Instant Pot Butter Chicken…you can’t lose with this one.
Indian food has a special place in my heart.
When I was going to college in Logan, Utah, I discovered this restaurant called Tandoori Oven. I think we’ve mentioned it on here before — it’s obviously a meaningful spot for us to bring it up time and time again…
This restaurant is attached to a gas station on a little corner beneath the university. You pull up to get gas, then walk right in and order some butter chicken and sweet cashew na’an bread. It’s kind of an iconic Logan experience, really.
I went on my first date with Patrick, my (now) husband, to Tandoori Oven. Little did I know, he took every first date there, in case they ended up getting married, so Tandoori could be “their restaurant” haha. 🙂 And his plan worked perfectly. We ended up getting married, and now anytime we’re in Logan, we head straight to Tandoori to get some of their delicious Indian food.
Tandoori’s food is so good, it’s become the standard we compare all other Indian food to. “It’s good, but not quite Tandoori Oven good…”
Logan is almost two hours from where I live now, so obvie I can’t make it to Tandoori regularly. But a girl’s gotta have her butter chicken! So naturally, Instant Pot Butter Chicken was born. Delicious homemade Indian food, ready in minutes.
Ya can’t beat that! Well, unless you drive two hours to Logan, because Tandoori Oven will beat any Indian food, any day. 😉
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 green pepper
- 4 skinless, boneless frozen chicken thighs
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp. garam masala
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. coriander
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cremini mushrooms
- 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 15-oz. can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- Cooked rice
Instructions
- Turn instant pot to sauté setting. Add coconut oil and melt.
- Roughly chop onion and pepper and add to pot, along with frozen chicken thighs. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn the pot off.
- Mince ginger and garlic and add to pot, along with all other spices.
- Cut mushrooms and add to the pot, along with tomato sauce. Stir to coat the chicken with spices and sauce.
- Put instant pot lid on, ensuring the lid is sealed. Set to pressure cook for 15 minutes.
- When it is done, do a quick-release of the pressure.
- Remove chicken from pot and cut into 1" pieces. Put back into pot, along with the can of coconut milk.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice.
Want to try some other Instant Pot recipes? Give these a try:
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Honey Sriracha Tacos
2 Comments
Wow this sure looks delicious! Usually not a big fan of Indian food but this make me want to give it another shot. Seems fairly easy to make too!
Indian Food can be an acquired taste for sure, but this recipe is a little more mild as far as “Indian flavor,” so it’s worth giving it a shot! If you end up making it, we’d love to hear how you liked it 🙂