Our easy Instant Pot butter chicken recipe with chicken thighs recipe is so full of flavor. Only takes 5 minutes to cook and makes the perfect family dinner. Made as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe in a pressure cooker, this is an easy one served with naan.
I came up with this easy chicken recipe that tastes pretty similar to one at the restaurant we visited years ago! It has become one of our favorite Indian dishes since then and now listed on our Instant Pot recipes roundup.
I went out to eat Indian food with a few friends once when I went to a conference in Utah. I hadn’t had it in years and wasn’t sure what to order so my friend suggested butter chicken since it was a milder dish and she said “everyone loves it”. Served with with homemade naan it was incredible.
I do typically veer toward thighs because they’re so cheap and come out more tender than breasts but that is totally your choice. It was way easier than I thought and was pretty dead close to the one I tried at that restaurant. I love this method because you can adjust the heat and serve with any side dishes that are to your liking. A bit of sauteeing at first, mix up the sauce and cook under high pressure to get it nice and tender. Done!
It. Was. Amazing! Now that I am all about my pressure cooker I was sure I could make a simple version (my take on it). Served with a side of rice and/or naan this is definitely a winner at our house when I make it!
I’m a busy mom with three kids and we both work full time. One thing we love is eating one meal together. The more I worked the more our dinners together dropped off, until I got my Instant Pot. Now easy chicken Instant Pot recipes only take 30 minutes or less to make.
Ingredient Notes
As for the star of the show the best yet since I have tested it a few times is to use diced Chicken thighs. I prefer boneless skinless to make the cubing process easier but that is up to you.
Garam Masala can be found at your local supermarket or make homemade here, and cumin are the classic seasoning for really any sort of Indian dish so you may need to grab those if you don’t already have some in your spice rack.
You will want some chopped Ginger for a pop of flavor. You can buy it this way in a jar to make things easier for you. Minced works too if that is all you can find.
Some Chili Powder is optional but good even if you only add a bit, my version is not spicy below. I will say that this is tamer than others like if you wanted it really hot you might choose red pepper flakes or dry Sriracha instead.
And to make the sauce creamy you will want some Heavy cream. If you need it to be dairy free you could try coconut milk. It just won’t be as thick so you may want to set to saute at the end and whisk in some cornstarch to counteract that.
We like to serve this with a side or over a bed of fluffy Instant Pot white rice but that is up to you.
How Long to Cook Butter Chicken in Instant Pot
Turn your pressure cooker to saute, and add your butter. When butter is melted add cubed chicken and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, just enough for chicken pieces to cook just a bit and are no longer pink. Then when all other ingredients are added you put lid on and close steam valve. Set to low pressure for 5 minutes. (4 minutes on high) followed by a quick release.
With the time it takes for the pot to reach pressure the total would be about 20 minutes total if you added it all up, really quick!
A long grain variety of rice is commonly used in Indian recipes. Basmati rice is commonly available at most grocery stores or this is how to cook arborio rice to serve together.
How do you thicken sauce?
If you want the sauce thicker, remove chicken and set to saute low for just a few minutes. Put some of the hot liquid in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk together, add back into the pot and stir.
You may do this again with another tbsp. depending on how thick you want the sauce to be but realize that will thicken more as it sits and cools so add sparingly. You’d do the same for our Slow Cooker Chicken Makhani version that is similar.
Instant Pot Butter Chicken Thighs Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 medium chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into bite size cubes
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 small onion
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp corn starch, optional to thicken sauce at the end
Instructions
- Turn your pressure cooker to saute, and add your butter.
- When butter is melted add cubed chicken and onions.
- Cook just enough for chicken pieces to cook just a touch on the outside and are no longer pink.
- Add all other ingredients into your pressure cooker and mix together well.
- Put lid on and close steam valve.
- Set to low pressure for 5 minutes.
- When done allow to naturally release for 1 minute (to avoid splatters), then do a quick release.
- Carefully lift lid. Serve immediately or remove chicken and set to saute low for just a few minutes. Put some of the hot liquid in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk together, add back into the pot and stir. May do this again with another tbsp. depending on how thick you want the sauce to be.
- Sauce will thicken more as it sits. Turn off, add chicken back in, and serve with rice and/or naan.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to save leftovers
I will start by saying we rarely if ever have any leftovers but if you do, yes you can. Although it’s a less popular option, chicken and other meats can certainly be reheated on the stovetop. Do so in a small saucepan over low to heat vs. medium high heat to avoid drying it out. Top with chopped cilantro and enjoy again.
If you don’t have a microwave or are short on time, this is a good method. Add some oil or butter to the pan to thin out sauce. Reheating leftovers in a microwave are a bit easier. Do so in a microwave safe dish in 30 second intervals stirring in between times.
