Instant Pot Butter Chicken {Low Carb}

Instant Pot Butter Chicken is tender chicken cooked in a creamy, spicy, tomato-based sauce. This version uses no cornstarch so it is low carb, and keto.

Instant Pot Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani) is a recipe Melinda and I have been working on for awhile. Whenever we have a girls’ night out you’ll find us at our favorite Indian restaurant with an order of vegetable samosas, butter chicken, and garlic naan. With the start of the new year we wanted an Instant Pot version of our favorite dinner AND we wanted it to be low carb and keto (bye,bye vegetable samosas and garlic naan! We’ll miss you!)

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Instant Pot Butter Chicken is naturally low carb so we didn’t have to make any changes. Though a lot of recipes add cornstarch to thicken their butter chicken sauce it isn’t necessary. Setting your Instant Pot to saute after it has finished pressure cooking, will thicken the sauce up perfectly! If you are new to using an Instant Pot check out our post on How to Use an Instant Pot .

How to Make Instant Pot Butter Chicken:

1. Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE and add butter, onion and garlic. Saute for approximately 5 minutes until the onions are tender. Press OFF to cancel the saute.
2. Add the chicken, chicken broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red curry paste, garam masala, ground ginger, salt, and smoked paprika to the Instant Pot. Look the lid in place and turn the pressure valve to seal it. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 7 minutes. 
3. When the timer goes off do a quick release and let all of the steam out of the pressure cooker.
4. Remove the lid and using a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the sauce and set aside.
5. Add the heavy cream to the pot and, using an immersion blender puree the sauce until smooth.
6. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and stir the sauce while simmering for 7-10 minutes, or until it thickens. Turn OFF saute.
7. Add the chicken back to the sauce, stir together, and serve with a garnish of cilantro.

Can I Use Chicken Breast Instead of Chicken Thighs?

The short answer is yes, BUT the dark meat gives this recipe so much more flavor, and it is even more moist and tender. I highly recommend using dark meat if you can.

When your butter chick is ready serve it over Instant Pot Basmati Rice (if you aren’t eating low carb) or cauliflower rice, zoodles, or all on it’s own, if you are eating low carb.

What Do I Serve With Instant Pot Butter Chicken?

Low Carb options:

• Cauliflower Rice
• Zucchini Noodles
• Sauted yellow squash

Other options:

• Basmati Rice
• White Rice
• Brown Rice

What You Will Need to Make Instant Pot Butter Chicken:

• Instant Pot – You’ll need an Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker to make this recipe.
• Garam Masala – This delicious blend of spices can be found at your local grocery store or on Amazon.

Want More Instant Pot Recipes?

• Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup
• Instant Pot Hoppin’ John
• Pressure Cooker Taco Soup
• Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

INSTANT POT BUTTER CHICKEN
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Servings: 8

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 22 mins

Total Time: 32 mins

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Instant Pot Butter Chicken is tender chicken cooked in a creamy, spicy, tomato-based sauce. This version uses no cornstarch so it is low carb, and keto.

Print Recipe

4.69 from 44 votes

Ingredients

• 2 cups Onion, diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons Butter
• 2 pounds Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup Chicken broth
• 15 ounces Tomato sauce, no added sugar
• 3 tablespoons Tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Red curry paste
• 2 teaspoons Garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
• Cilantro, garnish

Instructions

• Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE and add butter, onion and garlic. Saute for approximately 5 minutes until the onions are tender. Press OFF to cancel the saute.
• Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, red curry paste, and tomato paste to the pot. Sprinkle in the garam masala, ground ginger, salt, and smoked paprika and stir everything together.
• Add the chicken to the liquid and lock the lid in place. Turn the pressure valve to seal it. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 7 minutes.
• When the timer goes off do a natural release for 5 minutes and then turn the valve on top to VENTING to let the remaining steam out of the pressure cooker.
• Remove the lid and using a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the sauce and set aside.
• Add the heavy cream to the pot and, using an immersion blender puree the sauce until smooth.
• Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and stir the sauce while simmering for 7-10 minutes, or until it thickens. Turn OFF saute.
• Add the chicken back to the sauce, stir together, and serve with a garnish of cilantro.
• Enjoy!

Notes

Note: You can skip the immersion blender if you don't have one, it just gives the sauce a smoother texture. Still delicious either way!

Nutrition

Calories: 394kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 146mg, Sodium: 761mg, Potassium: 551mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 1455IU, Vitamin C: 8.9mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 1.8mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.

Author: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell

Course: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: instant pot chicken, instant pot recipe, low carb dinner, pressure cooker recipe