Tender chicken and veggies swim in a creamy, perfectly spiced sauce in this easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe. This spin on a treasured Indian dish is the best for busy weeknights because it’s made with ingredients you can find at any grocery store!
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken Recipe
- Incredibly Flavorful. Like my Chicken Tikka Masala, this Instant Pot butter chicken recipe is filled with rich, complex flavors that practically beg you to take another bite. If you aren’t familiar with butter chicken, imagine tender chicken in a creamy, mildly spiced curry sauce so delicious, you catch yourself running a finger along the bottom of the bowl to guarantee you don’t miss a drop.
- Easy Yet Impressive. With simple, easy-to-find ingredients and fab flavor, this creamy butter chicken recipe is a perfect choice for casual dinners at home or when you want to seriously impress your friends.
- The Instant Pot is Ideal for Indian Cooking. While I love my Slow Cooker Butter Chicken and Stovetop Indian Butter Chicken recipe, this Instant Pot recipe takes just one hour and is hands-free. I love making Indian Instant Pot recipes (like Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala and this Instant Pot Lentil Curry) because the pressure cooker consolidates flavors in a way that mimics the effect of all-day stovetop cooking, which makes it accessible for an easy weeknight meal.
5 Star Review
“I love this recipe. I’ve made it more than a dozen times, and it’s a great go-to. The effort/reward ratio is exceptional.”
— Ray —
How to Make Butter Chicken in an Instant Pot
The Ingredients
- Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts become tender, juicy, and flavorful in the sauce. I think boneless skinless chicken thighs would also work well for this recipe.
- Garlic + Onion. Fresh onion and garlic cloves help build flavor from the beginning.
- Ginger. Fresh ginger is the move here.
- Spices. A mix of curry powder, garam masala, and chili powder help create the deep flavor of the sauce.
- Chicken Broth. Helps deglaze the pot and add flavor to the sauce.
- Tomato Sauce. Tomato is an important flavor component in our butter chicken sauce.
- Cauliflower. I added cauliflower to the mix to make it half chicken/half veggie. I love how the cauliflower breaks down and absorbs the flavor of the butter sauce. The cauliflower mimics the texture and appearance of the chicken too, so you almost don’t realize you are eating vegetables.
- Butter. Adds richness and buttery flavor (this is butter chicken after all!).
- Half-and-Half. To keep the butter chicken calories low, I swapped the commonly used heavy cream for half-and-half. It tastes just as luscious and rich. If you prefer, you can make this Instant Pot butter chicken with coconut milk; use full-fat, not light.
- Greek Yogurt. Helps thicken the sauce and adds tanginess.
The Directions
- Sauté. Cook the onion with the ginger, garlic, and spices. Add the broth.
- Add the Tomato Sauce and Cauliflower. Lay the chicken on top, then add the butter pieces.
- Pressure Cook. Cook on HIGH for 12 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (no quick release!).
- Cut the Chicken. Stir in the half-and-half and yogurt. ENJOY!
Leftover Ideas
Tuck leftover butter chicken into pita bread for a scrumptious, handheld meal.
What to Serve With Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Naan. A side of Homemade Naan is excellent with any Indian dish.
- Rice. Whether you pair this dish with basmati rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice, it will be delicious! Turmeric Rice would be fantastic too.
- Vegetables. Roasted Cauliflower or Air Fryer Green Beans would be tasty. For more variety, try my Oven Roasted Vegetables.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Forgot to Thaw? No worries! You can use frozen chicken and even frozen cauliflower florets for this recipe. Your Instant Pot will just take longer to come to pressure before the cooking time begins.
- Build Big Flavor. Don’t be tempted to skip those initial sautéeing steps! They’re essential for building deep flavor, especially once you’ve added the spices. Cooking the spices helps make their flavors more pronounced.
- Choose Your Spice Level. Butter chicken is not spicy in the sense of being “hot;” rather it is fully flavored with layers of Indian spices and ingredients like ginger, tomato, curry, and coconut milk. However, if you enjoy your butter chicken with a kick, feel free to add cayenne pepper to taste.
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
The best Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe! The pressure cooker makes authentic Indian butter chicken easy to recreate at home.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves minced garlic about 4 teaspoons
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 ½ tablespoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Splash of water or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 small cauliflower or ½ large head, cut into florets (about 4 ½ cups)
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces (use coconut oil to make dairy free)
- ½ cup half-and-half or full-fat coconut milk, do not use light coconut milk, as it will water down the sauce
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt or non-dairy yogurt to make dairy-free
- Prepared brown rice or Turmeric Rice, quinoa, or Homemade Naan, for serving
- Chopped fresh cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Add the coconut oil to the Instant Pot and set to SAUTE. Once hot, add the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, garam masala, chili powder, and salt. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn the Instant Pot to OFF. Add a splash of water or chicken broth and stir, using a sturdy plastic or wooden spoon to scrape loose any browned bits that have stuck. Make sure you remove all of the stuck-on bits so that you don't trigger a burn warning.
- Add the tomato sauce and cauliflower florets and stir to combine. Lay the chicken breasts on top, then scatter the butter pieces over the top.
- Close and seal Instant Pot. Cook on Manual (HIGH) pressure for 12 minutes. Once the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent to immediately release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully open the lid and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Cut into bite-sized pieces, then return to the sauce. Stir in the half-and-half or coconut milk. Let cool a few minutes, then stir in the Greek yogurt (do not stir it in immediately or it will curdle). Serve with rice and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm leftovers in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze butter chicken in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- TO MAKE IN THE SLOW COOKER: Use this recipe for Slow Cooker Butter Chicken!
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 6), about 1 1/2 cups butter chicken and sauce, plus 1/2 cup prepared brown riceCalories: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 38gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 115mgPotassium: 1354mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 921IUVitamin C: 50mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 3mg
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I’ve never made butter chicken before…but this looks and sounds delicious! :)
Thanks!! It is SO yummy. I think you’d love it!
Love your recipes! Quick question. For this recipe, can I cut up the chicken breast and put it in the instant pot; rather than cutting the chicken breast after it has been cooked?
Munira, I recommend leaving it whole so that the chicken doesn’t dry out. It’s quick and easy to cut up after, I promise!
I think I’m in love with you.
This made my day! Right back at you <3
:-)
Hi Erin..sadly l don’t own an instant pot. Can this be done in a crockpot?
Hi Cat! I have that in the recipe notes :)
Right…duh..lol. Been an exceptionally long week already!
No worries Cat! Hope you love the recipe!
How would you adapt the recipe to remove the cauliflower? My husband loves Indian food but hates cauliflower.
Traci, you can leave it out or add an extra chicken breast. I hope you both enjoy it! If you’d like to add some veggies, you can stir in peas or baby spinach at the end.
My husband isn’t a big cauliflower fan either. I just kept the recipe the same but served mine over cauliflower rice for me. :) Delicious recipe, Erin. Thank you!
Emmie, this makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for letting me know and taking time to leave this lovely review.
Wow your butter chicken looks and sounds delicious, Erin! I love that you made it in the instant pot! :)
Alia, thank you!!
Hi, I don’t have an instant pot. Can this be made on the stovetop and/or oven
Hi Chris—see the recipe notes. I’ve a suggestion for a crock pot. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Don’t have a crock pot, instant pot or slow cooker. Just a dutch oven or skillet. How would you do this oven top or can you bake it? And if so, what would the temperature and time be? I love all the Indian creamy recipes, too.
Hi Kazy! If you scroll up to the blog post and check out the “Recipe Adaptations” section, you will find suggested instructions for making this recipe in a Dutch oven. I hope that helps!
The second you posted this, I knew I had to make it and HOLY YUM. This is going to be a regular. The leftovers are so tasty too!
Katy, I am so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for trying it and taking time to leave this review!
We just made this tonight! Sooo good!! Even my super picky husband gobbled it up ??. Thanks!
I am so happy to hear it Chelsey!! THANK YOU!
I’ve been waiting to make this since you posted the recipe! I just made it, and my only regret is I didn’t make more of it! It was hard to just have one serving! Excellent recipe, thank you so much!
That’s so wonderful to hear Aislinn, thank you so so much!!! Next time you’ll have to make 2 batches in a row :)
Same burn warning issue. Maybe the author needs to update her recipe since a lot of people seem to be having this problem.
Hi Lisa! I’m so sorry to hear that you got the burn notice. It seems some pressure cooker models tend to do this versus others. Tt really seems like different Instant Pots have different levels of sensitivity which I believe is what is causing the burn notice. I’ve made it successfully (as have other readers) without any problem so really unsure of which way it should be updated. I know it can be disappointing to make a new recipe and not have it turn out.
I made the Buttered Chicken and even a few of my husbands coworkers that are Indian couldn’t believe I made it homemade!!
Hi, sounds delicious. Any idea how much sodium in the recipe? Trying to keep a low(ish) sodium diet. Also, how do you determine all the nutritional info? Do you need a special machine or just add up the info from the various ingredients? Thanks!
Dave, you can calc the nutrition (including any extra fields like sodium you like) for free at myfitnesspal.com. That’s why I use! I’ve heard good things about a site called Spark People too.
Amazing dish – my family loved it! We will make this over and over with cheers and seconds. Thank you!
