This Butter Chicken is one of the most delicious chicken dishes you can make! Your family will think you ordered take out! It also cooks up so quickly in the instant pot, you’ll be so glad you tried it! It will leave your kitchen smelling so good with the mixes of spices! We like to have ours with some rice and green peas, but you can choose any carbohydrate and vegetables you like to go with it!
Butter chicken is a popular Indian dish that originated in India in the mid-20th century. It is said that it was first created by Kundan Lal Gujral, he decided to innovate a new dish by marinating pieces of chicken in a mixture of yogurt and spices, cooking them over a charcoal fire and then add in some cream and tomato puree to create a rich, spicy gravy.
Butter chicken became very popular among locals and foreigners, and has become a staple item on the menu of most Indian restaurants across the world! There are many variations of butter chicken today, with some that incorporate additional ingredients such as cashews, almonds, or raisins, but the basic recipe remains the same. I love this recipe because it is simple, and tastes like the classic version.
One of the main reasons I love this recipe is because you use an Instant Pot to cook it, so it is fast and tastes delicious. The Instant Pot is a versatile kitchen appliance that can be used for cooking a variety of dishes. It is a multi-cooker that combines the functions of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté pan, steamer, and can even be used as a yogurt maker. Using an Instant Pot for cooking dinner has a few different benefits. It save’s time, because it can cook food up to 70% faster than traditional cooking methods. It is also energy efficient and uses less power than traditional cooking methods. I love that it is a one-pot cooking method, which means less cleanup for us! It can also preserve nutrients and enhance the flavor of the food due to the pressure cooking method. It also offers a wide range of cooking options and settings, this makes it easy to cook a variety of dishes, from soups and stews to rice, pasta, and meats, with consistent and reliable results! I’ll share my favorite Instant Pot below:
You can pair this chicken with some rice and peas, and can dip any sort of bread in the delicious chicken sauce. Pita Bread works great, or you can try this simple homemade bread recipe we love! Our Quick No Knead Artisan Bread, click the link below to try it:
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You can find me on Instagram and Pinterest as well @livingsimplybykalani! Happy Cooking!
Easy Butter Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 Chicken Breasts *skinless, boneless, diced into bite-size pieces
- 3 Tbs Butter
- 1 15-ounce can Tomato Sauce
- 3 tsp Garlic *minced or crushed
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Salt *add more as needed
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2-1 cup Heavy whipping cream * substitute coconut milk, or half and half
- 2 Tbs Dried or Fresh Parsley *for garnish
- 1/4 cup Water
Instructions
- On the Instant Pot press the SAUTE button and melt the butter. Add the garlic and ginger, stir to combine, and cook for one minute until fragrant.
- Add all the spices (salt included) into the butter mixture, stir to combine and cook for 1 minute. Then add the tomato sauce and a ¼ cup of water. Switch off the saute setting.
- Add in the diced chicken breast, stir to combine.
- 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 8-10 minutes to come to pressure and then it will start cooking. When the cooking program ends, do the quickly release to allow the steam to come out immediately.
- Once all the steam has come out, carefully remove the lid, and press the SAUTE button. Stir in the cream (*or half and half, or coconut milk), and allow the sauce to reduce for a few minutes, add in more salt as needed. Serve with some steamed green peas and rice, add a little dried or fresh parsely as garnish, and enjoy!