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 delicious! My store was out of fresh ginger so I subbed a tsp of ground. Still tasty. Served it with basmati and naan. Also had a zucchini and broccoli salad as a starter. All went very well together.
Yay glad it was a hit
Why do we have to suffer having to scroll through gibberish before we get to the written recipe? Oh, I know! It’s to force us to look at the ads. Well, EFF YOU!
It’s a blog, not a recipe site. Scrolling won’t kill you. Don’t like it, don’t go to blogs! You don’t have to be a jerk.
Amen, you don’t like it don’t come back. I want to say thank you for taking your time to help me. God bless
Thank you!
Why are so many people so hateful. Thank you- I can’t wait to try this recipe.
It happens, have to have thick skin unfortunately
@Angry Cool, Ease up on the anger there Mr/Ms Cool. It’s all good….including the recipe.
@Angry Cool, yet another troll who can’t see the “jump to recipe” button. If scrolling is “suffering” in your book, maybe you should take a look at the news. Just because your a miserable grouch, you don’t need to try and hurt others.
Love the recipe and the family eats it up. Wondering if anyone has doubled it though and if so do you just double everything? Leave the liquids the same or increase? Appreciate it.
Ohhh Emmm Geee…. My first butter chicken experience was at an Indian restaurant in Marne LaVallee, France. My coworker at the time, Beverley and I went there with several others, a couple times during the building of Disneyland Paris. I loved it then (27+ years ago) and have only had it one other time since. This recipe was so incredibly easy and I found the taste smooth and delicious. I will definitely be making this often. I’m probably going to double the recipe and add more onion (I love onion) and I used chicken breast instead of thigh (because I had breasts in the freezer). We substituted soft flour tortillas instead of rice or naan as called out. It was really yummy. Mahalo for sharing your recipe. It is truly delicious! Aloha~
yay so glad it was a hit!!
Does it matter which kind of onion? Thanks
I always use yellow but use what you wish.
I Made this for a gathering and it was a hit, everyone loved it! Will definitely make it again!
Yay
I love butter chicken! What vegetables can I add to the instant pot to cook with the chicken? Thanks!
I personally wouldn’t add any to this. You’d need to use a firmer one since it is cooking for 5 minutes and you wouldn’t want it to get too mushy. I prefer to steam separately.
I always add sliced carrots. They cook well and the carrots go well with butter chicken. I also add some cayenne pepper to spice it up a bit more.
That’s a good add in
How much cayenne paper do you add to this recipe?
Love the recipe. You did a great job, but I had to scroll through 10 adds to get to the recipe. 10!!
It is VERY expensive to maintain a website. Ads allow bloggers to offer our sites up free of use. If we had no ads we would have to charge a monthly fee to access our recipes. Glad you loved the recipe and others you will find here.
Just scroll through them. I love the links to more yummy recipes as I’m scrolling!
I added some frozen carrots and cauliflower before sealing. Veggies were a little mushy but I like to have some veg with every meal. Tasted great!! Definitely going to make it again.
This turned out perfectly in my instant pot! Great recipe that I will be making often!
So glad!
I made this recipe last night and it was great. I substituted the garam Marsala for cumin and all spice because my family doesn’t do well with curry and odd spices. I would give a word of caution to those who add the cream in during cooking. Mine curdled. Also I kept my leftovers and just combined my rice over night. Made a soup the next day by adding the leftovers, a big thing off chicken broth, water, can of pinto beans and corn. Better than the butter chicken!!!!