Instant Pot Butter Chicken is a quick & easy weeknight meal, using common pantry ingredients. I love how all you have to do is add the ingredients in the pot, press a button, and walk away!
1/2teaspooncayenne pepper(use less for a mild dish)
1 poundboneless skinless chicken breasts(each breast should be 8-12 oz.)
1teaspoonfine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2cupcoconut cream(the solid part in a can of coconut milk)
1(6 oz.) cantomato paste(no salt added)
fresh cilantro, for garnish
1cupdry white rice(for optional pot-in-pot cooking)
Instructions
In a blender, combine the diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Blend until smooth.
Pour the blended tomato mixture into the bottom of the Instant Pot, then place the chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the chicken, then secure the lid. Move the steam release valve to "Sealing" then cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
Tip: You can cook a bowl of white rice at the same time as the chicken. To do this, place a 2-inch trivet over the chicken, then set a bowl on top of that. Rinse 1 cup of white rice in a fine mesh strainer, then add the drained rice to the bowl. Add in 1 cup of water and stir well, then secure the lid and cook as directed.
Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. When the screen reads LO:10, you can move the steam release valve to "Venting" to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it's safe to open the lid.
Use oven mitts to remove the bowl of rice and the trivet, if you did the pot-in-pot cooking. Use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board, and stir the 1/2 cup of coconut milk and the can of tomato paste into the tomato sauce in the pot. (The tomato paste helps to thicken the sauce and makes it a nice red color, but you can leave it out if you don't have any on hand. It still tastes great without it.)
Use 2 forks to shred the chicken, or use a knife to cut it into chunks. then add the shredded chicken back into the pot. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. You can add more salt (I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon) or a squeeze of lemon juice if you need to brighten up the flavor.
Serve warm over rice, with fresh cilantro on top. The leftover chicken will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Video
Notes
I do not recommend using brown rice instead of white for the pot-in-pot cooking, as brown takes much longer to cook. Be sure to check out my Instant Pot Brown Rice tutorial for details.