This Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken is super easy to make and so flavorful! With just the right amount of spice and a thick creamy tomato sauce, It’s perfect over cauliflower rice to keep it Paleo, Whole30, and keto friendly.
Today is an exciting day! Because not only do I have a new Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken recipe, but I teamed up with a group of my favorite real-food bloggers to bring you a total of 6 (!!) brand new Whole30 recipes.
We all chose a specific type of pot/pan to create a delicious Whole30 recipe around. Sheet pan, crock pot, skillet, casserole, dutch oven, and instant pot! I can’t wait for you to try out every single one of them.
But first, let’s chat about this instant pot butter chicken. It’s simple, quick, and requires no marinating since the instant pot is great at blending all the flavors together. It’s saucy, a little spicy, packed with flavor, and great over cauliflower rice to keep it Whole30 compliant.
What You Need to Make Instant Pot Butter Chicken
With lots of savory Indian spices and a creamy dairy-free sauce, this butter chicken is delicious and also healthy. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Sea salt
- Ghee
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Garam masala – you can find this Indian spice blend at most grocery stores, or purchase here.
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Smoked Paprika
- Crushed tomatoes
- Coconut cream, or full fat milk
- Fresh cilantro
How to Make Indian Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot
First, cut the chicken thighs into 2″ pieces and season all over with 1 tsp sea salt. I prefer using chicken thighs over breasts for Instant Pot and slow cooker recipes since they stay perfectly juicy and flavorful.
Next, sauté the garlic and ginger in the butter. Use the Instant Pot “saute” setting for this. Add in the remaining salt and spices and stir. Once toasted, press “cancel”.
Now it’s time to add in the crushed tomatoes. Stir well to deglaze the bottom of the pot – all those spices are down there!
Add the chicken to the pot and stir to combine. Then pressure cook (high pressure) for 5 minutes. Quick release the pressure, remove the lid, and use tongs to remove the chicken to a plate. This ensures it won’t overcook while you cook the sauce.
Return to sauté mode and cook the sauce until it thickens. Add in the coconut milk and stir, then return the chicken to the pot and stir to coat. All done! I love this with cauliflower rice to keep it Whole30 and low carb.
Can I Make Instant Pot Butter Chicken in a Regular Pot?
Yes, you can! You can do this in a dutch oven or large stock pot following the same instructions.
When it comes time to pressure cook, simply cook, covered, on the stovetop over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through. Then just continue on with the recipe as written. The chicken will need longer to cook on the stovetop than in the Instant Pot.
And now for more real-food, delicious and healthy Whole30 recipes from my good friends! Click on each title to go to the recipes 🙂
Buffalo Chicken Casserole with Cauliflower Rice via Wholesomelicious
Crockpot Lasagna Soup via Real Simple Good
Sweet Potato Sausage Hash via Real Food with Jessica
Sunday Afternoon Roasted Chicken Soup via The Wooden Skillet
Sheet Pan Beef and Broccoli via Mary’s Whole Life
I hope you’re ready to start with this Instant Pot Butter Chicken! Grab your instant pot and let’s cook!
Instant Pot Butter Chicken {Paleo, Whole30}
Instant Pot Butter Chicken {Paleo, Whole30}
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless and skinless cut into 2” pieces
- 2 tsp fine seal salt divided
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced or grated
- 1 Tbsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup coconut cream or full fat milk
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
-
Season the chicken on both sides with 1 teaspoon sea salt, set aside.
-
Set Instant Pot to the saute setting on medium. Melt the ghee in the pot, add the garlic and ginger and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes, switching to the low sauté setting if it begins to brown.
-
Add the remaining 1 tsp salt, the paprika, garam masala, and curry powder. Cook, stirring, until the spices are toasted, about 1 minute, then press cancel.
-
Add the crushed tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze and mix the spices in with the tomatoes. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal to close. Set the machine to pressure cook on high and cook for 5 minutes.
-
Quick release the pressure, open instant pot and with tongs, carefully remove just the chicken to a plate.
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Set the pot to sauté and cook the sauce until it reduces and thickens, abut 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add the coconut cream or milk to the sauce and stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pot and stir to coat completely with sauce.
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Garnish with cilantro, and serve chicken with lightly sautéed cauliflower rice and garnish with cilantro.
Recipe Notes
*I used a 6 QT instant pot for this recipe. If you have a larger pot, use an additional 1/2 cup of broth or water along with the crushed tomatoes to ensure enough liquid is in the pot.
Nutrition
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Want More Whole30 One-Pot Recipes? Try one of These!
Stuffed Pepper Soup in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes
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Everyone loved this, I so totally messed up following the instructions (operator error) that I had to remove top layer, extract chicken, mix with the delicious creamy cheese sauce substitute and and then try to make it look like your picture. Didn’t quite make it but still taste great. Next time (besides following the recipe) I intend to double the cauliflower rice portion.
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