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.
This was absolutely delicious and I just love that I have another great recipe for my Instant Pot!
I’m not sure if i am confused by the time it takes to cook, you note 10 minutes prep and 5 minutes in the instant pot but every time i cook in my instant pot, a 5 minute pressure cook setting takes much longer due to the cooker warming up and pressurizing. Am i mistaken that this recipe will actually take longer than the 15 minutes total noted in the recipe?
The cooking time in pressure cooker recipes usually does not include the time for the cooker to come to pressure because all pressure cookers are different. It also does not include the time for the pressure to release. Even allowing for this, it’s still much faster than stovetop cooking. Hope this helps.
I eat a lot of Indian food, and while I haven’t done a lot of side-by-side this is a REALLY tasty version! I made it last night, and though I was a bit disappointed by my Garam Masala mix (cinnamon heavy) the rest of the recipe was delish!
One note; the recipe didn’t specify how you recommended cutting up the onion, so if someone wasn’t used to the dish they might be a bit uncertain as far as dice/chop/slice (big little etc). fortunately it’s a really forgiving dish too, so even then it works.
My next plan: trying a mix of cream and low fat evaporated milk to cut out a bit of the fat- have you ever tried something like that? (since the corn starch does a great job at correcting the thickness at the end).
Unfortunately your comment doesn’t explain the onion either – dice it, folks.
I actually slice my onions instead of dicing – just a preference. I also skip the heavy cream and use a can of coconut milk. I think it tastes a bit more authentic and adds a little extra flavor. I add it at the end, mixing cornstarch in it. Then heat just to boiling. Yum!! I make rice and naan to go with – that’s what is for dinner tonight!
I was interested in this recipe after looking up easy instant pot recipes, but after so much verbiage, just to get to the recipe, looks like I’ll pass.
Typical Karen
Hahaha ????
Ya know, you don’t actually have to read the words. You can just scroll until you see something in a box that looks like a recipe…..
Mine is in the pressure cooker now. Excited to give it a try!
Thanks. 😉 Hope you loved it.
Iade this and all of our kids devoured it. Wanted to also add that I got coconut CREAM instead of coconut milk or heavy cream, as one of the kids is dairy free. Was definitely better and tasted just like our local Indian restaurant version
Yeah great to know that was wonderful too
Just to let everyone know.
I get my Naan bread at Aldi grocery store for about $3.00 for 4 large pieces. Our Publix stock Naan here, only three pieces all the time in the deli area near the sandwich wraps and Hawaiian rolls. Although Publix is high price. They are both good.
I cannot wait to try this recipe out this week. Purchased my Naan at Aldi today.
Oh my! I hate indian type of spices. But i have to say this is amazing!! I didn’t have the garam masala but i read the ingredients and made my own. I also forgot the cream so I used milk and melted butter. Word to the wise do not substitute the cream. It was way to buttery. I wish I could post a photo so I coukd show my finished dish. But suffice it to say…..its going into my recipe box. Will def make it again. Thank you for sharing.
Turned out ok I used only 1/2tsp of chili powder so my kids would eat it. I also put the dry spices in and let them sit and cook on the chicken before adding the tomato sauce and cream. It turned out well but was lacking the bold curry flavor that you get in your typical butter chicken. I add some curry powder after the fact.
As soon as my IP came to pressure I got a burn notice. What can I do to avoid this?
I get the burn notice a lot and have started to ignore it. For me I keep the thin liquid on the bottom, the chicken on the rack and everything else on top. I do not stir. I get the burn notice less this way. When it is done, I stir. I will say when I ignore the notice the food cooks up just fine but a little may stick to the bottom.
This was my second instant pot dish and my first one with chicken. I used a pack of Costco boneless/skinless chicken breasts (the kind that comes in individual packs of 6) weighing in at 1lb 13oz in place of the chicken thighs, and this amount worked perfectly. The chicken was surprisingly moist! My dish turned out brown – mostly likely because I used chipotle chili powder instead of red chili powder? It looked more like chicken curry, but still tasted great. Next time, I might lose the chili powder altogether since I like things mild. I cooked up basmati rice but tried it first with flour tortillas (the kind you buy as ready-to-cook flattened dough and cook yourself – we use these in place of naan for Indian dishes); my husband and I both thought the flavor was better with the tortillas, but the rice was just fine, too! I’ll probably only make this every once in a while since over half of the sauce is cream and butter (eek!), but it definitely hit the spot and smells a-maz-ing.
I’m so glad you loved it too!