Keto Butter Chicken (Instant Pot Version)
Keto Butter Chicken is a low-carb dish made in the Instant Pot to give you perfectly tender chicken and a rich, creamy sauce flavored with warm, aromatic spices.
This Keto Instant Pot Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani) is a recipe Melinda and I have been working on for a while. 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!)
Table of contents
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Thank you!
Why Keto Butter Chicken?
In the world of keto, where fats are friends and carbs are carefully counted, finding a dish that’s both comforting and compliant can be a challenge. Enter Keto Butter Chicken. Not only is it packed with protein and healthy fats, but it also carries the aromatic spices and luscious texture that make Indian cuisine a global favorite.
This Indian butter chicken recipe is naturally low carb so we didn’t have to make any major changes 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!
New to using an Instant Pot? Make sure you read our beginner’s guide on “How to Use an Instant Pot” to get started!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken thighs – We use boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces. This gives you a flavorful, tender piece of chicken with a good balance of fat and protein.
- Tomato – Both tomato sauce (make sure it has no added sugar) and tomato paste make up the base of this sauce.
- Curry – Red curry paste is made with a blend of warm, aromatic spices. It gives a big boost of flavor.
- Spices – Any Indian-inspired dish requires some bold spices. Garam masala, ground ginger, smoked paprika, and salt take the sauce to the next level.
- Aromatics – Onion and garlic are sauteed with the chicken to add a depth of flavor.
- Fats – Butter and heavy cream are added to the sauce to give it that rich, creamy flavor and silky smooth texture.
- Chicken broth – A little chicken broth thins out the sauce and helps to thin the sauce and ensure that you don’t get the dreaded Instant Pot burn warning.
- Cilantro – This is simply a garnish. If you aren’t a fan of cilantro feel free to skip it.
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.
How to Make Keto Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot:
Step 1 – Saute. Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add the butter, onion and garlic. Saute for approximately 5 minutes until the onions are tender. Press OFF to cancel the saute.
Step 2 – Broth. Add the chicken broth and use a spatula or spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to get up all of the little browned bits. This will help reduce the likelihood of the burn warning.
Step 3 – Add the rest. Add the chicken, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red curry paste, garam masala, ground ginger, salt, and smoked paprika to the Instant Pot.
Step 4 – Cook. Lock the lid in place and turn the pressure valve to seal it. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 7 minutes.
Step 5 – Natural release. When the timer goes off turn the Instant Pot off and let it do a natural release for 5 minutes. Then carefully flip the valve to VENTING and let the remaining steam out of the pressure cooker.
Step 6 – Remove chicken. Remove the lid and using a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the sauce and set aside.
Step 6 – Add cream. Add the heavy cream to the pot and, using an immersion blender puree the sauce until smooth.
Step 7 – Thicken sauce. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and stir the sauce while simmering for 7-10 minutes, or until it thickens. Turn OFF saute.
Step 8 – Put it all together. Add the chicken back to the sauce and stir everything together.
Step 9 – Serve. Serve the butter chicken over your favorite low carb option and garnish with cilantro.
Frequently Asked Questions
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. It also helps keep your macro ratios of fat to protein in check. I highly recommend using dark meat if you can.
Is Keto Butter Chicken spicy?
In general butter chicken isn’t a spicy dish. It has a low level of heat with a lot of warm spices that give you a rich flavor. That being said every curry has it’s own makeup so the level of spice will be affected by the level of spicy in the red curry paste you choose. If you want to add a little extra spice you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
How can I thicken the sauce without carbs?
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!
Can I make this dairy-free?
Absolutely! Use coconut milk and dairy-free butter alternatives.
What Do I Serve With Keto Butter Chicken?
- Cauliflower Rice
- Zucchini Noodles
- Sauted yellow squash
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
- Keto Naan Bread
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerator: Let the butter chicken cool completely then place in an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Freezer: Let the butter chicken cool completely then place it in an airtight container. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating: When reheating, do so gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a little extra cream or butter to revive the sauce’s creamy texture. This approach ensures the dish remains delicious and retains its consistency, making your keto meal prep both convenient and enjoyable.
Note: If you are reheating frozen keto butter chicken we suggest letting it thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator before reheating. This will make the reheating process faster and give you the best results.
Want More Keto Instant Pot Recipes?
- Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup
- Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Creamy Asparagus Soup {Instant Pot & Stove Top}
- Instant Pot Collard Greens
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
- Keto Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls
Like this recipe?
Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Pinterest for more recipes like this.
Keto Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot
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 to the pot and use a spatula or spoon to scrap up any burned bit off of the bottom. Make to to get it nice and clean this will help prevent the burn warning.
- Add the 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. See note #1
- 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.
Notes
- 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
Have you tried freezing this in individual portions? I’d love to have this be one of my meal prep staples but don’t want to gamble on changing the consistency on my own!
Hi Nicole, freezing should not be an issue. Meal prepping with this recipe will work out great!
Delicious! Even my stepson liked it. I think I’ll even be excited for the leftovers.
Added pasta and added total of 32oz of chicken broth. Kept same of everything else (no spiciness though). It was great!
I just made it and it came out delicious, I added two Chile serranos sliced to give it some heat.My family loved it! Will definitely on it again.
This recipe is a winner, winner chicken dinner! I tweaked it a bit, based on what I had (didn’t want to get out in the snow). I used chicken breasts instead of thighs. I used 1/2 can of Maesri Red Curry Paste instead of measuring. The other half went into the freezer. I only had an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, so I used it with a whole can of tomato paste and doubled the broth. I also added a bell pepper with the onion. Finally, I used hot smoked paprika instead of regular smoked paprika.
My husband LOVED it, and it is going into the regular rotation! He added some extra hot smoked paprika and some roasted peanuts to his portion.
Is it possible to make this in the slow cooker? What times would you suggest?
You should definitely be able to make it in the slow cooker. I haven’t done it myself but my guess would be approximately 2-2.5 hours on high. You may need to add a splash more heavy cream if the sauce gets to thick. You’ll have to keep an eye on that.
Absolutely delicious! My family loved it. I’ll definitely make it again soon!
Is there a particular way to make this with bone in chicken thighs, skin removed? It’s all I have right now!
You can follow the same instructions. It will still be delicious 🙂