Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Forget takeout—deliver this popular Indian dish to your table instead. Shredded chicken thighs are coated in a rich, buttery sauce with hints of tomatoes, ginger, and garam masala—a messy but very flavorful finger food. Adapted from The Multi-Cooker Baby Food Cookbook.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 409kcal

Author Amy Palanjian

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

14.5 ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (without chili peppers)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (from about 1 1/4-inch piece)
2 garlic cloves (minced; or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (trimmed)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
¼ cup heavy cream
2 cups fully cooked rice
Fresh lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, and/or naan bread, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Stir together the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, garam masala, and salt (if using) in the multi-cooker.
Nestle the chicken into the tomato mixture. Lock the lid and set to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
When cooking is complete, press "cancel" and let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then carefully quick-release any remaining pressure. (There may not be any.)
Chop the chicken in the pot with a pair of kitchen scissors, or shred with two forks.
Stir in the butter and cream.
Serve over rice with plain yogurt, chopped or thinly sliced cucumbers, lime juice, cilantro, and/or naan bread as desired.

Notes

If you don't have or can't find garam masala, you can use cumin. (It will have a less distinctly Indian flavor, but it will still be good!)
To make this dairy-free, omit the butter and use full fat canned coconut milk in place of the cream.
If you can only find diced fire-roasted tomatoes, you can puree the sauce smooth in Step 4 right before you add the chicken back in.
Feel free to double the recipe to make a larger portion (or to ensure leftovers!)
Pureeing the sauce, either with an immersion blender or in a regular blender, makes the sauce smooth and eliminates large pieces of tomatoes—which many kids may prefer.
Serve over your favorite type of rice. Basmati rice is particularly good. You can make the rice ahead of time, or cook it while the chicken is cooking.
Chop the shredded chicken up into tiny pieces for babies who are learning to feed themselves finger foods.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and reheat to serve.
SLOW COOK IT: Stir together the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, garam masala, and salt (if using), in a slow cooker. Add the chicken. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken and shred it, then cover to keep warm. Stir in the butter and cream, then stir in the shredded chicken.

Nutrition