Butter chicken is one of the big hits with all Instant Pot users and was the number one suggestion when I asked about making me love my Instant Pot (for more than yogurt).
I made it and the basmati rice together as per the recipe. The sauce was great, and the rice came out fine, but the texture of the chicken was more like shredded chicken than the nice chunks we like. And I’m not sure that it was any kind of time saver, except for possibly the clean-up. Serves 4:
Butter Chicken Instant Pot Hybrid Version
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2-1 teaspoons cayenne pepper, depending on your heat threshold
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons garam masala, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, (1 stick) cut into cubes, plus 1 tablespoon for cooking the chicken
- 4 ounces heavy cream (use full-fat coconut milk, if dairy free)
- 1/4-1/2 cups chopped cilantro
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1″ chunks
Place tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chicken, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, salt, 1 teaspoon of the garam masala, and cumin into the inner liner of your Instant Pot and stir to combine. Press the Manual or Pressure cook button, set the timer to 10 mins, and cook.
Once it is done cooking, allow the pot to cool for 10 minutes, undisturbed. Then, release all remaining pressure and open the pot.
Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until it is smooth. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the cut-up butter, cream, cilantro, and garam masala. Remove half the sauce and freeze or refrigerate for later.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. It doesn’t have to be fully cooked as it will finish in the sauce.
When the chicken is browned, add the sauce and turn the heat down to medium-low. Stir to coat the chicken. Cook 10-15 minutes on low simmer.
While the chicken is cooking, make basmati rice.
Serve the chicken over the basmati rice and enjoy!
My verdict:
Great! I cheated and used two breasts from a rotisserie chicken we had, so only had to heat it up in the sauce. If you have one and are looking for something different to do with it, this works well.
When I made butter chicken before, it probably took about 30-45 minutes from start to finish including making the rice. In the Instant Pot it was over an hour. The hybrid version was about 45 minutes, but a lot of it is hands-off. So, take what works for you and enjoy!