Christie, I am so so pleased to hear this, thank you for sharing this lovely review!
The flavor of this was excellent. I only used cauliflower as I cannot eat chicken. 12 minutes (I should have known) was too long for just cauliflower. How long would you suggest?
Sarah, I’m afraid it might be a bit of an experiment at first! I didn’t have an issue with cauliflower being overcooked, but it was also mixed with the chicken so that might have changed things. How overcooked was it? I’d use that as a gauge and adjust. You can look for other cauliflower recipes for reference too.
Hello Y’all,
Many Indian recipes can be made vegan/vegetarian by substituting canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for the meat. Since you are not cooking them, just heating them, I have done it for 6 minutes at high pressure, then 10 minutes on natural release, then quick release.
Thanks for chiming in and sharing your tips, Hazel!
Made this recipe last night! I put a bag of frozen cauliflower instead of fresh and it turned out perfect! Will be adding to the rotation- thanks erin!
Shannon, I am so so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed this! Thank you for letting me know!
I made this in the slow cooker and I liked but didn’t love it. On the plus side it was extremely easy and pretty nutritious. I used an entire cauliflower and threw in a bag of peas at the end for color in the absence of cilantro. Strike one – I cooked my chicken on low for 4 hours which ended up being too long and the chicken dried out. Strike two – as you warned us, it could be more liquid. I don’t have an instantpot to compare texture/viscosity but I did find it a little too “wet,” like an Indian soup. I ate the whole thing anyway for lunches and dinners :). I think it’s really hard to replicate Indian as a home cook but I appreciate the simplicity of this recipe. It was worth a try!
Alison, thanks for reporting back on the slow cooker version. If you try it in the Instant Pot at some point, I’d love to hear how it goes!
In this recipe you cut up the chicken after it’s cooked. One of your replies is so the chicken doesn’t dry out. In the butter chicken recipe you cut up the chicken before you cook it. What’s the difference.
Pierre, this is an adaptation for the Instant Pot, so I find that it’s better/easier to leave the chicken whole. Some stovetop versions might call for cutting it first, but this is a twist for the pressure cooker.
This recipe is ridiculously good and easy.!
Meredith, I am so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed it! Thank you for reporting back!
Hi, sounds delicious. I will trying tomorrow:))
I followed this to a tee… kept getting food burn errors… found out that you have to have at least 1 cup of broth to keep it from burning on the bottom. I should have just slow cooked it per her recipe. Sauce way to thick when one follows this recipe! Thin it then thicken after the pressure cook
Hi Matt! My advice for avoiding the burn is to make sure you get all the stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot before sealing it and bringing it up to pressure. The recipe has worked great for me and other readers as written, but I know it’s disappointing to run into problems, so I hope it goes better next time!
This looks spectacular. Can it be doubled? I’m new to the Instant Pot game and am not sure what kind of flexibility it allows.
Jade, I’ve never tried doubling! If you have an 8 quart Instant Pot, you could experiment with 1.5 times the recipe, but to be 100% safe, I”d make the recipe per the quantities here.
So easy and so delicious!! Everyone in my family agreed on giving it a Top 10 rating.
YAY Elizabeth! SO happy to hear this!
Ridiculously good. A++++++
This was my first recipe that I ever made in my instant pot. I was a little nervous but was able to follow the directions verbatim. My husband loved the dish. Says he could eat this every week.
Janine, I am so so glad to hear it! Thanks for taking time to leave this wonderful review too!!!
Wow … i tried this yesterday and it came out soo well. I say this with greatest compliment…. i can’t imagine a non Indian making AMAZing indian food ! i have tried making Butter chicken and tikka masala from recipes i have received from my Indian friends . nothing have even come close to this.
what a keeper !
This comment seriously made my day, THANK YOU!!!!
Do you have your own recipe for the naan bread too?
Thanks,
Susan, I am afraid I don’t but it’s on my bucket list!
Awesome! That’s what it was! MY husband has been to Northern India 3x on a mission trip and absolutely loves Indian food. We have a really good Indian restaurant about 20 min. from our house, so while out, I stopped by and ordered some naan bread to go and then went home and made this. Was he ever surprised – and loved it! And I love my Instapot so it’s a win/win! I found a grill pan on Amazon so I’m going to give the non-oven naan bread recipes a try that are on some of the Indian youtube channels. Thanks for an awesome Instapot recipe, Erin!
Susan, I am soooooo happy to hear this, thank you!!!
hi, nice recipe looking yummy and delicious. butter chicken is my all-time favorite dish .you have cut the chicken after cooking. I will try this
I hope you love it!!
This was amazing, and even better, my whole family loved it! My 8 year old (super picky) said it’s super yummy and he likes how I “baked” it, my six year old kept going on and on about how good it smelled the whole time I was cooking, and hubby said it’s good to go in our regular dinner rotation. Thank you!
Brittany, this makes me so so happy to hear! Thank you for trying the recipe and taking time to report back!!
Great recipe. I made this tonight and substituted sliced zucchini(it’s that time of year) for the cauliflower . It was fantastic! I sliced the zucchini into approximately 1/4 inch slices to keep it from over cooking and it cooked perfectly. Yummy!
Hooray! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Beth.
I tried this recipe for my first time using my new Instant Pot. It was fabulous, our guests raved. I even forgot to add the butter, and it made no difference. Makes a lot, too! Four people pigged out on this, plus we had enough to freeze for another meal for two or three people. I’ll definitely be making this again.
HOORAY! I’m so glad it was a hit, Barbara. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this awesome review!
Can this be cut in half?
Hi Amy, I’ve only tested this quantity in my Instant Pot, so I can’t say for certain. There should still be enough liquid to come to pressure, so if you do give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes.
I made it cutting everything in half except the initial coconut oil for sauteing the onions. In fact, I used coconut oil instead of the butter, too, at half. Everything in half works. I have a 3 qt Instant Pot, so I think if you’re going to cut the recipe in half, it might be better in a 3 qt pot. As it is, it didn’t fill the pot halfway. I forgot the cilantro, but it was still delish!
Thanks for taking the time to report back, Sondra!
28 oz. of tomato paste? Didn’t know they even made them that big. :( I will have to look I guess. This looks delicious!
Hi Shannon, it’s actually tomato *sauce*, but yes, it’s a big can! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
The flavors!! The textures!! The spices!! All on point! So quick and easy to make too!
Saralee, thank you! This is so wonderful to hear and so helpful to others too!
Hello, I was wondering if I am able to make this in a deep skillet?
Hi Ciara, it would need to be pretty deep, more like a pot or dutch oven. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I doubled this recipe and tried to make it in the instant pot. It kept not coming up to pressure, even though the gasket ring was in place and it was on seal for the pressure. Eventually put it into a dutch oven and cooked in the oven and it tastes great. I had cleaned off the bottom after cooking the onions and spices but the tomato sauce seems to have burned. Not sure if this was because I hadn’t used enough stock to deglaze with or if there’s just a problem in doubling the recipe.
Once again the taste was really good. Thanks for the recipe!
-Todd
Todd, thanks for giving it a try and leaving your notes about doubling! I’m glad to hear it still came out delicious in the dutch oven.
I had the same problem, but without doubling. I did use chicken thighs instead of breasts… and I am not sure what size instant pot you use (I have the 6 quart). It also seems like too little liquid for 2 lbs of chicken? Any advice on avoiding the burn trigger would be great!
Hi Kristin, I have the 6 quart. My advice for avoiding the burn is to make sure you get all the stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot before sealing it and bringing it up to pressure. The recipe has worked great for me and other readers as written, but I know it’s disappointing to run into problems, so I hope it goes better next time!
I used 1/ 2 frozen chicken breasts and frozen cauliflower my instant pot did not pressurize but turned on for 12 mins. Didn’t cook the chicken. Did it again using the more setting finally pressurized and cooked it. Wasted alot of time and am wondering if this is normal. Sorry new at the instant pot Recipe though once it was finally cooked was delicious. Would like to do it again but nervous haha
Hi Tracy, I didn’t encounter that issue when I made the recipe, so I can’t say for certain. I would do an online search to see if you can troubleshoot that particular problem! I’m glad to hear it still turned out delicious.
I really enjoyed this recipe as I love Indian food! Including the cauliflower to bulk it up and get some veggies in is such a great idea. I’ve struggled at times with chicken in the instant pot (it can dry out easily), but the cook time on this was perfect, and dicing it after cooking helped retain the moisture.. The Indian flavors are spot on, especially given how quick the recipe is to prepare. I also love that it uses a reasonable number of ingredients to achieve great flavors. Great job, Erin!
Norma, I’m so glad to hear this recipe was a winner! Thanks so much for giving it a try and reporting back.
I have had a hard time finding a good Butter Chicken recipe for either the Instant Pot or the Slow cooker – often it comes out wet and flavorless, and terribly soupy. I wonder if it has something to do with the tomatoes that I use (usually canned diced or crushed tomatoes). Could you be more specific about the brand/type of Tomato Sauce that you use?
I look forward to trying out this recipe!
Hi! As long as you make sure it’s tomato *sauce*, not diced or crushed tomatoes, it should work out fine! I hope you enjoy!
