Exploring the many cultures we have in this world and their food is something I’ve been passionate about. Everything from watching Anthony Bourdain to Andrew Zimmerman trip the world and taste everything it has to offer has been a quiet storm of want and desire for me. I know with my friends and family for saying “what country are we visiting today?” When it comes to picking which restaurant we would like to visit that day.
Cuisines from India is defiantly a new adventure I am taking with my kids. We have had so many delicious dishes through 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 lunch you just don’t want to go without in your life.
If you loved this recipe be sure to check out my other many pressure cooker recipes HERE. Try my delicious Lemon and Herb Chicken and Mashed Potatoes! It’s a one pot meal!
If you loved this recipe Don’t forget to share with your friends and family! Leave a comment below with what y’all thought of it.
- 2lb's of chicken breast or tenderloins diced into ¼ inch pieces (if Frozen No need to Dice)
- 1 Stick of Butter (or ½ a cup)
- 2 Teaspoons of Garam Masala
- 2 Teaspoons of Cayenne Pepper (optional - omit if you don't want heat added to the dish)
- 2 Teaspoons of Curry Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger OR 2 Teaspoons of minced fresh ginger
- 1 Can of Coconut Milk (In can, sold at any grocery store)
- 1 Cup of Chicken Stock
- 1 6oz Can of Tomato Paste
- 1 Onion Minced
- 5 Garlic Cloves Minced
- Cilantro for Garnishing
- Salt to taste
- 2 Tbs CornStarch
- 1 Tbs Water
- Turn Pressure Cooker On Saute Mode or press Chicken/Meat.
- Place stick of butter into the pot and let it full melt until it becomes foamy and smells amazing.
- Toss in onions and garlic and cook until halfway done, then add the coconut milk, chicken stock and tomato paste. Mix thoroughly.
- Add the Curry Powder, Ground Cumin, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper, Garam Masala, and salt to taste.
- Place frozen or thawed chicken in the pot and cover with sauce. Cook on Manual for 15 minutes or cook meal using Chicken/Meat button.
- Once finished let sit in pot for 10 minutes with a NPR. If lid has not unlocked release the excess steam and remove the lid.
- If your chicken was already diced skip this next step.
- Turn pot back on to Saute or Keep Warm Method. With a sturdy spoon and fork gently cut/shred the chicken into desired size pieces.
- Mix the cornstarch and water together and then add to the pot, mix well. Let pot boil until sauce is thickened.
- Serve over a bed of basmati rice or jasmine rice. Garnish with fresh cut cilantro.
- Enjoy!
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!!!
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.
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. 🙂
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
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 ?
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.
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 ?
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 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.
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.