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Cooking With Anadi
12K subscribers · creamy tomato curry with chicken thighs and warm spices
Why I’m in Love with Instant Pot Butter Chicken!
If you know me you know I have two favorite foods of all time that I’m always craving. Those are Butter Chicken and Pizza.
Yeah, I think about them pretty much every day! It’s a problem, but it’s true! They will forever be so satisfying to me and these foods mean so much to me.
The thing is that these foods can take some time! Especially butter chicken! What happens when I crave butter chicken on a busy weekday after a long day of work? Well, okay, I don’t let circumstances stop me. If I want something delicious I just make it anyway, even if I’m tired or it’s late.
That’s just me though and I don’t think you’re all the same. I totally get it. The traditional Murgh Makhani -Restaurant Style Butter Chicken is probably best saved for weekends or special occasions because it can involve a lot of effort!
However, my goal with this Instant Pot butter chicken recipe is to make sure that it’s weeknight friendly! I don’t want you having boring dinners when you’re tired and gotta get food on the table. No, not allowed in this house! Read on to find out more!
Also, don’t forget to watch the video! If you’re not already, make sure you subscribe to me on YouTube! Hit the bell so you get notified when the corresponding video recipes go live with the blog post! I love to record the recipes to give you a full picture of what’s going on! The video will show exactly how to marinate the chicken, how to sauté it, and what to look for in the final dish so you’re guaranteed success with this Instant Pot butter chicken recipe! Let’s get cooking!
Why Make Instant Pot Butter Chicken?
All right, let me convince you why you should make this for dinner. If it’s Sunday night you’re reading this, go get your ingredients to make it tomorrow!
This is a one-pot meal. That’s the beauty of Instant Pot recipes. You just dump everything in that one pot. The Instant Pot has so many settings that you can use to cook your meals in, so whatever your need is, the Instant Pot will do it for you! You won’t need to baby the cooking as you do in the traditional butter chicken recipe.
We’re saving steps a couple of ways using this recipe compared to the traditional recipe:
- I’m marinating the chicken once
- The chicken will be cooked in the Instant Pot, not in the oven
- The sauce and chicken are cooked together in one pot, no separation!
What Makes a Butter Chicken Authentic?
There are a few core ingredients that truly make a butter chicken:
- Butter
- Cream
I’ve seen butter chicken recipes that call for no butter and instead cornstarch, no cream but instead coconut milk or coconut cream. Um, okay. I get the idea but that’s just not butter chicken anymore. Murgh Makhani literally means “Butter Chicken,” so if butter is not in the recipe, then you can’t call it butter chicken anymore now can you?
Oh, and if you see onions… run. Do run. I say that in my Traditional Restaurant Style Butter Chicken recipe, and I’ll say it here. Onions have no place in this dish! Go check out Chicken Tikka Masala if you want onions in your gravy, but not this recipe!
Yes, I suppose a core ingredient you need for an authentic butter chicken is the chicken of course! But for the vegetarians, you can always opt for Mughlai Style Paneer Makhani. I don’t have an Instant Pot recipe for this yet but that will definitely be on the way! To make it, you would follow the same steps except skip everything related to the chicken. Then, once the makhani sauce thickens, add chopped up cubes of paneer. It’s really that easy!
Is Butter Chicken Sweet or Spicy?▼
The answer to this question is…. neither! An authentic butter chicken is actually a balance of both! There is a small amount of heat that comes from the red chili powder (I recommend Deggi mirch for some mild heat and to get the lovely red color), and the honey balances it out. Kasoori methi brings the dish together by making it very aromatic and fragrant. Also, adding in our cream will help dilute the gravy and give it its richness, so the final product won’t have much heat. You can add more or less honey and cream depending on how mild you want the heat to be.
What’s the difference between chicken tikka masala and butter chicken?▼
Staple non-vegetarian Indian menu options are Chicken tikka masala and butter chicken. Those links will take you to Google images of both dishes. Can you tell the difference?
Probably not right! Does that mean that they are the same!
No, they most certainly are not! While it’s hard to visually distinguish them, there certainly are differences in the overall flavor profile and textures of the gravies.
For example, the gravy of a chicken tikka masala is a bit chunkier than that of a butter chicken. Of course you can pureé that gravy, but chicken tikka masala is defined by the thick and creamy gravy. You’ll see that the butter chicken gravy is smooth and rich, without any chunkiness at all. Additionally, chicken tikka masala has onions, whereas butter chicken does not! We’ve got chunks of onions, tomatoes, and green peppers to add flavors that are not part of a traditional butter chicken! This element also makes the distinction between the two vegetarian alternatives for their respective non-vegetarian dishes, Kadai Paneer versus Paneer Makhani.
