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Healthy Instant Pot Butter Chicken
5 from 54 votes

Healthy Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Healthy Instant Pot Butter Chicken uses a combination of garlic paste, tomato paste, tomato passata, and a blend of spices cooked under pressure with chicken pieces. It ends with milk (or coconut milk) added to create a creamy, thickened sauce without heavy cream, offering a rich and flavorful dish with balanced seasoning adaptable to taste.

Prep Time
8 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
23 mins
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 4 tsp garlic paste
  • 5 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup tomato passata
  • 3 - 4.5 tbsp* garam masala OR to taste, see note
  • 0.5 tbsp Coriander
  • 0.5 tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 1 cup chicken stock using 1 tsp Better than Bullion Chicken mixed with water
  • 2 lb chicken thigh
  • 2 lb chicken drumstick
  • 2 lb chicken breast
  • 1 cup milk swap for coconut milk for whole30
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour skip for whole30, or cornstarch
  • parsley optional for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. On the sauté function of your Instant Pot, place in your garlic paste, tomato paste, spices, and passata and stir.
  2. After 2 minutes, mix in your chicken stock, and add your chicken. The liquid should cover your chicken.
  3. Set 15 minutes on the Pressure Cook option. (Please follow the manufacturer's guide)
  4. After the cycle is over, following the manufacturer's guide, open the lid. Switch the Instant Pot setting back to sauté and add in the milk (or coconut milk). 
  5. On the sauté function, let it cook down for a couple minutes/simmer if it is not as thick as you'd like it yet. 
  6. If the sauce isn't as thick as you'd like it (because we are not using heavy cream), in a small bowl, put 2 tbsp of flour and a scoop of the sauce and mix together until the flour as dissolved in. Add more liquid if needed. Once the sauce in the bowl has thickened, stir it back into your Instant Pot. If you are on Whole30, skip the flour/cornstarch method and just let the sauce simmer until thickened.
  7. Turn off the Instant Pot and garnish with parsley. Serve warm over rice and/or with a naan. If you are on Whole30, serve with cauliflower rice

Notes

  • Begin with 1/3 to 1/2 of the garam masala amount, taste after pressure cooking, and add more if desired before simmering.
  • For whole30 compliance, skip the flour thickener and simmer sauce longer to thicken naturally.