazing combination. Thank you for sharing that idea, I cannot wait to give it a try.
Hey guys had a problem with this recipe not coming to pressure. Could that be happening because I used frozen chicken? Did that keep the temperature too low to make steam and come to pressure?
Hi Mike, did the sauce or chicken burn somewhat on the bottom of the pot? Did you follow the instructions to a T? If there is any burnt sauce or food at the bottom of the pot it will not come to pressure. Instant pot has a feature that does not let it come to pressure if so, other brands will continue to cook but the Instant Pot itself will not. To fix this you can simply use a spatula or spoon and scrape the burned sauce or food off of the bottom of the pot. Once you have released anything that has become burnt (you can scoop out that burnt sauce or keep it in the pot) you should then add an extra 1/2 cup – 1 Cup of water. Stir together and then resume your cooking instructions. Please let me know if this was helpful, if it doesn’t work please let me know we can figure it out together.
Yes I did feel a little bit of something possibly stuck to the bottom of the pot when I stirred it up. For some reason by the 3rd try it pressurized. Thanks for the help! Next time I’ll make sure all the food is loose from the bottom!
Thanks!
Yay! I’m glad you got it pressure finally, the recipe will be worth it I promise. It’s weird how something so small could trip up the whole pot. Your welcome and enjoy!
I have found that if you buy boneless skinless chicken breasts and have the butcher fiilet them then cut in 2″ pieces. The chicken will be much more tender and you don’t have to touch it. Just let it fall in the pot. Easy and better. 1/4″ pieces will dry out.
When the chicken is added, is it supposed to be stirred in or just put on top of the sauce?
I had this problem. It just did not want to cooperate at all. It’s on my stove as I type. I tried 5 times and 5 times it said “burnt.” It smells amazing though!
I made this perfectly in the IP 2-3 times and it quickly became a family favorite… but then I consistently got the burnt message and had to finish on the stove also the next 2-3 times I made it… now I do not stir the tomato paste in, but after I have added and stirred everything else, I spread the tomato paste on top so it isnt anywhere near the bottom and it comes out beautifully… good luck
I just made this and it was so good! I used some Patak’s mild curry paste–about 3 TBS–instead of the other spices, because I have some in the fridge that needs to be used. The sauce was a little too liquid after cooking so I added 1TBS of cornstarch mixed in a little cold water. It was perfect! I added 1 cup of frozen peas too. This was so tasty and fast!
That’s awesome April, I love how fast it is to make this too. I haven’t tried it with peas yet, I defiantly need to give that a try next time we make it.
Wondering if I could use cream instead of coconut milk. I made this tonight….but I only put about 1/2 tsp cayenne and I added a tsp of sugar. We all thought it was pretty good, we liked the texture of the sauce too. But, my husband said it should be creamier…..any tips?
Hi Michelle, you could double the coconut milk if you would like it to be creamier. You would just need to turn the pot back on after it is finished cooking and flip it to sauté mode to cook the sauce down more. Should take an extra 5-10 minutes or whenever the sauce is as thick as you would like. You can certainly use heavy cream if you would like, instead of an extra can of coconut milk. If you do try it that way next time could you please let me know how I turns out. I’m super curious. ?
I just made this tonight and subed out the coconut milk for 1/2 C heavy cream and 1/2 C plain Greek yogurt. The consistency was perfect, didn’t even need to use cornstarch to thicken.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Whole family loved it. All 3 of my kids gobbled it up and had 3rds! They said they liked it better than takeout.
Sandy, I’m so happy your family enjoyed this recipe, that is definitely a great way to substitute the coconut milk in the recipe. Did you add the cayenne pepper as the recipe stated or did you omit? I’m curious to see if you did add it and if the substitute you used helped with the small kick cayenne has in this recipe. My kids were raised dipping their chicken nuggets in hot sauce so the measurements I added in this recipe is like adding pepper to our dish lol. I’m very curious to see how other families enjoyed it, with or without the cayenne.
Hi Jay, My kids don’t mind a little heat. I used 1/2 tsp. of cayenne, which I felt was mild but perfect for everyone. I could prob up it to 3/4 and they’d tolerate it fine. My son has actually been asking me every couple of days when am I going to make it again! Thanks again!
I want to make this and I have an amazing pressure cooker, but it’s not an automatic one with those kinds of settings – its low or high pressure and then set the timer kind of thing. Any suggestions on how to convert this recipe to low or high pressure, and for how long? Thanks!
Hi Vicki, this recipe is cooked on high pressure for 15 minutes. I hope that answers your questions. Please let me know if you have any more I’ll be here to help. Enjoy!
