Our easy Instant Pot butter chicken recipe with chicken thighs recipe is so full of flavor. Only takes 5 minutes to cook and makes the solid family dinner. Made as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe in a pressure cooker, this is an easy one served with naan.

A bowl of easy butter chicken made in instant pot, featuring tender chicken chunks and green herbs on top, with a spoon nestled inside.

We came up with this easy chicken recipe that tastes pretty similar to one at the restaurant we visited years ago! It has become one of our favorite Indian dishes since then and now listed on our Instant Pot recipes roundup.

We went out to eat Indian food with a few friends once when we went to a conference in Utah. We hadn't had it in years and wasn't sure what to order so our friend suggested butter chicken since it was a milder dish and she said “everyone loves it”. Served with with homemade naan it was good.

We do typically veer toward thighs because they're so cheap and come out more tender than breasts but that is totally your choice. It was way easier than we thought and was pretty dead close to the one we tried at that restaurant. We love this method because you can adjust the heat and serve with any side dishes that are to your liking. A bit of sauteeing at first, mix up the sauce and cook under high pressure to get it nice and tender. Done!

It. Was. good! Now that we are all about our pressure cooker we was sure we could make a simple version (our take on it). Served with a side of rice and/or naan this is definitely a winner at our house when we make it!

We're a busy mom with three kids and we both work full time. One thing we love is eating one meal together. The more we worked the more our dinners together dropped off, until we got our Instant Pot. Now easy chicken Instant Pot recipes only take 30 minutes or less to make.

Ingredient notes

As for the star of the show the best yet since we have tested it a few times is to use diced Chicken thighs. We prefer boneless skinless to make the cubing process easier but that is up to you.

Garam Masala can be found at your local supermarket or make homemade here and cumin are the classic seasoning for any sort of Indian dish so you may need to grab those if you don't already have some in your spice rack.

You will want some chopped Ginger for a pop of flavor. You can buy it this way in a jar to make things easier for you. Minced works too if that is all you can find.

Some Chili Powder is optional but good even if you only add a bit, our version is not spicy below. We will say that this is tamer than others like if you wanted it hot you might choose red pepper flakes or dry Sriracha instead.

And to make the sauce creamy you will want some Heavy cream. If you need it to be dairy free you could try coconut milk. It won't be as thick so you may want to set to saute at the end and whisk in some cornstarch to counteract that.

We like to serve this with a side or over a bed of fluffy Instant Pot white rice but that is up to you.

How Long to Cook Butter Chicken in Instant Pot

Turn your pressure cooker to saute, and add your butter. When butter is melted add cubed chicken and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, enough for chicken pieces to cook a bit and are no longer pink. Then when all other ingredients are added you put lid on and close steam valve. Set to low pressure for 5 minutes. (4 minutes on high) followed by a quick release.

With the time it takes for the pot to reach pressure the total would be about 20 minutes total if you added it all up, quick!

A long grain variety of rice is commonly used in Indian recipes. Basmati rice is commonly available at most grocery stores or this is how to cook arborio rice to serve together.

How do you thicken sauce?

If you want the sauce thicker, remove chicken and set to saute low for a few minutes. Put some of the hot liquid in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk together, add back into the pot and stir.

You may do this again with another tbsp. depending on how thick you want the sauce to be but realize that will thicken more as it sits and cools so add sparingly. You'd do the same for our Slow Cooker Chicken Makhani version that is similar.

Instant Pot Butter Chicken Thighs Recipe

By Easy Instant Pot butter chicken recipe with thighs is moist and full of flavor. Takes 5 minutes to cook and the solid family dinner with a side of naan. Best Ninja Foodi pressure cooker one pot meal, Indian food perfection. Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 5 minutes minsTotal: 15 minutes minsServings: 6 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

6 medium chicken thighsboneless, skinless, cut into bite size cubes
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 small onion
5 tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp corn starch, optional to thicken sauce at the end

Instructions

Turn your pressure cooker to saute, and add your butter.
When butter is melted add cubed chicken and onions.
Cook enough for chicken pieces to cook a touch on the outside and are no longer pink.
Add all other ingredients into your pressure cooker and mix together well.
Put lid on and close steam valve.
Set to low pressure for 5 minutes.
When done allow to naturally release for 1 minute (to avoid splatters), then do a quick release.
Carefully lift lid. Serve immediately or remove chicken and set to saute low for a few minutes. Put some of the hot liquid in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk together, add back into the pot and stir. May do this again with another tbsp. depending on how thick you want the sauce to be.
Sauce will thicken more as it sits. Turn off, add chicken back in, and serve with rice and/or naan.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main CourseCuisine: Indian Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

How to save leftovers

We will start by saying we rarely if ever have any leftovers but if you do, yes you can. Although it's a less popular option, chicken and other meats can certainly be reheated on the stovetop. Do so in a small saucepan over low to heat vs. medium high heat to avoid drying it out. Top with chopped cilantro and enjoy again.

If you don't have a microwave or are short on time, this is a good method. Add some oil or butter to the pan to thin out sauce. Reheating leftovers in a microwave are a bit easier. Do so in a microwave safe dish in 30 second intervals stirring in between times.

That is what is so great about cooking homemade meals right? There is nothing worse than getting a good dish that was made so hot that you can't taste anything else. We mean, you know it's good but your mouth is on fire and you're disappointed. add a bit when cooking and more later at the end if you desire after tasting it.

Kitchen questions

Is there another name for butter chicken?

We've heard it called Indian chicken before. We guess that's because you typically won't find this on any other restaurant menu. BUT now you can make it right at home using our directions below so that's fun!

Why do they call it butter chicken?

Um…well for obvious reasons, there is butter in it. Beyond that it does definitely have a creamy butter flavor to it.Do NOT use butter substitutes, you have to go all out. Salted butter is best, we prefer organic.

Can You Make Butter Chicken with Chicken Breasts?

Sure you can do this! We personally like thighs because they're a lot more tender but we do swap the two types depending on what we have on hand or if we find a good sale we will use that. It is preference really, the timing won't change either way.

Other Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You'll Love

Looking for more Instant Pot chicken recipes? We make a lot of these because it is our girls' favorite meat and a healthy choice for dinnertime. Of course those with a thicker sauce like this one isn't quite as good for you as let's say our Instant Pot butter beef. You can see that one above, fun to mix up the proteins.

This is our tasty instant pot sesame chicken recipe. Served over rice it will get raving reviews from everyone in your family for sure.

Sweet Instant Pot orange chicken recipe is healthier with no breading but tons of flavor.
Honey Instant Pot chicken is our own creation that has gone crazy with everyone who tries it.
Kid fave Pressure cooker cheesy chicken spaghetti is loaded with cheese and tons of flavor.

Instant Pot spicy teriyaki chicken thighs are good with a simple homemade teriyaki sauce recipe. This one has an Asian twist to it so if you like to try foods from other countries, or try to make them at home, this one is great too. You can certainly adjust the heat level on both of these.