Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (2024)

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Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken. Fully loaded pressure cooker butter chicken with all my favourite vegetables and Indian spices to make the perfect creamy, yet healthy Instant Pot freezer meal.

Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (1)

For our third instalment of our Instant Pot Curry Freezer Meals we have the legendary butter chicken.

Butter chicken is one of my all time favourite Indian curries and one that I grew up on, having visited many Indian restaurants as a child and teen.

Back in May 2017 I decided I needed to start my diet and finally lose the baby weight, the diet lasted about 10 days of course as I needed my Ben & Jerry’s. BUT I did make a delicious slow cooker butter chicken during that time. It was amazing.

It was free of butter and instead had the most heavenly creamy sauce that you didn’t miss the butter at all. Many of my readers even said it was better without.

It has been shared more than 100,000 times and I have had many requests for an Instant Pot version of my butter chicken. So here you are, finally, I have made an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken!

Table of Contents

Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken

Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (3)

Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken is so easy to make. If you want a lazy Indian curry without the takeaway calories and the takeaway costs then you will be won over with my pressure cooker butter chicken.

In a nutshell you throw everything in the Instant Pot (or any other pressure cooker), let the pressure cooker do the work, chop up your chicken and enjoy!

Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (4)

When we made our freezer meal of pressure cooker butter chicken, we were shocked by how much butter chicken it made us for the freezer.

Sometimes when you freezer cook you estimate what you expect it to make, but I was gobsmacked when it made 18 freezer meals.

Yes really 18 butter chicken freezer meals!

Yet there was me expecting to achieve 10 butter chicken freezer meals!

The pressure cooker butter chicken sauce is made up of lots of easy to obtain ingredients. The main ingredient being fresh and tinned tomatoes.

Tomatoes are very good for your health and even though it is high on tomatoes it doesn’t feel like it is. When I eat pasta with a tomato sauce, I really taste the tomatoes, but with other things going on in the butter chicken it is not the case.

Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (5)

Next time you see a grocery deal for fresh tomatoes and wonder what you could possibly make with them and freeze for when tomatoes are out of season, then our pressure cooker butter chicken is simply perfect for you.

Because it is high in tomatoes and lean chicken breast, it is incredibly low in calories. Just scroll down to the recipe and see just how little each portion of our pressure cooker butter chicken works out at. Eat our butter chicken without guilt and bump up those calories on a delicious side.

Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (7)

What To Serve With Our Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken

When I eat Indian food, its not just about the curry but what delicious side dishes I can enjoy with it.

Slow Cooker Spicy Vegetable Rice = This is a new favourite of mine and my son can not stop eating it. It makes a good-sized portion and could also be made into freezer portions.

Vegetable Korma Samosas = A favourite side dish of ours is vegetable korma samosas using leftover vegetable korma curry. You could also do the same leftover trick with spare butter chicken!

Vegetable Pakoras = My Dad always had pakoras as a starter at the Indian. When you taste these vegetable pakoras you will see why.

Onion Bhajis = My favourite ever Indian restaurant starter. I just want to eat them every day forever! When I worked in an Indian Takeaway I loved the fact that they would make me these every night!

Pilau Cauliflower Rice = If you want a low carb alternative to an Indian rice then you must start with my pilau cauliflower rice.

Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (9)

Helpful Tools For Making Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken

The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker – I love my big 8 litre Instant Pot and we used it to make our pressure cooker butter chicken. A smaller Instant Pot would not hold as much food and we wouldn’t be able to meal prep as efficiently.

Hand Blender – For making your smooth butter chicken you need a blender to turn your tomatoes into a creamy sauce.

Glass Bottom – We placed our butter chicken into silver freezer containers. But only because we had run out of our favourite glass bottom containers. It seems when you’re making 52 freezer meals you need more than 6 glass bottom containers!

If you click on the banner below you can access all our recommended Instant Pot accessories that you should invest in for your pressure cooker. Many of them suit any brand of pressure cooker:

Get Our Instant Pot Curry Freezer Meals Pack

This Pressure Cooker Butter Chickenis featured in . Which is a collection of favourite Indian curries and side dishes.

It also includes information of how to bulk cook healthy curries for the freezer. In fact, we made more than 50 curry freezer meals in JUST 1 hour!

If you love a delicious pressure cooker curry and love eating healthy, then this is for you!

Click on the banner below for full details as well as which other curries have been transformed into Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Freezer Meals.

Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (12)

Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (13)

Print Recipe

Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken

Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken. Fully loaded pressure cooker butter chicken with all my favourite vegetables and Indian spices to make the perfect creamy, yet healthy Instant Pot freezer meal.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Instant Pot

Servings: 18

Calories: 175kcal

Author: RecipeThis.com

Ingredients

Recipe Ingredients:

Butter Chicken Marinade:

MetricImperial

Instructions

  • Mix your butter chicken marinade and put to one side.

  • Place into the Instant Pot 25 medium tomatoes, 2.5 large onions, 2.5tbsp tomato puree, 3 cans of tinned tomatoes and your 7.5 chicken breasts.

  • Give it a good coating of salt and add in ½ of your marinade ingredients.

  • Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and then use quick pressure release.

  • Remove the chicken, add the other ½ of the marinade, 2 cans of tinned tomatoes and blend the remaining ingredients of the Instant Pot.

  • Dice the chicken into bite sized pieces.