Tools Needed
- Instant pot
- Small bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients for Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot
For the Marinade
- Chicken thighs
- Ginger-garlic Paste
- Lemon juice
- Plain yogurt
- Deggi mirch
- Salt
- Garam masala
For the Makhani Sauce
- Passata or strained tomatoes
- Ginger-garlic paste
- Water
- Garam masala
- Dried fenugreek leaves
- Salt
- Honey
- Ground green cardamom
- Butter
- Cream
How to Make Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot
Add all the ingredients for the marinade together in a small bowl. Cover and let the chicken marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Turn the Instant Pot to Saute Mode on High. Add 1 Tbsp of butter and let it melt. Add the marinated pieces of chicken and cook until one of the sides is a light golden brown. If the marinade starts to turn brown, add a splash of water to prevent it from burning.
Turn the chicken on the other side and break into smaller pieces if desired. Press Cancel on the Instant Pot.
Add passata/tomato puree, water, minced ginger-garlic, deggi mirch, salt, and garam masala. Stir and close the Instant Pot lid.
Ensure the Lid has its Pressure Release set to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cook time to 5 minutes at High Pressure.
Let the pressure naturally release for at least 5 minutes, move the Pressure Release to Venting to release any remaining pressure.
Press Cancel and select Sauté at Low setting. Once the curry comes up to a boil, add honey, ground green cardamom, fenugreek leaves, 1 Tbsp butter and cream and mix well.
Bring the gravy back up to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Tips & Tricks for Restaurant-Quality Butter Chicken
- Do not add whole green cardamom or the ground green cardamom until after the pressure cooking is completed. Cooking cardamom under pressure will make the sauce bitter and almost, inedible. Add a pinch or two while the sauce is simmering with the butter and cream.
- Make sure to perform a manual pressure release 5 mins after the timer has gone off. If you let the pressure release naturally all the way, you run the risk of drying out the chicken and giving it a rubbery texture.
- I have been preferring 10% cream over heavy cream for several reasons. Except the obvious fact about lower calories, I am able to use it to add body and thin out the sauce without adding extra water, and it thickens up easy enough to get that classic makhani sauce texture and consistency.
- You can always cook the chicken in your oven or on a barbecue. If doing so, follow the same steps except add the chicken. Then, once the sauce has thickened up, add the cooked chicken tikka pieces
- Cut the deggi mirch by half in this recipe if you are very sensitive to spice. While at first it might seem a lot, deggi mirch adds more color to the dish than it adds spice.
Serving Suggestions for Instant Pot Butter Chicken
My all-time favorite bread to serve with butter chicken is Homemade Tandoori Naan! This will soak up all of the sauce and it’s so soft and fresh! Another amazing bread option includes Rumali Roti, which are known as “handkerchief” rotis, because they are as thin and delicate as a handkerchief! This will also soak up your gravy so easily! My other favorite bread choice is Punjabi Lachha Paratha, which refers to a paratha that’s layered and flaky.
If you want rice in addition to or in place of bread, here are my recommendations!
- Basmati Rice - Boiled or Steamed: A simple staple that’s commonly served with butter chicken. I like to add star anise for some extra fragrance!
- Light & Healthy Vegetable Rice Pulao: This pulao will get in your veggies in the tastiest way! We’ve got peas, corn, and onions in this colorful and delicious pulao!
- Jeera Rice: A restaurant-staple rice dish, this jeera rice is cumin-spiked rice. It’ll take you no more than 10 minutes to prepare and it’s a fun way to switch up your rice!
Other Indian Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Masoor Dal
- Instant Pot Masaledar Chana Dal - Homestyle North Indian Yellow Split Peas
- No-Soak Instant Pot Rajma Masala
- Instant Pot Lobia - Punjabi Black Eyed Peas Curry
- Instant Pot Mixed Dal Tadka
- Instant Pot Palak Paneer
- Instant Pot Khichdi
- Instant Pot Rice Kheer
- Instant Pot Dal Makhani
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Short on time? This curry is built on my makhani sauce — make a batch ahead and dinner comes together fast.
What Is Not in This Butter Chicken
A lot of butter chicken recipes reach for things this one simply does not use. There is no cayenne, no turmeric and no black pepper in it anywhere. The color and the gentle heat both come from deggi mirch, 1 tbsp in the marinade and 1 tsp in the sauce, and sweet paprika or Kashmiri red chili powder are the closest stand-ins if you cannot find it. This is not a spicy dish, and it is not meant to be. There is no tomato paste either: the base is 200 g of passata with 1/4 cup of water, and if you are swapping, tomato puree goes in at the same quantity while crushed tomatoes want blending smooth first. No broth and no stock go in at any point. And there is no slow cooker version here, because the pressure cooker is doing the job a long slow simmer would otherwise do, which is the whole reason the cooking time is 20 minutes rather than an afternoon.