I have a can of red curry paste,that I like the flavor of–is it feasible to sub paste for powder? Amount?
I just made it. It smelled so good! Unfortunately, it was really dry and overlooked. I diced up my uncooked chicken ahead of time. I think next time I might leave it in half breasts and cut down the cooking time a little bit. I really want to try it again… any input?
Hi Jessica, yeah defiantly cut down the time and leave the chicken whole. Different climates and altitudes can change the outcome of any pressure cooker recipe so I think for yours, cutting the time and leaving the chicken whole will be perfect. Please let me know if that worked for you I would love to hear how it comes out the 2nd time. ?
With comments like these I definitely have to try this recipe. I’m making it after dinner tonight so I can just reheat it tomorrow. We have a full day so having something that just needs to heat up will be helpful. If i just put the whole pot in the fridge after its cooled, do you think it would reheat well if I just put the pot back in and cook on manual at 0 min?
Honestly I’ve never done that before and I’m not sure how t would turn out in the end. But I know if you pack them in reheatable containers you should be completely fine ?
what if I don’t have a pressure cooker. Could I use a slow cooker or else in my dutch oven? How long?
How many servings does this recipe make? I have a family of 8 including 2 teenage boys and 1 pre-teen boy.
Hi jenn, I would double the recipe. I know this recipe fed my family of five with 2 preteen boys 1 preteen girl and 1 4yr old. But I would defiantly double the recipe since you have teenage boys and I know first hand how much they can eat ?
if you double the recipe do you have to do anything different? thank you!
I love spicy foods but 2tsp cayenne was WAY too hot for me. I recommend using less unless you are into really really spicy food. Love the flavor but my mouth was on fire. I’ll try it with 1tsp or less next time.
I used 1/2 tsp in the recipe and put red pepper on the table for anyone who wanted to up the heat when the dish was finished.
I have a plain old pressure cooker. It doesn’t have a chicken or a sauté setting. Outdoor you translate it into regular pot langauage. It sounds fantastic!
I just made this and it’s awesome. I’ve made other versions of butter chicken that always left me meh but this recipe makes me understand what all the fuss is about!!
hi-
looking forward to making this with my new instant pot. what does NPR mean (sorry, newbie here).
Thanks,
Mare
It stands for “natural pressure release” in other words don’t flip it to vent straight away, let it do it on its own 🙂
Thank you! I made it (using my instantpot for the 1st time) and it was wonderful!
Mare
This is honestly one of my favorite recipes right now! I’ve already made it three times. Really really good!
Tastes great just please right your recipes correctly so they’re easier understood. Ingredients should be listed in the order they referenced in the recipe
My hubby made this for dinner tonight. The smell when I walked in the door was amaaazing! It was so yummy, too! We skipped the cayenne. I don’t have a high heat tolerance, but my hubby wants to try it next time with the cayenne. A few reviews said it’s even better after a few days, but leftovers aren’t going to last that long. This is definitely going into our regular rotation.
I absolutely love this recipe! I make it a couple times a month and it’s divine. I cut the cayenne back to 1/4 tsp and my kids gobble it right up.
How many does this recipe serve?
The recipe was delicious but I did have problems getting my IP to come to pressure. Tried twice, I am guessing either the sauce was too thick or there was something scorched on the bottom. I ended up baking the chicken breasts and doing the sauce in the pot on sauté mode.
We made this today for lunch and it was just heavenly. My wife and daughter don’t like spicy so those of us that do added it later. It is better with the spice. I did add a tsp of turmeric to the recipe. The salt is the tricky part I used a tsp and added a little more later. It was delicious and we highly recommended it. Can’t wait to make it for our Indian friend.
I tried a Butter Chicken recipe for the crockpot a few months ago, and it didn’t go over well with my family. It wasn’t quite what I was hoping either. I have had an Instant Pot for a few months and am experimenting with new recipes. I found this on Pinterest and since I already had all the spices, I decided to give Butter Chicken one more try.
I did omit the cayenne pepper since my kids are small, and I knew if it had any spice they wouldn’t eat it. As soon as I had the sauce all mixed up, I could tell this one was a winner! It smells exactly like what I would get at a restaurant. I did end up having to use more cornstarch than the recipe called for to get it to thicken up. I also didn’t add enough salt, so at first it was a little bland. Once I added more salt, it really brought out all the other flavors. All 3 of my kids (ages 5, 4, and 1.5) ate it, as well as my very “non-adventurous when it comes to food” partner. I made this yesterday and already have the leftovers packed up fro my lunch tomorrow… can’t wait to taste “Day 3” Butter Chicken. I am already so excited for lunch time tomorrow!