Hi Erin, I actually bought an Instant Pot SV today at Costco and want to use this recipe I’ve had bookmarked for a few days as well to break it in. I’m actually curious about the brand of tomato sauce used as well? The coconut milk too if you wouldn’t mind :) Not many recipes ever include the brands used but I always appreciate when they do since I have noticed taste variances between manufacturers for many basic ingredients.
Appreciate your time!
Hi Stephen! I usually buy Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk but have used the store brands with good results too. Honestly, I don’t have a strong preference for the tomatoes. I hope you love the recipe!
I just made this tonight and I wasn’t sure about it at first because I don’t eat that much Indian food but after my first helping, I can’t stop eating it! It’s really good!! And it was pretty easy to make!
Hooray! Thanks for taking the time to comment, Nina. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I’ve made Butter chicken at home before and it never had much flavor compared to the spice packets you can buy at the store. Well, goodbye, spice packets! This is wonderful and not too much heat. Will make this over and over again. Thank you!
Valerie, thanks so much for this lovely review! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
I’m making this for dinner right now. I didn’t read all the way through the recipe and cut up my raw chicken. Uggh!! Would the cook time change with the chicken cut up? Thanks!
Hi Vonda, using cut up pieces may decrease the cooking time slightly. I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
I really appreciated the simplicity of this dish after making stovetop Tikka masala last month– the spices needed and in what order was a bit stressful for a first time maker!
I subbed cayenne pepper for the chili pepper and sour cream for the yogurt and only one 15oz can of tomato sauce +water to get 28oz, my husband says it’s delicious. We also blended the sauce while the chicken was being cut up so it was smoother.
I’m looking forward to trying an instapot variation on the tikka masala I made now!
Elayna, YAY! I’m so happy you all enjoyed this, thank you!
Erin’s recipe is near perfect. I love the fact she sneaks in the cauliflower. I chose to to cook this on the stove top. (Shame on me. I don’t own an InstaPot) The recipe works great on the stove top.
Small side note: I live in a large Indian community (Farmington, Michigan) and the Butter Chicken here is a bit more spicy. I add 2-3 chopped thai peppers to give the recipe a bit more kick.
Thanks for reporting back! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Can I use curry paste? yellow or red? Thanks!!
Hi Dayna, using a curry paste would introduce a different flavor and a more Thai/Southeast Asian spice profile. If you’re interested in using red curry paste, I’d recommend this Thai chicken curry recipe!
I am making the stovetop version of the butter chicken and I saw at the last minute you use olive oil instead of coconut oil. I already put the coconut oil lol. Does it matter which one you use?
Coconut oil will work just fine, Jasmine! I hope you enjoy it!
I love Butter Chicken. The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon chili powder. Is that the same chili powder that you use in Southwest Chili, or is it Chili Powder like Cayenne ? Thanks
Charles, like the chili powder in chili, NOT cayenne. A full teaspoon of cayenne would be ultra spicy!
Thanks Erin for the prompt response. :) I will be making this recipe this week !
Note to self: read comments BEFORE making. Unfortunately I made the cayenne pepper mistake. Holy smokes. So tasty but so spicy!!!! Can’t wait to make this again without the cayenne pepper.
Rachel, I’m glad you still enjoyed it, and I hope you LOVE it with your preferred spice level next time!
This was so so yummy and also, my husband was genuinely shocked there was cauliflower in it :) first time making one of your recipes and I’ll definitely be back for more!
Caroline, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this review!
Erin, this is such a fantastic dish, it’s so flavourful! I add large chunks of carrots and potatoes, too. Thank you, for posting so many easy, tasty recipes!
Shellie, thanks for sharing your tweaks! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
This looks so yummy and would love to make it, I don’t own an insta pot, but have a stove top pressure cooker I love, can I make it in that…what do you think?? Thanks
Hi Ann, I don’t have experience using a stovetop pressure cooker, so I can’t say for certain, but it should work. If you decide to give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes.
Hello, Finally got around to trying this out in my stove top pressure cooker and it worked great. My entire family loved it. Will definitely be making this again.
Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe, Ann! I’m glad it was a hit!
My husband hates the smell and flavor of all yogurt. Do you think it will hide well in the sauce, or is there a substitute you could recommend? (Note: I will be making this on a stove top, if that matters) :-)
Hi Amy, sour cream would work! The taste of the yogurt doesn’t stand out—it’s more for texture and creaminess. The real flavor is the spice.
Another winner, Erin! This was delicious! I was a little skeptical of using the chicken breasts instead of thighs but they worked out great following your directions cook them whole. I really enjoyed the cauliflower in it; I served it in a bowl over sauteed spinach and with a side of naan. Loved it!
Jill, thanks for taking the time to review the recipe! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it.
This tastes so great! Loved it. I made it with coconut oil vs butter. I added crushed red pepper to spice it up. I did have difficulty cooking it. Even though I added chicken stock to the onion mixture, I still got a burn indicator 2 times! It was so annoying. The tomato sauce was burned to the bottom. I just took the chicken breasts out, stirred and scraped the tomato sauce and put the chicken back. I must say it was the only 2nd cook in my instant pot. I will definitely make this again, but I will have to thing on how to keep it from burning. Thanks for the recipe!
Natalie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot before you try to seal it is key to making sure you don’t get a burn indicator. I hope next time you give it a try it goes better!
Hi , thank you for the recipe, I just made it and for some reason the sauce had more of the tomato flavor and didn’t taste like the butter chicken sauce I tried in an Indian restaurant, I’m not sure why. Anyway, probably, my fault.
Hi GG, I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste. Not every butter chicken recipe tastes the same, but I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it, so I truly wish you would have loved this!
First recipe in my new Instant Pot Ultra 8 qt that I purchased today. Very easy recipe to follow and so quick to throw together. It tasted delicious, but I did had to add some more salt when I served it. I guess that is a good thing as it is easier to add salt to taste rather than it just be too salty. I will make this again for sure. I am sure that when this is made in a restaurant it is much richer and not as healthy. This recipe seems to be pretty healthy and I like that.
Michael, I’m glad your inaugural go was a success! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review too.
Is there anything to substitute for coconut? My husband is allergic…
Hi Kristen! You can use another oil or butter instead of the coconut oil. I hope you enjoy!
This looks so good! I just got my Instant Pot and I’m so excited to make this! Can I swap the nonfat Greek yogurt for 2%? That’s all I have on hand at the moment. Also, does it reheat ok after adding the dairy at the end?
Hi Taryn! Yes, you can use 2% Greek yogurt. Leftovers reheat great! See the recipe notes below the instructions for my tips.
Thanks so much! I’m excited to try it!
Hi again! I just tried making this and it smells so good, but I keep getting a burn error! I made sure that I thoroughly clean the bottom of the pot after sauteing, any idea why this might be happening? The only thing I changed is that I used half chicken breasts and half thighs.
Taryn, that is so frustrating! I have heard new IP models trigger the burn warning more often than the older models. Next time, my best idea is to add some water (maybe 1/2 cup) as that tends to do the trick for others. I’m sorry that it happened to begin with though!
Is it possible to use the 3-quart Instant Pot for your Instant Pot recipes? We were just gifted one, and I’m eager to break it in. :)
Erin, I”m afraid that will be too small as these are developed for a 6 quart. You can try cutting this recipe in half though! I haven’t done this myself, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Like many others, I encountered frustrating problems with burn error when cooking this. It ultimately came out delicious but it took A LOT of tinkering to finally get it to cook. And I am not a novice with the Instant Pot. I needed a lot more liquid, lower pressure, more time, then cooked with the lid off to evaporate the extra liquid. I was hopeful for a quick weeknight meal but we ended up hungry waiting for this to work out. I may try the recipe again but not with this method.
Hi Amanda, I’m so sorry that you had issues with the burn notice. My advice for avoiding the burn is to make sure you get all the stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot before sealing it and bringing it up to pressure. I know it’s disappointing to try a recipe and not have it go as planned, so I hope it goes better next time!
I love this recipe but get a burn notice every time. I even tried doing the onions on the stove and transferring to the IP so there would be no bits stuck to the bottom. Still get the burn notice. Tried using the trivet to allow space between the liquids and solids. Still got the burn notice. I think I have to increase the liquid beyond the recipe amts. would love to hear how others resolved the burn warning. Making sure there’s nothing sticking to the bottom doesn’t seem to be sufficient.
I did it in the 3qt with the full amount of everything, but only 1.3lbs of chicken. Came out saucy of course, but delicious!
Lisa, thank you for reporting back! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was my first Instant Pot recipe and it was a huge success. I cut up the chicken pieces and they still ended up being moist and delicious. Thank you!
YAY, so happy to hear that Lucyna. Thanks for reporting back and leaving this lovely review!
Yum this looks amazing! I can’t have dairy so I’ll be subbing for coconut milk. Also I can’t find any dairy free plain yogurt near me- is there anything else I can use in lieu of the yogurt?
Allie, you could try using a slightly lesser amount of coconut cream. I haven’t done this myself so it would be an experiment, but I think it would be worth a try!
Wow!! Butter chicken is my favourite dish in the world. Unfortunately my fiancee is nervous about cooking and prefers to use her Instant Pot. I’m so excited to show her this recipe and hopefully get to eat more of my favorite meal without having to go to a restaurant! Thank you so much for making this!
