We all need that one go-to recipe for our most beloved dish. My Instant Pot Butter Chicken curry is that dish for me. And I believe it will be that for you too after you give it a go.
Its extremely easy to put together, uses minimal ingredients – the ones already present in your pantry if you have the chicken on hand, comes together in about 40 minutes, and is extremely delicious.
I made this chicken using organic chicken thighs and I highly recommend you to use thighs too. They are extremely flavourful, marinate faster andjust keep getting better with every bite.
Dairy Free Butter Chicken
This dish also forms for a great dairy free option. If you have seen my previous recipes you know ghee is my go-to choice of fat. However you can easily sub ghee with avocado oil and achieve the same effect.
Easy Weeknight Dinners
Whether we are working from home or not we are always pressed for time. There is just so much to do in this world. Meal planning is difficult and not for everyone so I am always on a lookout for recipes that are great as weeknight dinners and this one wins the game hands down. I marinated the chicken for exactly 30 minutes before I started on the recipe. And once that is done it takes about 40 mins from start to finish including the cook and prep time. How cool is that? So ask Siri to play some great music in the background while you unwind and make this kickass butter chicken that is sure to impress your family.
Better yet, make extra so that your lunch for the next day is covered as well.
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
What can I pair my butter chicken with?
While nothing beats the classic combination of butter chicken and rice a lot of you might be looking for an alternative. These team perfectly well with my gluten-free Jowar Rotis. I also use the same method as that of the Jowar Rotis to make rotis out of Water Chesnut flour which is another great option for a gluten free, paleo and AIP compliant flatbread.
Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken Recipe
I have frankly used the pressure cook function to make this recipe. So if you don’t have an instant pot don’t sweat just use your pressure cooker and cook it on a medium high flame for 25 mins and you should get the same effect.
Paleo Butter Chicken
To eat this butter chicken you don’t need to be following a paleo lifestyle. You just need to love and appreciate food, is all. And that is really the case with all of my food. Check out our website for other recipes and desserts you can buy if you are from Canada. This is also great recipe for you have guests over. Its everything you’d want in your butter chicken.
With that being said lets dive in:
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Marinate Chicken
- 1 kg Organic Chicken thighs
- ¼ cup Avocado Oil
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1.5 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
- ¾ tsp Red Chilli Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
Tomato Onion Paste
- 300 gms Organic Tomatoes 3 medium sized ones
- 200 gms Organic Onions
- 3 Green Chillies
Butter Chicken Curry
- 4 tbsp Ghee or Avocado Oil
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 8 whole Black pepper corns
- 2 whole Star Anise
- 4 whole Cardamom pods Slightly slit in between
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste Grate 3 cloves of garlic & a knob of ginger if you don't have ginger garlic paste on hand
- 200 gms Marinara Sauce or Crushed Tomatoes
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- ¼ - 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder As per preference
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tbsp Filtered water
Finish the curry with
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice Approx half a lemon
- 1 slab Grass fed Butter Optional
- 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves for garnish
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Add 1 kg or 2 pounds of organic chicken thighs to a clean bowl and add all the ingredients mentioned in the related section
- Mix the chicken and the spices (mentioned under the related ingredient group) together with the help of your hands so that everything is well incorporated
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for anywhere between 30 mins to 8 hours.
Tomato Onion Paste
- Add the tomatoes, onions and green chillies to a blender and whiz them up until you get a nice red coloured paste
Butter Chicken Curry
- Set your instant pot to a sauté mode
- Once adequately hot add in the choice of fat (ghee or avocado oil)
- Then add in the spices - cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and black pepper corns
- Saute for 30 to 40 seconds or until the spices are fragrant
- Next add in a teaspoon of cumin seeds
- Once they start crackling in add in your tomato onion paste
- Mix the paste together with the spices for about 5-7 seconds and then add in the ginger garlic paste
- Mix and simmer the mixture for 5-7 minutes and then add in the marinara sauce
- Mix well until the curry adopts the colour of the sauce and then add in the other spices - turmeric, coriander, cumin, red chilli powder and garam masala
- Mix well so that it all incorporates well and then add in your marinated chicken
- Again mix in the chicken with the base curry and lastly add in 1 tablespoon of filtered water
- Turn off the sauté mode and close the lid of your instant pot
- Set of pressure cook mode and cook on a high pressure for 25 minutes
Finishing touches
- After 25 minutes let the pressure release naturally
- Open the lid and add in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, a slab of butter and coriander leaves
- Mix well and serve hot with ric or tortilla of choice