So I have a crockpot can I still make this?! It looks amazing! What would the cook time be?!
There are many IP recipes out there for butter chicken, but this is the one I’ve made 4 times now, and it is PERFECTION every time. I follow the recipe to a T, no changes. I’ve used breasts chunked, thighs, or a combination of both. This is easily the best IP recipe I’ve made so far.
I never comment on recipes, but this one was a hit. My husband’s been a little skeptical of the Instant Pot – he hasn’t been a fan of some of the things we have tried. But he ate this one up – literally! I can’t wait to see what it tastes like when we reheat it, after the flavors have had a chance to blend.
When you say I can use frozen chicken breasts, do you actually mean I can use frozen whole chicken breasts or I have to use frozen diced chicken breasts?
Hi trilby yes you can just use frozen chicken breasts and just shred when it finishes. I hope that helps.
This is my absolute favorite recipe. I find myself absolutely craving it. Cannot tell you how many times I have made it.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Delicious! One of our favorite home cooked meals now!
This is an amazing dish! My family and I love it! Thank you for sharing!!
YUM! This recipe is by far our favorite Instant Pot recipe yet.. We followed the directions exactly and it came out amazing. Thank you for posting!
I made this 2 nights ago in my new Instant Pot. This was SO GOOD!! I couldn’t believe that I actually made it because it was that good. I cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and it stayed moist and tender. And the best part? It made tons of yummy sauce. Seriously, if you love Indian food, you need to make this now. Thank you for a great recipe.
Thank you so much Susanne! I’m so happy you liked my recipe ? I’m super guilty of just eating the leftover sauce over rice when I run out of chicken ?
Hi. I made this but without the coconut milk as coconut anything makes me ill. Got some bad coconut as a child and to this day can not handle the taste nor smell of it. So I used regular milk and also added a bit more salt. This is a fantastic recipe – thanks so much for posting it.
Had this for dinner tonight. Not sure if it was me or the recipe but we found the chicken to be pretty flavorless. The only thing I didn’t add was the Cayenne Pepper. Suggestions?
Hi Beth, I’m wondering if maybe the flavors didnt combine well in the pot while cooking it, did you follow the recipe exactly as provided. Sometimes if you don’t marry the ingredient before you put in the chicken you wont get that release of the herbs and spices before you pop the chicken in and that alters the flavor slightly. Maybe try adding extra of the spices and herbs next time to give it more of a kick of flavor, or an extra dash of salt to release those flavors. Please let me know if you were able to find a solution to this, I’d love to know what worked for you.
Just made this! Recently acquired my IP. Followed the recipe almost exactly (tweaked the spices to our preference) and it was fantastic. Thanks for this easy to follow and great recipe.
Tried this and loved it. I added a couple small tomatoes as well.
This was my very first recipe to try with my new Instant Pot. It was DELICIOUS!! I’m so excited to try another one of your recipes tomorrow. I made it exactly as the recipe reads but only 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper (just enough heat for my husband and I). I do recommend having everything prepped before starting the pot up, which I did, it all happens quickly when the pot gets hot.
Thank you for the recipe ??
I make this probably once a week! I love it! I also add carrots to it. I want to try other veggies, like potatoes? What do ya think? Thanks!
Hi lacie, I think potatoes would defiantly give it a great boost of flavor. I would just suggest you dice them so they fully cook with the other ingredients. If you do add them please let me know what you think and how you prepared them with the dish. I would love to know how it turns out.
The entire family loves this recipe…even my meat and potatoes teenager!!
Yay I’m so happy they love it, Shari! Did you happen to have any leftovers? This recipe tastes the best on the 2nd and 3rd day after you cook it. My family sometimes never makes it to day 2 though. 🙂
I’ve made this a few times now. Almost exactly as the recipe states with 2 exceptions. I tweaked it a bit each time and these are the only substitutions I use. I do like things very spicy so I usually thinly slice a good sized unseeded jalapeno. Since I’m Paleo I omit the corn starch and instead use 1/4 tsp xanthan gum to thicken a bit, and serve over Cauliflower rice and it’s KILLER. My very picky boyfriend loves it too.
Mmm…This is soo good! This has so much flavor. The only thing is that mine is not yellow. How do i get it to be yellow? The only thing I can think of is not include the tomato paste.
Mine is usually an orange/red color. If you would like a straight yellow color then yes omit the tomato paste ? I’m very happy you liked the recipe.
Question I just got an instapot. Can you cook this and rice at the same time?
If you have a rack to sit the rice over top of then yes you can ? I would have to double check the timing for the rice but you can certainly cook them both together.