Alder, I hope you both love it!
I’ve made several butter chicken recipes and I have to say, this isn’t BY FAR my favorite!!! I’m never making another recipe again. I LOVE hidden veggie recipes. Perfect for a picky husband! Thanks, Erin!
Hooray! I’m so happy you enjoy the recipe, Rachel. Thanks for taking the time to leave this review!
UGH! I keep getting the “burn” notice. putting it in a cast iron pot on the stove now. This is my first attempt at the instapot so any tips would be appreciated.
Hi Trish! My advice for avoiding the burn is to make sure you get all the stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot before sealing it and bringing it up to pressure. The recipe has worked great for me and other readers as written, but I know it’s disappointing to run into problems, so I hope it goes better next time!
My chicken wasn’t done after 12 minutes on high/high in my instant pot. I did have to substitute tomato paste for half of the tomato sauce though. Is that what happened? Should the sauce cover the chicken?
Carlyssa, you might also have had very large chicken breasts. Or were they partly frozen? Also using tomato paste would give different results. If that happens again though, you can release the pot and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.
Followed the recipe but got BURN so I took everything out and washed the pot well and put everything back in again. I got BURN again. Ended up finishing it on my stovetop because I wasn’t going to waste dinner. Perhaps a “splash” of water/stock wasn’t enough? Maybe my brand of tomato sauce was too thick? Anyway this dish wasn’t instant for me.
Hi Tina, I’m sorry to hear you got the burn warning. I’m glad you were able to still to try the recipe!
Same here. Have tried it three times on two different pots. For reference they were the Duo 6qt V3. I could cook a vegan version with tofu fine, but never with Chicken. Ended up sauteing the chicken in a and adding it to everything else afterwards and it turned out fine though.
Hi Christina! Thanks for sharing your workaround—I know it’s frustrating when a recipe works for some people but not others!
I’m trying to make this now and I can’t even get to the countdown to start. Always says burn. :( I’ve opened and scraped the bottom. But it’s happened again. :( is it my pot? I was so looking forward to this meal.
Hi Hazel! I’m so sorry about the frustration—I haven’t personally experienced this issue, but it does seem to be an issue with newer models. I’d recommend adding some additional liquid. I hope that helps!
I kept getting a burn warning error. I deglazed the pot well, but the tomato sauce alone is just too thick for my machine I think. I had to stir in about a cup of chicken stock to avoid the error. I have the crock pot brand electronic pressure cooker. So if anyone else gets this error, don’t give up. Just add more liquid. It still tastes great.
Thanks for reporting back, Misty! I’m glad you were able to figure out how to keep going and enjoy the recipe!
Butter chicken is my favourite dish. This wasn’t creamy and had a tangy sour taste to it. Won’t be making this again
Hi Jamie, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the recipe. Many other readers have tried it and loved it, but I know everyone has different tastes. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it, so I truly wish you would have loved it!
My husband and I made this for the first time last night. It was very yummy but came out the consistency of chili. The cauliflower basically disintegrated and the chicken fell apart (shredded) and couldn’t be cut in pieces. We topped with cheese and sour cream and had a really good butter chicken chili! I looked at other butter chicken recipes and it calls for 5-7 minutes of pressure cooking – not 12 as called for in this recipe. Not sure if others had this problem but may try cooking for less time. Any thoughts?
Hi Kathleen, it may have been that your chicken pieces and cauliflower pieces were smaller than mine, which would cause them to cook faster. If you decide to try the recipe again, I hope a timing adjustment or chopping the cauliflower larger will do the trick!
Made the butter chicken last night and it came out great. The only problem was the cauliflower must of been over cooked since I couldn’t even find it. Not to sure what happened. I also added peas at the end. Made way to much food for 2 so I froze part of it. I also forgot the butter but that didn’t seem to make a difference.
Carolyn, I’m so glad you loved it! The cauliflower does cook down. My guess is also that you chopped your florets fairly small. If you leave them larger, they’ll hold up to the pressure cooking a bit better. Thanks for sharing this review!
I doubled the onion because WE love onion, and a marinated the chicken in the spices while the rest simmered. I used stewing chicken breasts and thighs that I cut up. So it needed way more than 12 minutes. At 30 minutes, it was soft, but not tender. I let it simmer until I was ready to eat. The ingredients were bomb. I just had to add my own kicks too it. I like the extra sauce, so I still used regular coconut milk and added coconut sugar to reduce it more.
Holly, thanks for reporting back! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it!
We LOVED it! I doubled it and it did take longer to cook, as anticipated. We also added cayenne pepper to spice it up, and I like things even spicer than the rest of the family so I added chili oil to my dish, jasmine rice, and topped it with fresh cilantro. Delish!!! I liked the addition of fresh ginger root and the cauliflower.
Hooray! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ericka. Thanks for sharing your tweaks too!
My first time making butter chicken! This recipe was so easy to follow and came out tasting delicious! I was hesitant to try cauliflower but it actually taste good! Thanks for the recipe. I will add it to our dinner rotation !
HOORAY! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Sophia, and I appreciate your leaving a review too!
This is so good! I went looking for a recipe after paying $6 for a small tv tray size serving from the freezer section and liking it a lot. This is cheap and easy and way way better/delicious. My 18 year old son loves it too. Toast up some naan bread in the oven to go with it. You can do basmati rice at the same time in a small cake tin on a rack above the other ingredients. We like it even better with diced chicken thighs vs breasts. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Brian, thank YOU for sharing this awesome review! I’m glad the recipe was a winner for you.
Hi Erin! If I didn’t want to use cauliflower and just used chicken, would you double the amount of chicken? (also would you need to increase the cook time?) Approximately how many people does this recipe feed as is? I’m planning to make it for 4 adults and 4 teenagers (so basically – 8 adults!!) Thanks!
Hi Katie! The number of servings was hidden—thanks for pointing that out! I would estimate the recipe serves 6, so if you’re feeding more, I would recommend increasing the chicken and possibly doubling it if you’re leaving out the cauliflower. (The sauce ingredients may also need to increase.) I have not experimented with doubling the recipe in the Instant Pot, so it may need some adjustment with the cook time, and you’ll want to be sure you’re not going over the fill line. If you decide to give it at try, I’d love to hear how it goes.
Thanks Erin! I will likely double it and I’ll report back. How much more time do you think should be added to the cook time if there is twice as much chicken in the pot?
Hi Katie! I haven’t experimented myself, so this is just my best guess, but as long as the chicken isn’t too packed in the pot, you may not have to increase the cooking time, but the pot will take longer to come up to pressure. Again, I don’t have personal experience, but if the chicken isn’t quite done after the cook time, you can put the lid back on for a few minutes (without turning the pot back on) and recheck.
First time making Indian food and this tastes like my favorite Indian restaurant dish!!! So good – thanks for sharing this recipe!
Kelly, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to share this review!
Such a nice recipe. I tried this at home with my family members. I love this recipe.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it, Abhinav! Thank you for taking the time to leave this review!
Just made this tonight and picky hubby and child (age 10) both loved it. I accidentally used boneless, skinless thighs and they came out perfectly tender and delicious. I served with tortillas, but I can see that rice makes better sense since there is so much sauce that you will want to sop up and enjoy. Excellent recipe and will def make again. Thank you!
Sarah, I’m glad it was a hit! Thanks for taking the time to share this review.
Thank you so much for your time and effort with this recipe. It was so delicious and as good as any Indian rendition I have tasted. The directions were excellent and covered everything to make this successfully . I am now hooked on the instant pot and this site!
Jim, thank you so much for the kind words. I’m happy to hear you loved the recipe!
Erin, your Instant Pot Butter Chicken Lists 1 28 oz can of Tomato Sauce. Here in Australia that would be read as Tomato Ketchup? Does it mean Tomato Paste/puree? I can’t wait to try some of your recipes, they sound delicious.
Hi Anthony! The tomato sauce is like tomato puree, but a little thinner consistency. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Unfortunately, this was not flavorful, and my family did not like it. I made it exactly as the recipe was written, and had high hopes based on the review and the aromas when adding the spices. I will keep looking for another recipe
Sorry.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Laura. Many other readers have tried it and loved it, but everyone has different tastes. I know it’s disappointing to try something new and not enjoy it, so I truly wish you would have loved it!
This was delicious and super quick and easy! Win, Win, WIN!
This recipe as written is not spicy hot at all, which was appreciated by the kids, but I prefer things hotter. I made this a second time and added some cayenne. YES!
Thanks for reporting back, Tamara! I’m happy to hear the recipe is a hit.
I also had issues with the burn warning. Very frustrating, because after almost 25 minutes of coming up to pressure I had to release the pressure, empty the pot, clean it, and start over. On the second try I first brought the liquid to a boil in a separate put, the put the boiling liquid back into the IP, replaced the chicken and the it worked fine. That’s how I’ll do it next time.
One other note. I really liked the recipe but will add more spices next time. Was pleasant but not flavorful enough. Could be that my Garam Masala was a little dated, or maybe because I used 3#, not 2# chicken.
All that aside, this was easy and good, so it’ll get a second chance for sure
Thanks for sharing your feedback! It sounds like you know exactly how to adjust the recipe to suit your tastes next time, so I hope it’s perfect!