That is what is so great about cooking homemade meals right? There is nothing worse than getting a delicious dish that was made so hot that you can’t taste anything else. I mean, you know it’s good but your mouth is on fire and you’re just disappointed. Just add a bit when cooking and more later at the end if you desire after tasting it.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve heard it called Indian chicken before. I guess that’s because you typically won’t find this on any other restaurant menu. BUT now you can make it right at home using my directions below so that’s fun!
Um…well for obvious reasons, there is butter in it.
Beyond that it does definitely have a creamy butter flavor to it.
Do NOT use butter substitutes, you have to go all out.
Salted butter is best, we prefer organic.
Sure you can do this! I personally like thighs because they’re a lot more tender but I do swap the two types depending on what I have on hand or if I find a really good sale I will use that. It is preference really, the timing won’t change either way.
Other Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for more Instant Pot chicken recipes? We make a lot of these because it is my girls’ favorite meat and a healthy choice for dinnertime. Of course those with a thicker sauce like this one isn’t quite as good for you as let’s say our Instant Pot butter beef. You can see that one above, fun to mix up the proteins. 😉
This is our tasty instant pot sesame chicken recipe. Served over rice it will get raving reviews from everyone in your family for sure.
- Sweet Instant Pot orange chicken recipe is healthier with no breading but tons of flavor.
- Honey Instant Pot chicken is our own creation that has gone crazy with everyone who tries it.
- Kid fave Pressure cooker cheesy chicken spaghetti is loaded with cheese and tons of flavor.
Instant Pot spicy teriyaki chicken thighs are amazing with a simple homemade teriyaki sauce recipe. This one has an Asian twist to it so if you like to try foods from other countries, or try to make them at home, this one is great too. You can certainly adjust the heat level on both of these.
What size can of tomato sauce? Trying this out tonight but not sure how much ill need.
Says 1 1/2 c. in recipe.
One 15 oz can of tomato sauce is perfect… exacatly 1.5 cups.
Awesome! thanks. Ill try out your idea with the flour as well
So I just made this tonight for the family and we have no leftovers…. so that’s a good thing and also a very bad one. I substituted the heavy cream for a can of coconut cream and it definitely made the dish better. I also incorporated 2 tea spoons of tapioca flour as an emulsifier and there was no separation of butter from the rest of the ingredients. so if you need a more gluten or dairy free way of doing it both of these methods seem to work, I also added 2 teaspoons of turmeric but this was more for color than for taste.
how would you add rice to this?
I haven’t done that as of yet in the same pot.
Last night, I made a lemon chicken recipe and i added 1 1/2 C. Uncle Bens rice and
1 1/2 C chicken stock to the pot, then I put the chicken on top. Same pressure time. I think you could add rice and some extra water.. maybe not the whole cup and a half because the butter chicken recipe is pretty saucy. Maybe 1 cup.. anyway, the recipe i did came out perfect. Just try adding the rice. If it’s not quite the right consistency, so what. It’s going to taste fantastic. Ive decided to just go for it with this magic pot.
Sorry, I should have said that the rice was not in the chicken recipe. I just wanted all that flavour in my rice too.
Hi ! My name is Staci.
Can I cook The Butter Chicken Recipe in a Slow Cooker ?
I haven’t done that yet
Real Butter Chicken has the spice Fenugreek (methi in Indian Groceries). The taste isn’t quite right without it.
Would you add the Fenugreek in addition to the other ingredients? 1.5 tsp? Thanks. Really liked it but wouldn’t mind just a little more something
Yes with the spices I would say.
I’m new to cooking with my Instant Pot. I’ve learnt that there are 2 ways to release the pressure. one is to do a quick release and then other is natural release. Do i do a quick releases in this case?
I just move slightly so steam comes out slowly as stated. You can do a quick release too, that would be fine.
I did this and it was amazibg. i find it has a bit of bite to it but not to the point i cant eat it. My daughter however will not eat it. What can i take out or reduce to make it more milder.
If you want it milder just cut the spices in half next time.
Has anyone ever used regular, thawed chicken breasts instead of thighs? Any feedback would be appreciated.
Yes, I just tried it for the first time today with chicken breast cut in cubes and I added a whole onion, because I love to cook with a lot of onions. Turned out fantastic!
So glad!!
How long on the chicken breasts
So excited to try. Says half an onion. Diced or just half an onion? Thanks.
Diced
This was the 2nd recipe I tried in my new Instant Pot. It turned out fantastic!
I mixed a tablespoon of water with a tablespoon of organic cornstarch and added it at the end to thicken it up the sauce and served it over organic short grain brown rice. I didn’t add the chili powder this time. Maybe I’ll get brave and try it with the chili powder next time. It was delicious without it.
This recipe will definitely get added to my regular recipe list!
So glad you loved it!!
I still need a rice cooker to cook their e.