Just double checked the timing for the rice and I found this article that I think will be helpful for you. https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/perfect-pressure-cooker-rice/
No. You would need 2 IPs. Rice is better in s rice cooker anyway.
I agree Paul, rice cooker is always my method of cooking my families jasmine rice.
Plus I make my rice with a cup of chicken broth. (Better then bouillon) and a bit of real butter. Sometimes I and some tumeric to the rice for my Indian dishes. Sometimes a cinnamon stick too. Your Butter Chicken as added a wonderful dimension to my life. Lol
That’s amazing Paul, I’m so happy it was able to do that. ? I will have to try to make my rice the way you do next time, that sounds like a great pairing.
Can you substitute chicken thighs for this recipe and would the time change?
Can I use a slow cooker/ crockpot instead?
We made this tonight and it was so delicious! It was only our second recipe in our Instant Pot, and we got the dreaded “burn” indicator, but just added a little more stock and stirred it up and it worked! We will definitely make it again.
Made this today for lunch! So delicious!!! Thanks for a great recipe. Will definitely be making this again!
Your so welcome Melissa! I’m so happy your liked it. ?
I just got a pressure cooker for Christmas. I’m gonna make this tonight for dinner. This will be the first thing I’ve make in it wish me luck!
Good luck Maria! If you have any questions don’t designate to reach out to me or search the previous comments for a possible answer ?.
I recommend using chicken breasts cut length wise then cut in 2 “ strips. I use 3 lbs of chicken. Serve with nan or paratha and chutney.
My husband it allergic to coconut, so how would it be if I left out the coconut milk?
Hi Lenora, you could use heavy whipping cream or Greek yogurt in place of that to help keep the same consistency. However it will lack that coconut flavor which is part of the overall flavor of the dish. You could certainly give it a try using the substitute options. Please let me know how it turns out I’m very interested in learning how it turned out for you.
When the chicken is added, is it supposed to be stirred in or just put on top of the sauce?
Hi Liz, please stir the chicken in the sauce. I hope that was helpful ?.
Thank you! We tried it and stirred it in the sauce, but then got a “Burn” error. We’re still IP newbies so I just wanted to make sure we were doing it correctly. Problem was solved by opening the lid, scraping the bottom and setting the pressure cooker again. It was delicious!!!
I am wondering about step #9. step 8 says to put it to warm function, but what function do i use to get the cornstarch slurry to boil in the pot?
Hi Chadlock, you can use the sauté mode for Step 8 and 9, I hope that was helpful ?.
I was a little disappointed. I cut the cayenne in half, which was just right for us. But what I was missing was flavour. I don’t know exactly what was missing for me and what would added the missing flavour. Just not sure.
I’m sorry that happened, could you double the spices (minus the cayenne) and see if that helps?
How many does this serve?
Hi, just want to point out that “defiantly” and “definitely” are two different words. I believe you meant to say definitely when describing Indian cuisine as a new adventure. You may want to go back and correct that. This is a delicious recipe and really enjoyed by me young grandchildren. Thank you!
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.
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!
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!
My family (including the picky eaters ?) love this! It’s great!! Thank you!!
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.
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
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.
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. 🙂
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.
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?
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!
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!
First thing I made in my new IP, I thought it was pretty good. I used thighs and added mushrooms., will make again.
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
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.
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!
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 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 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!
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!
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! 😀
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.
With a dairy allergy, what would you use as a substitute for butter?
Hi I was wondering if you can really taste the coconut once it’s all cooked? I’m not a fan of coconut and was curious before I try making it.
Hello! In my opinion, you do taste a hint of coconut but it’s nothing like biting into a Coconut Macaroon. If you do sub this ingredient, it will alter the end flavor. I think preference depends on the person’s pallet. I know I have had some reviews that say they didn’t notice a difference in flavor and others who did. I hope that helps! Please come back and let me know what your family thought of this recipe.
– Jay
I couldn’t find a serving size for this recipe. Can you tell me what it is? I have a family of 4 and wondering if it is enough. Thank you!
Hi Mindy, this recipe was able to feed my family of 5 which includes 2 teenage boys. I hope that was helpful! Please let me know if you have any other questions. – Jay
Hi Jay. I have a 4qt pressure cooker. Would that be okay?
How many servings is this?
Hi Katie, This served my Family of 5 with enough for 2nds. If you have a large family or want to adventure and see how this tastes the next day (It is amazing!). Double the recipe and get ready for something amazing.
-Jay
This was VERY good. I’m new to the Instapot adventure so was hesitant on making anything in it, but this recipe won me over. The amazing flavor of the sauce really surprised me. However, I think I’m spoiled now and a little afraid that other Instapot recipes won’t be as delicious!