Any advice on using bone-in drummettes instead of boneless breasts? I assume a little longer cooking time because there are bones, but at the same time drummettes have far less meat than a boneless breast. Thoughts on cook time?
Hi Caitlin! I’ve never tried this recipe with drumettes, and unfortunately I don’t think this would be the best use for them because there’s little meat, extra skin, and lots of bones. If you’re trying to use them up, you may be interested in this black pepper garlic chicken wings recipe: https://www.wellplated.com/garlic-chicken-wings/ I hope that helps!
I thought this was pretty good. I have had a lot of Indian food and been to the country twice. I will make this again. Thanks for the recipe, Erin.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and reporting back, Caitlin! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.
This recipe is delicious!! I made it just shy of 3 months ago and froze a portion so I could see how it would do coming out of the freezer. It was just as good as the day I made it!! For those who have family members who won’t eat Indian food (I’m the only person in my house that eats it), just portion it out and freeze. I didn’t even thaw mine overnight. I just did the frozen dinner setting on my microwave and it was perfect!
Chanda, thanks for taking the time to share this review and report back on freezing! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I’m excited to make this tonight! I have a question about adding the yogurt…can I have the pot on “keep warm” when adding the yogurt, or does the pot need to be fully turned off before adding the yogurt? Thank you!!! looks amazing!!!!
Hi Jamie! I haven’t tried it that way myself, but it may work. The key is to make sure the chicken has cooled somewhat so the yogurt doesn’t curdle. The Keep Warm setting *should* be okay, but like I said, I don’t have personal experience trying it that way. I hope you love it!
Anyway I can substitute the coconut? I’m allergic. ?
Hi Laura, yes, you can use another oil!
The cauliflower was way too mushy. It completely fell apart. Next time I would roast it in the oven and only add it at the end. Also, could use a bit of salt and more heat. But we like our Indian food spicy:). Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe, Danielle! Sounds like you know exactly what you’d like to tweak next time—I hope you love it!
Hi there! Thank you for this recipe. It has become a staple for us. Could you let me know what the nutritional facts are without the brown rice? Thank you
Kim, I am so so happy you love this recipe! I am unable to provide custom request nutritional calcs, but you can calc them for free at anytime at myfitnesspal.com. I think it will be a great resource for you!
I made this last night and really enjoyed it! As usual, I tweaked it a little bit (not because yours didn’t look good, but because I’m not good at following instructions when cooking, haha). I used chicken thighs because that’s what we had, added carrots and chickpeas, doubled the coconut milk because yummmmm coconut milk, also added a couple tablespoons of the Patak’s Indian curry paste, and served it over quinoa. It was really really tasty! This will be a staple for sure!
Thanks for reporting back, Lauren! I’m glad to hear it was a hit!
I had a recipe that I loved and can’t find it so tried this one hoping it would be as good. The sauce seemed too watery and there were not enough spices or salt for our taste. Seems like a good rule of thumb is 1 tsp of salt per lb of meat. I ended up having to add salt, additional garam masala and some cayenne to it to get it close to what I felt like the flavor needed to be. I did like the added cauliflower though – extra veggies are always a plus. Sorry, I’m going to keep looking for my old recipe.
Jenelle, thanks for reporting back! I hope you find your original favorite!
Had friends over for my house warming party and risked a new recipe. It was a HIT! So good. I spiced mine up a little more. Just started throwing in a little extra of everything until it tasted right. I paired mine with basmati rice and added peas for color. Thank you for this recipe! This is a new staple.
Yay! I’m so happy this was a hit at your party, Chelsea! Thank you for sharing!
I made this tonight to eat for the week (teacher, back to school). I didn’t have enough tomato sauce, so I added a can of tomato puree. And I wasn’t able to cube the chicken because it just shredded. The flavor is amazing. But, any suggestions for making it spicier? I’ll definitely be making it again either way!
Thank you for sharing, Esther! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Tt may have been that your chicken pieces pieces were smaller than mine, which would cause them to cook faster. To add spice, you could try adding some crushed red pepper flakes. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it again!
So delicious and full of flavour. I always worry about cooking chicken breast in the Instant Pot because it often comes out dry, but this was not!
YAY! I’m so happy to hear this was a success, Julie! Thank you for sharing this kind comment!
Erin,
This recipe was delicious and can’t wait to make it again. Question, can i cut up the chicken breasts prior vs taking them out after? It was a bit messy. How would that affect the cooking time?
Hi Melissa! Since this is an adaptation for the Instant Pot, I find that it’s better/easier to leave the chicken whole. Some stovetop versions might call for cutting it first, but this is a twist for the pressure cooker. I hope this helps!
In the recipe you call for coconut oil but in the video use coconut milk? which one is it? thank you!
Hi Rebecca! The recipe uses both coconut oil and coconut milk. In the ingredients, you’ll see the option to substitute coconut milk next to the half and half. I hope this helps and that you love the recipe!
If prepared well, there can be no chicken recipe that can beat Butter Chicken in its yumminess. The thick gravy topped with layers of fresh cream make the dish even more delectable. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I hope it turns out just as good as in hotels and restaurants.
Hi Aastha, thank you for your kind comment! I hope you love the recipe if you try it!
We followed this recipe exactly and the results were very tasty. It did take me closer to 2 hours but that’s likely because it was my first time making it, hopefully it will be closer to 1 hour in the future! We paired it with jasmine rice and naan bread that we brushed with olive oil and seasoned salt and toasted briefly. Very good!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Katie! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
This is my children’s FAVORITE meal! We used to frequent an Indian restaurant before we moved to Texas, and the kids loved their butter chicken. Since we have moved, there are not a lot of Indian places to eat. Finding this recipe has been a lifesaver!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Ingrid! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe has been a hit!
Hey aren, it’s a really great recipe. I liked a lot because I am fond of the kitchen and I am Egyptian, but I used Google Translate to know your recipe. I also have my own little blog. Hope you see my recipes. I am happy with your opinion.
http://www.elshifngah.com
I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe, thank you!
My kids love this recipe! This is in my weekly meal plan. I only do two things differently.
1. I put the tomato sauce with the sauteed onions and the spices in the blender after I heat it up. My family prefers the smooth texture of the sauce.
2. I cut my chicken into cubes before adding it into the instant pot.
Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
Really good flavor but my sauce wasn’t nearly as thick. I don’t know what I did wrong but it was still delicious!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Elizabeth! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank you, Erin! You did it again! I had been wanting to try Butter Chicken. I purchased Garam Masala from Penzeys for just that reason last month, but hadn’t tried it yet. I hadn’t been able to find that spice blend in any grocery stores or even at a local coffee and tea shop that sells fresh spices. I mention this so people can order from a reputable source online. In any case, I tried this recipe tonight, as a half recipe because I only had 1 pound of chicken, and a 3 qt Instant Pot. Yum!!!!! I used the coconut oil substitutions, and because I didn’t have enough tomato sauce, I put a can of diced tomatoes in my little food processor, and that turned it into enough of a sauce. I did have a “burn” warning, even though I thought I’d gotten all the burnt bits from the bottom before cooking. So, I turned it off, scraped as best I could, and tried again. It worked. This is, I think, the best recipe of yours that I’ve tried. It is NOT spicy. Just very flavorful! In fact, if anything, I might want a bit more spice! I didn’t take any pictures because it looked and smelled so good, we just dug in! Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Sondra! I’m so happy to hear that it was a hit!
Thank you for this recipe! Going to try it soon. I’m curious if you could let it naturally release all the way and stay on warm until ready to add yogurt and Coconut milk and to serve.
Hi Jenny! I haven’t tried it that way myself, but it may work. The key is to make sure the chicken has cooled somewhat so the yogurt doesn’t curdle. The “Keep Warm” setting *should* be okay, but like I said, I don’t have personal experience trying it that way. I hope you love it!
This was delicious and easy! The whole family loved it. My kids even ate the small cauliflower pieces, which was a huge win :)
I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit, Natalie! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
I’ve made this and loved it. However, we don’t really want to eat too many leftovers. If I cut the recipe in half, is there anything I should know about? Or can I just cut the amounts in half?
Hi Tracy! You should be able to cut the ingredients in half. I hope this helps!
Erin,
I have made this recipe 3X and wow myself over and over. It is super easy and love how the house smell during and after.
Question. Can I delete some of the tomato sauce? I have found the dish a little too runny.
Thoughts?
Barry
Barry, I am SO pleased to hear how much you love this!! And sure! Feel free to cut it down a bit to see if it’s more to your liking. I hope you love it even more next time!
Tthank you madame
Hi Erin!
Have you tried putting the chix in the pot frozen? If so what changes on cooking time pray tell>>>
Hi Lee! You can use frozen chicken for this recipe. The Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure before the cooking time begins, but the dish will still be delicious. I hope you love it!
Really good. The recipe as written gives enough food for ~8 servings so it makes a great meal prep for my boyfriend and I. I cooked long grain jasmine rice separately but with 1.5 cups of dry rice I was able to put half a cup of cooked rice and a full cup of the butter chicken in each serving.
Next time I make this I’ll probably throw in a bag of frozen peas just to increase the veggie content.
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Grace! I’m so happy this recipe was a hit!
