Instant Pot Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) [Video]
Butter chicken, traditionally known as murgh makhani, is an Indian dish originating in Delhi. It is a type of curry made from chicken with a spiced tomato and butter (makhan) sauce. Its sauce is known for its rich texture. It is similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses a tomato paste. [Wikipedia]This recipe provides a restaurant-quality butter chicken in under 30 minutes at home! Join the thousands who have made this very popular Butter Chicken Recipe that went viral. A super easy yet authentic Keto Indian Butter Chicken. An easy Instant Pot Keto Recipe that's family-friendly and ready in 30 minutes.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 (14oz) can Tomatoes (undrained)
- 5-6 cloves Garlic
- 1-2 teaspoons Minced Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (or use breast, bone-in, or whatever works for you. If frozen, add 1-2 minutes to total time)
To Finish:
- 4 ounces butter cut into cubes (use coconut oil if dairy free)
- 4 ounces Heavy Cream (use full-fat coconut milk if dairy free)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- ¼-½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place all main ingredients into an Instant Pot in the order listed, EXCEPT for the butter, cream and 1 teaspoon of the garam masala, mixing the sauce well before you place the chicken on top of the sauce. If the chicken is frozen, push it into the sauce a bit so it defrosts better
- Close the cooker and set for 10 mins on high, on Manual. Turn on, let it cook, and then let it release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. After that, release all remaining pressure.
- Open up the pot and remove the chicken carefully and set aside
- Blend together all the ingredients, preferably using an immersion blender
- Add the cut up butter, cream, cilantro, and garam masala and stir until well incorporated.
- It’s best to let the sauce cool just a little before adding the butter and the cream. Adding it into the boiling sauce will make your sauce very thin. If that happens, just put it in the fridge for a little and let it thicken up. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
- Remove half the sauce and freeze for later or store in the fridge for 2-3 days*
- Add the chicken back in and heat through. Break it up into smaller pieces if you need but don’t shred it.
- Serve over rice, or zucchini noodles
Notes
This recipe makes twice as much sauce as you’ll need. Believe me, make the full amount of sauce and save half to use on, well, everything else.
Using Leftover Sauce
Use leftover cooked chicken and mix in with the gently heated sauce, let it simmer for a few for the flavors to meld together and there you go. Add some fresh cilantro on top.
The above video shows the basic recipe, but also adds frozen cauliflower to the Instant Pot during the Butter Chicken cooking. Some other recipes add cauliflower to Butter Chicken. It’s a good addition.
