This recipe for Instant Pot Butter Chicken is so flavorful and easy to make! The pressure cooker seals in all the flavor, so you can even skip marinating the meat. This recipe is a family favorite and tastes like what you’d get at an Indian restaurant, but it’s even better!
“I have made this recipe multiple times and it has always turned out and is always delicious! I usually double it in my instapot so we can have lots of leftovers. (In fact I am making it right now!) It is absolutely my go-to recipe for Butter Chicken! Thank you so much for sharing!”
Debbie
This is the best Butter Chicken! And it’s so easy to make!
Instant Pot Butter Chicken, also known as murgh makhani, is restaurant-quality. It’s one of the most popular recipes on my blog and with good reason. This butter chicken dish is the perfect blend of tomato flavor, creaminess, and masala.
Over the past couple of days, I’ve eaten butter chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner… and I haven’t gotten tired of it. And now that it’s all gone, I actually miss it! Trust me, this dish is so good that you’re going to want to put this on your weekly dinner menu rotation.
It’s so simple to make this restaurant-style dish right at home. The instant pot simplifies the cooking process so much that you can have this done from prep to plate in thirty minutes, and a good chunk of that time is hands-off. Amazing, right? That’s less time than it takes to get takeout.
What do I serve with this Indian Butter Chicken Instant Pot Recipe?
You can serve butter chicken with any Indian flatbread or with rice. Here are a few options:
And here are some options for sides that work well with butter chicken:
And if you are planning to make the butter chicken for a dinner party, check out my blog post about throwing an Indian Dinner Party. 🙂
Can I make Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken without an Instant Pot?
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Here’s how to make Stovetop Butter Chicken using a regular ol’ pot. And if you want to try and switch things up, give this meatless version a try: Butter Chickpeas (Vegan)!
Instant Pot Butter Chicken Recipe
Instant Pot Butter Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 onion diced
- 5 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs cut into quarters
Spices
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ÂĽ teaspoon black pepper
- ÂĽ teaspoon cayenne
- ÂĽ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
Add later:
- 2 green bell peppers chopped into medium-sized chunks/squares
- ÂĽ cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk adjust to preference
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Press the sauté button and add the ghee and onions to the pot. Stir-fry the onions for 6-7 minutes or until the onions begin to brown.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and chicken. Stir-fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes, making sure to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add the spices and give everything a good mix.
- Stir in the tomato sauce.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve, and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Open the valve to quick release any remaining pressure.
- Press the sauté button, add the bell peppers and cook until they soften to your liking.
- Stir in the cream and fenugreek leaves.
- Garnish with cilantro if desired, then serve.
Video
Notes
- I have made a few adjustments to update this recipe (2021). My original recipe (in my cookbook) called for ½ cup of heavy cream, but I now think ÂĽ cup is enough. Feel free to add more heavy cream if you’d like. I have also reduced the cook time.Â
Nutrition
Like this recipe? Then check out my cookbook: Indian Food Under Pressure for more Indian Instant Pot Recipes!
Kristen says
We love this recipe! I have avoided the burn notice on the Instant Pot by not adding the tomato sauce until the cooking is all done. I just stir it in at the end before the cream.
I’m going to try it tomorrow in the crock pot.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Glad to hear you like this so much!
Jeffrey Roughgarden says
This was an easy recipe to prepare, and the result was very tasty. However, I had expected “restaurant” butter chicken and this was not that recipe. You can find “restaurant” butter chicken by searching the internet.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
You can probably achieve that by adding more butter/cream/salt/sugar if you want to experiment!
Mary says
We tried it, loved it and now my young teen grandson cooks it for his family. They love it too! When I find something this easy to make that tastes so good, it stays on repeat!!
Maggie says
Definitely going into the weeknight rotation! So easy to just throw it in the crockpot. But the best part is my extremely picky husband liked it! He said it smelled good cooking and the goat was “very good” hahaha that’s a win for me. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Maggie says
Oops meant to post that on your goat curry recipe! But excited to try this one too!
Inés says
Hi! I don´t have an instant pot, so all your recipes should cook longer or is there any other thing I should do to make them in a regular pot? thanks a lot!
Monica Eldred says
First time I cooked this and I really like it, especially as I can get those great Indian flavors without being so spicy! In the past I had problems using tomatoe sauce in the pressure cooker as it usually burns for me so I added the coconut milk along the tomatoe sauce and cooked most of the time in a sautée setting though I was using a regular pressure cooker ( Perfekt) which I like better.
If you have a trick for the tomatoe sauce not to burn and stick to the bottom, Please share.
Bianca says
I love this recipe. Staple in my household. How long will last in the fridge?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thank you! So glad to hear that 🙂 I’d finish it within a few days.
Megs says
This is a delish dish – which makes it so very frustrating that it is so difficult to make with the instant pot due to the constant burn notice. I doubled the recipe and added an extra cup of water – still burn notice. About to give up on the delicious recipe – sad.
Renee Kroyer says
I have never, ever had a burn notice on anything I’ve made before. You may have a defective instant pot. Just be sure to always deglaze after browning any meat and scrape from the bottom any browned bits. This should not give you a burn notice at all. Something is not right there.
Tracy says
I love all your recipes and I would like to cook this one. Can you use onion Masala for it instead of the onion tomato? I made a big batch and it makes everything so much easier!
Diane says
Wow, this was delicious, made exactly as the recipe was written. It’s sure to become a family favorite! I will be forever grateful to the friend who shared your wonderful website with me. Thank you 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Diane, I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 Glad your friend shared it with you too!
Todd-Denver says
Love this recipe but two out of the four times I’ve made it, I get the “burn” signal. What am I doing wrong? Zero burning or sticking when I start the pressure cook cycle. I don’t have this problem with other recipes so I have marked it down two stars for now. Following recipe to a “t”. Highish altitude. 5,700’.