This is our favorite instant pot recipe by far! Everyone loves it and it makes enough to feed a large family. So flavorful and delicious. Perfect for picky eaters too – they don’t realize the cauliflower is in there. Thank you Erin for an outstanding recipe!
Thank you for sharing this kind review, JoAnn! I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed the recipe!
Hi. Looking to try this recipe tonight. Instead of cauliflower, I was planning to dump a can of chickpeas. Would you suggest putting them in at the same stage as cauliflower would go in or at the end? Or would you recommend using dry chickpeas (that hasn’t been soaked).
Also, can you define splash of chicken broth? I do well if I can’t measure stuff.
Finally, will the recipe be adversely affected if I use non-sodium tomato sauce and if I half the amount of salt added?
Thanks for your time!
Hi! I haven’t tried this recipe with chickpeas, but another reader has reported success with adding them in at the same time as the cauliflower. For the splash of broth, you want just enough liquid to help loosen up any pieces stuck onto the bottom of the Instant Pot. And, I haven’t tried this with non-sodium tomato sauce and less salt, but you can certainly experiment with it. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hello
Can I use 6oz tomato paste instead of tomato sauce?
Hi Juju! Unfortunately, the tomato paste will have a very different flavor than the sauce since it is much more concentrated. If you only have tomato paste on hand, you could try diluting it first. I haven’t tried this swap, so you’d be experimenting. If you decide to play around, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Delicious! This was my first instapot recipe and it was so easy to follow the recipe to the letter. I’m going to make it often. Thank you! :)
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Maria! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this recipe!
I made this for dinner for my husband and myself. It was really quick and easy. It only took a few minutes to prep which has become increasingly important to me since I now have 2 kids and a full time job. It was really flavorful and we both loved it. I added a jalapeño with the onion and I had a can of coconut milk in the cupboard so I used that instead of cream. I added a cornstarch slurry as I got it a little thin for some reason. I will do this recipe again
I’m so happy to hear that this was a success, Kristine! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Usually I’m the cook but I just had surgery 3 weeks ago and I’m on crutches not able to put weight on my left leg. So my husband cooked dinner while I told him the measurements and steps evey step of the way. I have to say this dish is really delicious. We had our doubts but it was pretty amazing. My husband brought home coconut milk but it wasn’t the think one. So we improvised 1/2 half n half and half coconut milk. It made the recipe a little tart so we just sprinkled a little more kosher salt and it still tasted great. I or we will definitely make this recipe again. It’s quick and easy and perfect for 2 people and left overs.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Teresa! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This is my favorite insta pot recipe! A go to in our dairy, egg, and peanut allergy home. It’s so comforting. We love it with vegan naan.
I’m so happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed this, Cheryl! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I made this last night with a few changes that this recipe still acclimated to- 1. I didn’t have cauliflower, so I substituted potato chunks. 2. I swapped out the greek yogurt with sour cream, and 3. I couldn’t find garam masala at my local store so I mixed cumin and cinnamon together for a substitute. Came out great! When the 12 minutes were done, I took out the chicken breasts, then added 8 more minutes with a quick release to further cook the potatoes. I will be making this again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Heather! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Made this per the recipe except I cut the amount of curry powder in half as my wife is not a fan of curry. The end result got my wife’s approval, so I guess I will be making it again. Happy to have a Indian recipe that agrees with my wife’s taste. Next time I think I will try the slow cooker version.
Thank You
Don, I’m so pleased to hear it. Thanks for sharing this lovely review!
I keep having problems with burn readings on my Instant Pot for this recipe. Other “rules of thumb” for Instant Pots that I’ve read say to add at least a 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot, and NOT stir (which obviously you must do in this recipe since we’ve sauteed the spices and onions beforehand). Do you have any recommendations for this recipe to help with this issue?
I’m still trying to salvage this recipe, and it smells AMAZING at least!
Hi Megan, I’m so sorry to hear that you’re having issues with this recipe! My advice for avoiding the burn is to make sure you get all the stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot before sealing it and bringing it up to pressure. I hope this helps and that you were still able to enjoy it!
Hi Erin. I’m making the butter chicken tonight and was wondering if i can use minced garlic and minced ginger from a jar.
Hi Katheryn! You can use them, but I’d recommend sautéing the onion first and adding the garlic and ginger in at the very end so they don’t burn. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This tasted really good, but my sauce was very watery. I took out all the solids and thickened the sauce with flour using the sauté setting on my IP. It was really yummy. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Lori! Thank you for taking the time to try the recipe and share this review!
THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING!!!! Now, all I need is to learn how to make GF naan! This recipe comes out as authentic as my favorite Indian restaurant! A must try!!! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers today! Only thing I changed was omitting the garlic because I uses Rao’s roasted garlic sauce and man was that a great choice!!! Can’t say enough, you need to try this!!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Jessica! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
My pressure cooker gave me the “food burn” error message before the pressure cooker pressurized. Not sure how to solve this…
Hi Meredith, I’m so sorry to hear that you had issues with this recipe. My advice for avoiding the burn is to make sure you get all the stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pot before sealing it and bringing it up to pressure. I hope this helps and that you were still able to enjoy it!
I love the flavor and the chicken was cooked perfectly, but the cauliflower disintegrated.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the flavor of the dish, Jill! Thank you for taking the time to try the recipe and for reporting back!
This is fantastic. I’ve made it several times now and it is delish. Thank you so much!
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Kate! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Gave this recipe a try last night and it was absolutely delicious!! I used about 1.5 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs and swapped half the tomato sauce for about 1.5 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes. I also used coconut milk and DAH! plain almond yogurt (I’m dairy-free). I didn’t have any cauliflower on hand, so just focused on the chicken and sauce.
I did get a “burn” warning early on in my instant pot, right after it switched to cooking at maybe the 12 minute mark. I stopped everything, gave the mixture a good stir and tried again. It worked out totally fine the second time and I did manual for 10 minutes instead of 12.
The chicken thighs were cooked perfectly! I chopped them up roughly, added in about half the can of coconut milk (a bit more than 0.5 cups) and a good heaping of the almond yogurt once everything was cooled down slightly.
The curry tasted SO good!! I ate this delectable meal over cauliflower rice.
I froze about a pint of meat and sauce to save for a rainy day. There is a TON of sauce of left compared with chicken. I plan on slowly warming up a portion on the stove and adding in vegetables to make it a bit heartier. Served with chopped parsley (I’m one of those cilantro haters) and this meal is a true star! I can’t wait to make it again!!!
I’m SO happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Jaci! Thank you for sharing this wonderful review!
One of my favorite instant pot recipes. I like the healthy touches, which don’t at all compromise the flavor!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Clare! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was excellent. My husband and I both loved it! Will make it again for sure.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Megan! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
How much cauliflower should I use? The recipe says 4 1/2 cups, but the video looks like just a handful. I tried the recipe and the cauliflower disintegrated and the sauce oddly didn’t taste like much despite all the spices. I think it was way too much cauliflower that neutralized the spices?
Hi Elizabeth! The 4 1/2 cups of cauliflower is correct, but you could reduce the amount in the future if you prefer to have less. I hope this helps!
Incredibly good – rivals a local restaurant and so easy to make. Scraping up the random bits was a really great tip! Thanks for that
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, MarySue! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Love this recipe! Ive made it several times, its always a hit, even with my 5 yr old son! Question though – do you know what the calorie content is of JUST the chicken and sauce (no rice)? Thank you!
I’m SO happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Ashley! Unfortunately, I only have the nutrition information listed. However, you could use an online calculator (like MyFitnessPal) to find an estimate based on your ingredients. I hope this helps!
I love this recipe and have made it several times but… have always meant to ask about the amount of liquid.
Can I reduce the amount of tomato sauce just a little? The outcome produces a texture that is a bit more fluid than I like.
If you say no no, I am good with that!
I’m SO happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Barry! Feel free to cut it down a bit to see if it’s more to your liking. I hope you love it even more next time!
This meal was so delicious! My three kids very much enjoyed it and asked to put it into our dinner rotation. The leftovers were especially tasty and totally exceeded any expectations. This recipe very closely mirrors dishes I’ve had in restaurants and was so easy to make!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Erin! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Love this recipe! So easy and so fast to whip up in the insta pot! Definitely will make this again soon.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Nora! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Is this recipe for Butter Chicken very spicy. I’m looking to make a milder version. Can you tell me what spice I should use less of, to make this recipe more mild?
Hi Christiane! This dish is not spicy, but could start with just 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder at first to make sure it isn’t too hot for your tastes. I hope you enjoy it!
We thought this was great, just the right combination of spices. I did do a couple of changes–1.5 teaspoon of curry as mine is a pretty spicy one. And after reading some comments I used only 15 ounce can of tomato sauce and it was plenty of sauce. I imagine it made the spices more concentrated – a lot less liquid, but we liked it. I cooked on high pressure for 5 minutes–(had 1.5 pounds of chicken breasts – two large) and then did a 10 minute wait till releasing pressure. The chicken at that point was about 150 degrees–needed just a bit more–but now is when I added the cauliflower and 12 ounces, cooked two minutes on high and then quick release—-chicken now 170 , plenty done. I waited and added the yogurt after it cooled as directed. I skipped the milk as not to make it get too thin. When we reheat if it needs it might add a bit then. The staging of cooking worked well to cook chicken and then add cauliflower. Liked a lot more cauliflower –( similar to your butter slow cooker recipe) Served with some steamed green beans and rice. We would make it again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Frances! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Additional comment: On reheat did add some unsweetened cashew milk and it was just fine, not too thin at all, so next time will go ahead and add it. We had it with roasted butternut squash a second time and that is a great side. Chick peas nice with it also if need to stretch it. Love this recipe, a favorite. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing these helpful notes, Frances!
