My Instant Pot often comes to my rescue when time is short, yet the flavor is never compromised. You can easily substitute it with a pressure cooker and achieve the same results.
Instant Pot Butter Chicken (No Sauté, One-Pot)
🧂 Ingredients
Main
700 g boneless chicken (cut into medium pieces)
3 medium tomatoes cut into chunks (or 1 cup tomato puree)
1 small onion (roughly chopped)
10–12 cashews
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste or 5 whole garlic cloves and 1 inch ginger
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 whole cardamom and 1/2 inch cinnamon
2 green chilies, slit
3 tbsp butter
½–1 cup water
Salt to taste
For finishing
2 tbsp cream
1 tsp kasuri methi (crushed)
1 tsp sugar (optional)
👩🍳 Instructions
Add into the Instant Pot: chicken, tomatoes, onion, cashews, ginger-garlic paste, all spices (except the green chilies) , butter, water, and salt. Mix gently once.
Close the lid, set valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes. (If using a normal pressure cooker, 2 whistles on medium heat)
Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
Open the lid and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
Remove the chicken pieces.
Blend everything into a smooth, creamy gravy using an immersion blender or regular blender
Turn on Sauté (low) mode until oil separates. (Optional- a tbsp of tomato ketchup)
Return the chicken pieces along with the green chilies and let it simmer in the gravy for a few minutes.
Add cream, crushed kasuri methi, and sugar (if using).
Simmer for 3–5 minutes until the gravy becomes rich and glossy.
🍽️ Done!
Creamy, rich butter chicken with less effort—perfect with naan, roti, or rice. The mint pulao goes perfectly fine with this and it is an easy recipe too.