Soooo I am making this and read it as 16 oz of tomato paste. I thought this was ridiculous but figured I have never made this before so oh well. I hope it’s edible! If not we have tomato chicken! *sigh
This Indian Butter Chicken was amazing! The perfect amount of spice. Would definitely make again!
Making this tonight with my 5 year old for the 4th time!!! Everyone loves it in our house!! Thanks so much for such an excellent recipe! ?
I made this for dinner tonight because my husband who doesn’t like This kind of food is out of town. Boy did he miss out!! I left out the cayenne because my daughter doesn’t like spicy. It needed additional salt from what I had seasoned with during cooking process. Was sooo good. I can’t wait for my lunch leftovers tomorrow since reviews just say it gets better with time. I’m going to make it sometime and not tell my husband what it is 🙂 Loved it!
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious! My husband and I couldn’t stop eating it! I followed your recipe exactly how you wrote it! Thank you for sharing!
This recipe didn’t seem to work for me with frozen chicken. I was curious that the cook time should be the same for frozen and thawed chicken. When I did with frozen, it wasn’t fully cooked. Am I missing something?
Oh, Jay! This is COMPLETELY DELICIOUS!! I used half the cayenne and it still gave a little heat but not too much. The sauce is silky and yummy and the chicken is melt-in-your-mouth tender. It makes a good sized batch, too! I ate it over jasmine rice but I think I’m going to get some naan for the leftovers to scoop up every last mouthful. THANK YOU!
Hi! Can you make this in a slow cooker or on the stove?
I really love this recipe, it’s always a hit! However, I always get the burn message at least once everytime I make it in my 6 QT Instant Pot Duo. I’ve made it before in other Instant Pots, and it’s worked fine, so I think my IP is the issue. The onions and garlic always scorch on the bottom, and I end up having to transfer it to a pot. I’ve done everything I can think of — made sure the bottom was completely deglazed before closing it, used a trivet under the chicken pieces, used frozen AND thawed chicken — nothing has worked. Very unfortunate because this is such a delicious recipe.
Hi Ivy,
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that! It’s possible this pot gets a tad bit hotter during the cooking process than your previous pots did. Have you tried to add extra liquid to see if that would help with the issue? For example, adding in a half a cup or a cup of water to the pot. Please feel free to follow up with any other issues or if you are able to fix the issue with just adding water. We will figure this out together Ivy. 🙂
~ Jay
Hi Jay! Thanks for your response!
I have tried adding liquid to it. I’ve tried water, milk, and chicken stock, but I still end up with that burn message. I think the coconut milk might be what’s causing it to scorch, since my IP tends to run hot. Any other ideas? This recipe isn’t the only one that has this problem for me, and I’ve made this in other IPs without a problem, so it’s definitely nothing wrong with your recipe.
I just tried this recipe again, and this time instead of adding milk or stock or water, I added a can of Rotel canned tomatos with chiles. It came out perfect! It’s not watered down like it was when I added water and stock, and it’s got another layer of nice chile flavor from all the green chilies. I added both the tomatos and the water from the can, and added a bit of extra chicken bouillon to flavor the juice that leeched from the tomatos into the curry. Next time I’m going to pulse the tomatos in a food processor to crush them. Thank you for the response!
Amazing smell bit bland taste
I just made this tonight, along with a photo before eating it, looks very similar to yours. Unbelievable! I love Indian food but have never made any myself until now. I can’t believe I didn’t buy this from a restaurant. It’s that good. Thank you so much for this recipe. The chicken falls apart in your mouth. (I waited a good long time for the Instant Pot to depressurize naturally. Totally worth it.) I also had to use the Instant Pot to make the rice afterward, so I finished the chicken and sauce on the stove. I have kids so I added a lot of cayenne to my bowl instead of the sauce (I like it really spicy). I am sharing this recipe and will absolutely make it again!
Do you have a recipe for Lamb Korma?
Do you by chance have the nutritional facts for this recipe?
Any idea why my corn starch got all balled up? I used cold water, mixed it up and put it right in the sauce as instructed.
If I use frozen chicken breast, should I up the cooking time at all?
If I’m doubling the recipe using frozen tenderloins, do I need to add more time?
This my absolute favorite butter chicken recipe and I make it a lot. It’s restaurant quality and really easy. I don’t make any changes to the recipe. So glad I found it!
Hi! I’ve made this multiple times and it’s a family favorite! I noticed you have chopped fresh tomatoes as an optional add in. Do you add them before pressure cooking or afterwards?
Thx for a fabulous recipe!