This was very good! I used diced fire roasted tomatoes in place of the tomato sauce and a can of chickpeas in place of the cauliflower (I roasted cauliflower on the side because my family prefers it this way!). Also I used frozen chicken. We will definitely make this again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Jessica! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
We really enjoy your Indian dish recipes a lot! I have made this butter chicken recipe a number of times, and my little family loves it, including my three young children! We especially enjoy it along with the naan bread, also from one of your recipes!
Thank you so so much for all your delicious recipes!
I’m SO happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Faith! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Hi!
I wanted to find out if there is something else that I can substitute the coconut products (oil/milk) with as I am allergic to coconut…?
Hi Sheila! You can use half-and-half instead of coconut milk and butter instead of the oil. I hope this helps!
A bit confused… why does this instapot version have 42 carbs per serving, but the slow cooker version only has 19 carbs?
Thanks for pointing this out, Kim! I’ve updated the nutrition information for the Instant Pot recipe. I hope this helps!
I loved the end result. The problem was after I added the chicken to the tomato sauce, I kept getting the burn notice. I finally took the chicken out, transferred to another insert, and finished cooking it separately. When that was done, I cut the chicken up and mixed it with the tomato base and all the other ingredients on the saute setting.
Hi Denise! My advice for avoiding the burn is to make sure you get all the stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot before sealing it and bringing it up to pressure. The recipe has worked great for me and other readers as written, but I know it’s disappointing to run into problems, so I hope it goes better next time!
This was so good! My husband couldn’t stop raving about how delicious this butter chicken recipe was. We did not have full fat coconut milk. So here’s what we did: We used light coconut milk but we had 2% Greek yogurt. That seem to work out just fine. I only had 25 ounces of tomato sauce also fine. We used just an extra couple of tablespoons of chicken broth. It was amazing. Thanks so much Erin for sharing such a great recipe.
That makes me so happy! Thank you Katie and thank you for this kind review!
Wondering if it is possible to dice the chicken before cooking in the instapot?
Hi Lori! While I haven’t tried it diced, others have and have had great success! If you give it a try, let me know! Thank you!
A major staple for weekend dinners in my house! I personally can’t handle spice and this is the right amount for me lol. Also I do dice the chicken breast beforehand and cut the cook time in half and have had great success doing that!
Hi NAN! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
Super easy to make, and loved by the family! The Greek yogurt added a creaminess that was surprising! Next time I think I will add a few extra pieces of chicken because there was so much sauce! This is a winner in our book!
Hi Wendy! So glad you enjoyed the chicken! Thank you for this kind review!
My husband said this was better than our favorite restaurant! Thanks for the great recipe. :)
That makes me so happy, Lisa!! Thank you for this kind review!
This has become one of our favorite dinners. My husband requests this more than anything else I think, and he’s a chef! So simple yet so flavorful. The only problem I have is I get a burn food notice every single time. I’m very careful to scrap all the stuff off the bottom after sautéing, too.
Hi Karen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made this tonight for the first time. Of note, I am no instapot professional! But I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious and very easy to prepare! My husband must have said mmmm ten times. I’m going to try to add carrots next time, just because I love them. We ate this over additional cauliflower for a low-carb dinner. I will be making this often!
Hi Sarah! So glad you enjoyed the chicken! Thank you for this kind review!
I just made this today! First I somehow forgot the butter? haha and then I put the greek yogurt in I think too quickly! But the flavor was so great that it was all good! Will make again and actually follow directions to a T :)
Hi Nakato! So glad you were still able to enjoy it! Thank you for this kind review!
This is an awesome recipe! I love the sneaky inclusion of the cauliflower – a great way to
Get some veggies. My husband isn’t the biggest fan of cauliflower but the flavors were so present he couldn’t even tell it was in there!
Hi Hannah! So glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was DELICIOUS and versatile!! My husband who hates cauliflower had thirds. I used leftover turkey instead of chicken, but could use chickpeas to make vegetarian. I used the coconut milk suggested instead of half and half because I had it on hand. I tested this in a ditch oven because I was using the IP to make the rice. Worked great, took 35 minutes to braise the cauliflower. Will definitely be putting this in the rotation
I’m so happy that it was a hit, Adrienne! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Family favorite!
Hi Heather! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This recipe is amazing. First of all, I love my instant pot & how there’s usually less cleanup. I love how this recipe incorporates cauliflower & I can sneak in those veggies with the kids. Everytime I make this, the family eats it up with zero complaints and goes back for seconds. I’ve made it for neighbors and they love it. It makes enough to share and leftovers for next day’s lunch. It’s on our permanent dinner rotation.
Hi Winnie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I have almost made butter chicken so many times but I wasn’t sure if my family would like it. I had never tried it and I was scared of the flavor. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!
I can’t even believe how delicious it was and I make taco chicken on a weekly basis but this was just as easy and only needed a few other ingredients on hand. Can’t wait to have it again, and next time do a chicken breast/chicken thigh mixture .
Hi Juli! So glad you enjoyed the chicken! Thank you for this kind review!
Love the addition of cauliflower!
Hi Erica! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
In your Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe do you mean “chili powder” as in Cayenne powder?
Hi Beverley, they are actually two different spices. Cayenne powder is hotter than chili powder, and this recipe calls for chili powder. Hope this helps!
I tried butter chicken for the first time in a restaurant and loved it. Saw your recipe and had to try. I made it in my instapot and served with brown rice It’s fabulous! Very flavorful!! Will make it again for sure. Winner!!
Hi Anna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I wanted to love this recipe since there were so many positive comments. However I followed the recipe EXACTLY and made 1000% sure that there were absolutely no brown bits stuck to the bottom… But the “food burn” trigger kept going off. I tried to remove the food, scrape the bottom clean, and put the food back in, only to have the burn food warning go off again. I tried this 3 times. Super frustrating :(
Hi Nikki, I can imagine that it is frustrating, but I don’t believe this is a reflection of the recipe because it does not happen to everyone. I think this is reflection of the model of instant pot that is being used.
I love this recipe. I’ve made it more than a dozen times, and it’s a great go-to. The effort/reward ratio is exceptional.
I also change it up with a combo of fish, shrimp, and scallops instead of chicken, although I usually omit the cauliflower with this version. It lends itself really well to this and is especially good over brown rice.
If you like things spicy, don’t be afraid to dial those up a bit (I do more than just a bit). I also usually add cumin, turmeric, and cayenne.
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Ray! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I’m going to try making this soon, but I was wondering: does the estimated nutrition info include the brown rice you say to serve it with, or is it just the chicken? The way it’s phrased isn’t completely clear. Thanks!
Hi Jeremy! The nutrition includes 1/2 cup of the prepared brown rice. I hope this helps!
Weekday staple. Kids even loved it.
Hi David! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I should have known by the comment “I can’t handle spice but I liked this” that this wouldn’t be my favorite, as I like intensely flavored food. I thought this was sooo tomato sauce forward that it was more reminiscent of Italian pasta sauce than Indian food. I ended up adding the full can of coconut milk after, and adding double the spices, but alas it was still too tomatoey and acidic in my opinion, not rich and creamy like butter chicken I’m used to. Prior to my additions, I followed it exactly and it also turned out looking way more red than the photo. I think it has potential though., and is a good recipe for adjusting to your personal tastes. Next time I would cut the tomato sauce in half, double the seasonings and add coriander and turmeric into the mix, and triple the milk. I would definitely use full dairy instead of coconut milk to make it more velvety. The method was great. Extremely easy, and the texture of the chicken came out perfect.
I’m sorry this recipe wasn’t to your tastes, Al. I (and many other readers) have truly enjoyed it, so I wish you would’ve too!
I have made it this evening and it was delicious. My question is: ” why the tomato sauce?
Thank you Erin, looking forward to trying out your many delicious recipes.
Hi Pascale! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review! We’ve tested the recipe out with tomato sauce and really enjoyed the end product!
I made this recipe and your tikki masala recipe. Both burned before reaching pressure. The tikki masala ended up cooked anyways but this one did not. What’s going wrong? I think it’s the tomato sauce, which super consistently burns in my instant pot, but I was willing to try anyways because no one else had issues. Am I doing something wrong? I was really careful to get everything off the bottom both times.
Hi Tracy, I’m sorry this happened! I’ve made this recipe a few times and never had that issue. That said, I’ve heard some of the newer Instant Pots trigger a burn warning more easily than others, especially when using tomato sauce. My advice for avoiding the burn is to make sure you get all the stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot before sealing it and bringing it up to pressure. Also make sure you are using the saute function on normal. The recipe has worked great for me and other readers as written, but I know it’s disappointing to run into problems, so I hope it goes better next time!