  • Stir in the 7.5tbsp Greek Yoghurt and add the chicken back in.

  • Add to your freezer containers.

  • From the freezer place the butter chicken container into the Instant Pot over the steamer shelf. Make sure there is a cup of water beneath. Cook for 15 minutes on manual.

Notes

Because the Instant Pot strips flavour it is best to add ½ the seasoning before cooking and half after (like we have done above).

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 1026mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1765IU | Vitamin C: 37.4mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 2.5mg

Nutrition InfoPlease Note: Nutrition values are our best estimate based on the software we use at Recipe This and are meant as a guide. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Recipe This | Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken (2024)

FAQs

What is the best combination for butter chicken? ›

Butter Chicken is best served with Jeera rice , Turmeric Rice, plain fluffy Basmati Rice, Tandoori Roti, Naan or Paratha.

Does pressure cooking chicken longer make it more tender? ›

Cooking any meat on high heat (or high pressure) for an extended period will both: denature more the proteins / collagen making the meat more tender; "squeeze" more water out of the meat, making it drier / chalkier in texture.

Can you overcook chicken in a pressure cooker? ›

Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry. Thighs, on the other hand, are a fattier cut, and not prone to dry out as quickly even after an extra minute or two of cooking.

Why is my pressure cooked chicken tough? ›

Overcooking or cooking at too high a temperature can result in tough, dry chicken. Undercooking can leave chicken undercooked and chewy. Proper cooking techniques, such as roasting, grilling, or braising, can help maintain moisture and tenderness.

What is the sauce in butter chicken made of? ›

You'll be surprised to find that you only need an onion, a can of crushed tomatoes, garlic and ginger, and some added spices to continue those beautiful flavours in the sauce. The trick to making a great sauce is to let the tomatoes cook off for at least 10-15 minutes, until they are almost dry on your pan.

What thickens butter chicken? ›

Yoghurt or heavy cream:

To achieve a creamy, tangy curry sauce, incorporate yoghurt or heavy cream. Stir them in gently, as high heat may cause curdling. These ingredients are ideal for creating a luxurious texture in dishes like butter chicken or tikka masala.

Do I need to brown meat before pressure cooking? ›

Brown it

Pressure cooked food doesn't brown so it's worth doing this at the start of cooking before adding liquid and putting the lid on. Meat looks and tastes more appetising with a little browning. Onions, garlic and spices also benefit in the flavour stakes from pre-cooking.

Do you cover meat with liquid in pressure cooker? ›

There's lots of water in the meat too, so even 1 cup added water will result in a fair amount of liquid after cooking. No you do not have to cover it.

Why is meat tough in pressure cooker? ›

The moist heat in a pressure cooker tends to turn connective tissue into gelatin. You need to let the meat cool down for a few minutes after cooking, to give time for moisture to be reabsorbed, before releasing the pressure. Otherwise, the meat will likely be tough.

How do you know when pressure cooked chicken is done? ›

Open the pot, then use a digital thermometer to check the thickest part of a piece of chicken—it should be at least 165oF.

How much liquid do you need in a pressure cooker? ›

Add Liquid

“Jiggle top” cookers need a minimum of one cup of water, while valve cookers need at least half a cup. Put food in the cooker first, then add water. When learning how to use a pressure cooker, make sure the unit is never more than two-thirds full of liquid, so the steam has enough space to accumulate.

How much water do you add to pressure cooked chicken? ›

Add 1 cup of liquid to the instant pot (water, chicken broth, pineapple or apple juice). Place chicken breasts on top of the trivet in a single layer and season with salt, pepper or any seasonings you like. Secure the instant pot lid and make sure the vent is set to “sealed”.

Does pressure cooker make chicken soft? ›

Chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks

By placing cooking liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker and placing the chicken in the steamer basket above the liquid, you are guaranteed tender, moist chicken every time. However, you can also use the cooker to make a sauce and cook your chicken submerged in flavour.

What happens if you over pressure cook chicken? ›

Unfortunately, once you overcook a piece of meat in the pressure cooker, there's no going back. You'll be left with a pile of dry, crunchy, tasteless fibers and no amount of additional pressure cooking is going to put that moisture back into the meat.

Which is better for butter chicken thigh or breast? ›

Chicken – The best chicken to use for this one-pan baked version is bone-in chicken thighs. This is because they remain juicy for the 45 minute bake time required for the sauce to thicken and develop flavour. We remove the skin (it's easy, just peel it off) to prevent the sauce from getting too greasy.

What vegetables go well with Indian food? ›

There are so many vegetables go with Indian dishes. Specially onion, coriander leaves, potatoes, tomatoes, green chilli. Also, cabbage, capsicum, spinach, cucumber, radish, pumpkin, gouard , cauliflower , beans, peas, brinjal , ladyfinger etc.

Why butter chicken is the best? ›

The reason why Butter chicken is such a delightful dish is because of, obviously, butter. The splendid blend of cream sauce, butter, spiced up tomatoes, and an array of Indian spices melts in your mouth instantly. If you're a chicken lover, this is a must-try dish for you.

What is the difference between butter chicken and tikka masala chicken? ›

Butter chicken is a traditional Indian dish that is rich and creamy with a subtle smoky flavor. At the same time, tikka masala is a British Indian dish with a more complex flavor profile with tangy and spicy notes. Butter chicken is generally sweeter and milder in spiciness, while tikka masala is tangy and spicy.

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