Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Butter chicken with rice on a plate topped with cilantro

4.90 from 56 votes

Butter Chicken, or Murgh Makhani, is one of the most beloved Indian curries worldwide. Tender chicken pieces simmered in a rich, creamy tomato-based sauce with the perfect balance of spices. Making it in the Instant Pot not only saves time but also locks in all those incredible flavors, all in a simple one-pot method.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North Indian

Keyword: easy butter chicken, instant pot butter chicken

Diet: Gluten-free

Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Servings:

Author: Meeta Arora

Equipment

Ingredients

1.5 pound Chicken thighs
2 tablespoon Butter (replace with oil for dairy free)
1 cup Onion sliced
1 tablespoon Ginger finely diced
1 tablespoon Garlic finely diced
1 can Diced Tomato or 4 tomatoes cut in large pieces
1/4 cup Water
1 teaspoon Honey add more to taste
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/4 cup Cream heavy whipping or coconut cream
2 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi)
Cilantro to garnish

Spices

1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
1 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder adjust to taste
1 teaspoon Salt

Whole Spices (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

(optional) Make a spice pouch by adding the whole spices to a cheesecloth. Tie it such that the spices cannot come out of it.
Except for chicken, cream, honey, garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and cilantro, add all ingredients and spice pouch to the Instant Pot, including the spices.
Place chicken thighs on top of the ingredients. Close the lid with the vent in the sealing position.
Set the Instant Pot to manual or pressure cook mode for 8 minutes. After the instant pot beeps, do a 10-minute natural pressure release. This means let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure.
If using, remove the spice pouch and discard it. Remove the chicken carefully using tongs into a plate. Blend the contents in the instant pot with an immersion blender or regular blender to a smooth paste. If using a regular blender, you may need to cool the ingredients before blending. Get the contents back into the Instant Pot.
Add the honey, garam masala, and cream. Crush the dried fenugreek leaves between your palms and then add them in. Stir into the sauce.
Cut the chicken into smaller pieces using two forks.
Add the chicken pieces back to the sauce and stir them in.
Garnish with cilantro. Butter Chicken is ready to be served.

Video

Notes

Sauce: The sauce thickens as it cools, and tastes even better the next day. This sauce freezes well. Skip adding the chicken and keep this sauce handy to prepare this or other curries.

Make the Sauce Thicker: You can add some cashews, about 12-15, along with the other ingredients, before pressure cooking. Once blended, they will make a thicker gravy for the final dish.

Variations: Butter Paneer / Matar Paneer / Mushroom Matar / Roasted Cauliflower - You can also add different veggies to this sauce and make delicious curries. All of the veggies can be added after making the sauce. Simmer for 3-4 minutes on saute mode to cook the veggies.

Vegan Variation: To make this curry vegan, replace cream with coconut cream, butter with oil, and chicken with tofu or vegetables (add them after making the sauce).

Make it a meal: Cook white basmati rice pot-in-pot (PIP) when pressure cooking the curry. Check measurements here.

Nutrition