It burns for me every. Single. Time. I love the recipe so I just deal with it but truly, I’ve made it probably a dozen times and it doesn’t matter what I do, it burns. It had to be the tomato sauce because I diligently make sure there’s nothing stuck to the bottom every time.
I’m sorry to hear that Karen! Thank you for sticking with the recipe! Did you happen to try and add any water? I’ve read that sometimes that helps with getting the burn notice in some models of the instant pot.
I was planning to do the slow cooker version of this recipe but forgot to thaw my chicken so decided to try the instant pot version instead. This was an incredibly frustrating experience. I followed the recipe and steps exactly and got the burn notice a number of times. I tried scraping the bottom again after the first notice but the following times, the mixture was SO hot that it was bubbling out of the instant pot and making a huge mess. As a last resort I turned my instant pot to the slow cooker mode (which I personally have never found to work well). The chicken eventually cooked through but it was horribly tough (and it was good quality meat). What was supposed to be quick and easy turned out to be frustrating and time consuming. The flavor was fine, I would reduce the ginger in the future and add more salt. I may attempt the original slow cooker method but won’t try this method again.
Hi Dominica! I’m so sorry to hear that you got the burn notice. It seems some pressure cooker models tend to do this versus others. Tt really seems like different Instant Pots have different levels of sensitivity which I believe is what is causing the burn notice. I’ve made it successfully (as have other readers) without any problem. I know it can be disappointing to make a new recipe and not have it turn out.
Delicious! I used frozen breasts which watered down the sauce a bit. If you’re doing this i would suggest doubling the spices/seasonings. Honestly was not expecting something so delicious but i will be making this again.
Hi Crystal! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This came out great. Not as spicy as I hoped but a great flavor. No burn issue and I added 2 minutes as my chicken was slightly frozen and I used frozen cauliflower. Hubby enjoyed it over turmeric rice. Thanks
Hi Cindi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
***Solution for the burn warning***
Heat up the tomato sauce in a separate pan and pour the hot sauce in right after sauteing the onions and spices.
The tomato sauce is burning when the pot tries to bring it up from room temp to boiling. It is definitely worth the hassle as this is a delicious meal!
Thanks for the tip David!
Not the best written recipe. Followed all instructions and still got a burn warning.
Hi Lisa! I’m sorry to hear you are getting a burn warning, unfortunately this seems to be the design of some of the models Instant Pot and not the recipe.
Hi, I may have gotten the recipe wrong, when you write tomato sauce do you mean canned tomatoes or tomato ketchup? I added canned and it didn’t get the flavour I was expecting?
Thanks.
Hi Jesse! In the US, it will be listed as tomato sauce. Popular brands are Hunt’s, Rao’s and many more. Every grocery store tends to have their own brand of tomato sauce. If you are in Europe or other places it might be listed as tomato passata. Hope this helps!
You have got to do something about the ADs forcing the page to jump everywhere while people are trying to read the recipe. This website sucks.
I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience the ads caused you, Hailey! I will certainly keep paying close attention to the number of ads and how they load, as I never want them to hinder your ability to view the recipe or the blog post. I do truly appreciate your feedback and apologize again for the inconvenience! Also, there is a quick and convenient “jump to recipe” button that will help you get to the recipe faster and a print button to have the recipe quickly at your fingertips. Hope this helps!
This recipe always gives a burn warning.
I’m sorry to hear you had problems with the recipe, Sid! Unfortunately it seems that some instant pot models cause this to happen, mine does not so I haven’t had this issue. It has worked well for myself (and others) and I wished it would have been a hit for you too.
I don’t have an instant pot but used my pressure cooker. Only thing I found is I had to put the sauce in a blender after removing the chicken and then return both to pot and add the coconut milk, yogurt
Hi Yasir! Thanks for the feedback! The instant pot is just an electric pressure cooker so for the most part it should work the same.
This was the FIRST Indian dish that didn’t leave me unsatisfied. I did warm up my tomato sauce to boiling before putting in the instapot and I didn’t get a burn notice! It was delicious and Sooooooo easy! Thank you!
Hi Trista! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I just made this. Love it! I made a mistake on the measurement of the chili powder–I used 1 Tablespoon instead of a teaspoon, but it tasted fine. I added a can of drained cannelleni to stretch the protein content and to get more fiber. I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I used chicken broth with tomato paste (about 2/3 of a 6 oz. can). I need to watch my carbs, so I ate it as a soup. I used a full carton of broth–32 oz. No problem with sticking or with burning. I will make it again! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Connie! Glad it worked out for you and that you enjoyed it!
I also didn’t read the recipe carefully bc it indicated a 28oz can of ‘tomato sauce’ vs. a jar of marinara, etc. and also got the burn notice (mostly ignored and scraped) which was ok, but honestly the chicken was too acidic maybe because I used whole San Marzano tomatoes.
I added less than a teaspoon of brown sugar, some Better Than Chicken concentrated broth and more heavy cream, and that salvaged the whole thing to a ‘meh’ from the family. I am bummed that I wasted really nice pastured chicken thighs on this recipe. It also didn’t seem to be necessarily much lower in fat after I added the additional heavy cream.
I also didn’t add the cauliflower, but I would imagine that would make the recipe even waterier. Overall, instructions could have been much clearer; would skip this version of butter chicken.
I’m sorry to hear that Sunny. Any changes to the original recipe can result in the flavor being altered based on how we tested it. Also which part of the recipe needs to be clearer? Hope you can try it as written, it really is delicious and a favorite for myself (and others).
Delish!!!!
This is delish!! I prepared the cauliflower separately and served my butter chicken over the cauliflower. My husband had his over rice with naan bread. I didn’t add greek yogurt. Yum! This is a keeper and easy.
So glad to hear! Thank you Cydnee!
I should have read the comments first. Burns every time, instant pot does not seal and come to pressure. I removed the ingredients twice, deglazed the pan, and tried again to no avail. It’s clearly because of the tomato sauce-only approach. I’ve made instant pot butter chicken recipes before with no issue. I have the Instant Pot IP Luxe-60 v3, which I imagine to be far and away the most ubiquitous model in circulation as it was the only model sold by Walmart for years. Very disappointing to toss the ingredients and pivot to take-out tonight.
Hi Shin, I’m sorry to hear you are having trouble with the recipe. If the instant pot doesn’t seal or come to pressure that sounds like there might be an issue with the plastic seal for your pot. Also for that particular model when you are using the saute function you want to make sure it’s set to low or normal and not high. Hope this helps!
This has been a go-to recipe for me for a long time! Highly recommend. Delicious and nourishing!
Thank you Lauren!
The sauce had way too much tomato flavor – not at all like butter chicken I have had before. I also got a burn warning twice, even though I scrapped the bottom clean. Very frustrating.
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe, Kelci. The amounts, flavorings and timing have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would have been a hit for you too! I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you.
Another great instant pot recipe! I am usually hesitant to making Indian dishes because I can’t get them to turn out, but this tasted like I knew what I was doing. I have a newer instant pot so I made sure to add several splashes of water (almost 1/2 cup) until I was able to get all the stuck-on bits off the bottom. Will be making again!
Thanks for the feedback, Amy! Glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was pretty good! I did end up with a burn warning but I didn’t read through the comments prior to see some tips. We will definitely be trying it again soon with a few small tweaks
Glad you enjoyed it, Amanda! Thank you!
I was NOT expecting this recipe to be as good as it was… Holy crap it was delicious!! I’ve been wanting Indian food but not wanting to pay the prices and find the place to go considering I don’t know of any good Indian food restaurants near me, and this totally satisfied my craving!!
Yay! So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Ysabelle!
Great recipe, house smells great and the dish tastes even better. The chicken melted in my mouth and the sauce was so flavorful. The combination of spices worked really well. I served it on a bed of basmati rice. Sorry I forgot to take a picture, I will do it next time. Thank you!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Chantal! Thank you!
Thank you for this lovely recipe. Everyone loved it. The sauce is very flavorful and addictive over rice and the chicken was super tender without getting dried out. I add baby potatoes, chopped carrots, and a cup of frozen peas to turn it into a meal.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Eleanor! Thank you!
Followed the recipe. Smelled amazing! Mu family and I tasted it and immediately gagged. All you could taste was tomato sauce. I double checked and your recipe calls for 28 oz of tomato sauce. Then it got me curious if this was considered the norm so I looked up five other recipes online and most recipes call for 7oz of tomato sauce, some other 14oz at most.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Made this last week and loved it! Served over brown rice! I accidentally cut up my chicken before adding it to the Instant Pot and overcooked the chicken a bit. Definitely recommend leaving them whole like the recipe says.
Thanks for the feedback, Brenna! Glad you enjoyed it! Looks great!
Absolutely delicious but the instant pot gave me trouble. I reached out to their customer service, but they said that when cooking with tomato sauce, 1 cup of extra water/broth should be added to help ith the pressure and steam. I worry this would make it too watery. Did anyone else have a problem doing this in the instant pot and getting it to come to pressure? We ended up just finishing cooking on the stove and it was delicious!
Glad you enjoyed it, Lauren. I didn’t have any problems in mine but I’ve heard some models can cause issues. Thanks for the update!