Chicken Choices, Dairy-Free Swaps and Leftovers
On the chicken: this is written for 4 skinless chicken thighs, and thighs are the right call because they stay tender under pressure. Boneless skinless chicken thighs behave identically. Boneless skinless chicken breasts will work as well, but they are far leaner and can dry out, so cut them into bite-size pieces and expect a slightly firmer result; the same goes for skinless chicken breast generally. For the fat, the recipe uses 2 tbsp of butter split between the saute setting at the start and the finish at the end. Ghee is a direct swap and brings a nuttier note, while coconut oil or a neutral avocado oil will do the job if you need to avoid dairy. For a properly dairy-free version, use oil in place of the butter and full-fat coconut milk in place of the 1 cup of half and half; the sauce comes out a touch sweeter but keeps all of its body. Once the pressure has released, drop the pot to saute on Low and let it simmer at that medium-low heat until the rich sauce coats the back of a spoon. Leftovers are honestly better the next day. Cool it down, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, and reheat it gently rather than blasting it in the microwave, which will split the cream. It holds up well enough to be worth cooking deliberately for meal prep, served over rice, brown rice or riced cauliflower.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Make authentic butter chicken at home in your Instant Pot! Rich, creamy, and packed with traditional flavor, this easy murgh makhani rivals your favorite Indian restaurant.
Instant Pot
Rate this recipe ✦
20 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
40 min
Total
4
servings
medium
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
For the marination
For the Instant Pot makhani sauce
Instructions
- 1
Add all the ingredients for the marinade together in a small bowl. Cover and let the chicken marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Add all the ingredients for the marinade together in a small bowl. Cover and let the chicken marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Learn the technique - 2
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode on High. Add 1 tbsp of butter and let it melt. Add the marinated pieces of chicken and cook until one of the sides is a light golden brown. If the marinade starts to turn brown, add a splash of water to prevent it from burning.
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode on High. Add 1 tbsp of butter and let it melt. Add the marinated pieces of chicken and cook until one of the sides is a light golden brown. If the marinade starts to turn brown, add a splash of water to prevent it from burning.
- 3
Turn the chicken on the other side and break into smaller pieces if desired. Press Cancel on the Instant Pot. Add passata/tomato puree, water, minced ginger-garlic, deggi mirch, salt, and garam masala. Stir and close the Instant Pot lid.
Turn the chicken on the other side and break into smaller pieces if desired. Press Cancel on the Instant Pot. Add passata/tomato puree, water, minced ginger-garlic, deggi mirch, salt, and garam masala. Stir and close the Instant Pot lid.
- 4
Ensure the lid has its Pressure Release set to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cook time to 5 minutes at High Pressure.
Ensure the lid has its Pressure Release set to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cook time to 5 minutes at High Pressure.
- 5
Let the pressure naturally release for at least 5 minutes, move the Pressure Release to Venting to release any remaining pressure.
Let the pressure naturally release for at least 5 minutes, move the Pressure Release to Venting to release any remaining pressure.
- 6
Press Cancel and select Sauté at Low setting. Once the curry comes up to a boil, add honey, ground green cardamom, fenugreek leaves, 1 tbsp butter and cream and mix well.
Press Cancel and select Sauté at Low setting. Once the curry comes up to a boil, add honey, ground green cardamom, fenugreek leaves, 1 tbsp butter and cream and mix well.
- 7
Bring the gravy back up to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Bring the gravy back up to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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4 comments
Anadi, I am going to have to give this a try. You have talked me into it... and no onions!
Hey Carlee, so sorry for the delayed response! I read this right away but have been quite busy lately! I appreciate you reaching out so much! Thank you! Definitely let me know how this goes and if you have any questions let me know too! Enjoy :)
This recipe is fantastic! It's a weekly staple in my house now. But I've also discovered a secret ingredient that takes it from excellent to 11/10 outstanding: a teaspoon of mustard seed oil in the marinade. Adds a whole new delicious dimension to the flavor! Thank you so much for this recipe. We don't even feel the need get takeout anymore since finding it. Quick, easy, and delicious - it's perfect!!
hey thank you so much for the kind words! and oooh the mustard oil sounds incredible! We used it back in India but I can't find it here for cooking. I can imagine the aroma it brings and I'm glad that this has helped you reduce your takeout! Many thanks again for your comment!
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