Instant Pot Butter Chicken with Yogurt-Spice Marinade

Name: Instant Pot Butter Chicken with Yogurt-Spice Marinade
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 36 min
Total time: 56 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 lb (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) pieces; ¾ cup (180 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature, stirred smooth; 1 tbsp (10 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; 4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, finely grated or minced; 1 tbsp (7 g) Kashmiri chili powder; 2 tsp (4 g) garam masala; 1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin; ½ tsp (1½ g) ground turmeric; 1½ tsp (5 g) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal); 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice; 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter; 1 medium (about 7 oz) (200 g) yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped (¼-inch / 6 mm pieces); ½ cup (120 ml) water; 15 oz can (425 g) canned crushed tomatoes, unstirred, straight from the can; 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar; ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature; 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 cubes; 1 tbsp (2 g) kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between your palms (optional); ½ tsp (1 g) garam masala; kosher salt, to taste, added at the end; 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Chicken thighs soak up a tangy yogurt, Kashmiri chili, ginger and garam masala marinade, then pressure cook in a silky tomato-cream sauce in just 8 minutes. The marinade tenderizes the meat and flavors the sauce.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 36 min
Wait: 2 hr 5 min
Total: 3 hr 1 min
Makes: About 6 cups (6 servings), enough for 6 cups of rice or 6 naan

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the marinated chicken
2 lb (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) pieces
¾ cup (180 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature, stirred smooth
1 tbsp (10 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
1 tbsp (7 g) Kashmiri chili powder
2 tsp (4 g) garam masala
1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin
½ tsp (1.5 g) ground turmeric
1½ tsp (5 g) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
For the sauce
2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
1 medium (about 7 oz) (200 g) yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped (¼-inch / 6 mm pieces)
½ cup (120 ml) water
15 oz can (425 g) canned crushed tomatoes, unstirred, straight from the can
1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar
To finish
¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 cubes
1 tbsp (2 g) kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between your palms (optional)
½ tsp (1 g) garam masala
kosher salt, to taste, added at the end
2 tbsp (8 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)

Equipment (6)

6-quart (5.7 L) Instant Pot or similar electric pressure cooker
Large mixing bowl (3-quart / 3 L)
Cutting board and sharp knife
Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
Measuring cups and spoons
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Plan for at least 2 hours of marinating. Overnight (up to 12 hours) gives the best flavor, but don't go past 24 hours or the chicken turns mushy.
Use whole-milk plain yogurt. Low-fat and Greek-style yogurts are more likely to split or clump under pressure.
Do not stir the tomatoes into the pot before pressure cooking. Layering them on top prevents the "Burn" warning.
Use a 6-quart Instant Pot. For an 8-quart, keep the recipe as written. It needs no extra liquid.
Take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking so it heats evenly.

1
Mix the marinade
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, grated ginger, grated garlic, Kashmiri chili powder, 2 tsp garam masala, cumin, turmeric, 1½ tsp kosher salt and lemon juice until completely smooth and evenly red-orange, with no dry pockets of spice.
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Ready when: Marinade is thick, smooth and uniformly colored.
Tip: Kashmiri chili gives color with mild heat. Regular chili powder is much hotter, so use only half if you substitute.
2
Marinate the chicken
- Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and fold with a spatula until every piece is thickly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 12 hours.
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Ready when: Chicken is evenly coated and no pieces are exposed.
Tip: Cutting the thighs into uniform 1½-inch pieces ensures they cook through in 8 minutes.
3
Chop the onion
- About 20 minutes before cooking, take the bowl out of the fridge.
- Peel and finely chop the onion into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces so it melts into the sauce.
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Ready when: Onion pieces are small and even.
4
Sauté the onion
- Press Sauté and set to Normal/medium-high heat.
- When the display reads "Hot," add 2 tbsp butter and let it melt and foam.
- Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring often, for 6 minutes.
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Ready when: Onion is soft, translucent and starting to turn golden at the edges.
Tip: Don't let the onion brown darkly. Dark bits make the sauce bitter and can trigger the Burn warning.
5
Deglaze the pot
- Pour in ½ cup (120 ml) water.
- Scrape the entire bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon for 30 to 60 seconds, loosening every stuck-on bit.
- Press Cancel to turn off Sauté.
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Ready when: The bottom of the pot feels completely smooth when scraped.
Tip: Stuck bits are the number one cause of the Burn error, so scrape thoroughly.
6
Layer without stirring
- Scrape the chicken and all of the marinade into the pot and spread into an even layer.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes over the top and sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar.
- Do not stir.
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Ready when: Tomatoes form a distinct layer on top of the chicken.
Tip: Thick tomato on the bottom scorches. Keeping it on top lets the thin liquid below make steam.
7
Pressure cook
- Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and select Pressure Cook (Manual) on High for 8 minutes.
- The pot takes about 10 minutes to come to pressure before the countdown begins.
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Ready when: The display counts down from 8:00 once pressure is reached.
Tip: If it shows Burn, release the pressure, stir in another ¼ cup water, scrape the bottom again and restart.
8
Release the pressure
- When cooking ends, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to Venting to release the rest.
- Wait until the float valve drops, then open the lid away from you.
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Ready when: Float valve has dropped and the lid turns freely.
Tip: A full quick release straight away can toughen the chicken and splatter the sauce.
9
Stir in cream and butter
- Press Sauté on Normal/medium heat.
- Stir the sauce well, breaking up the chicken slightly.
- Add the cream, butter cubes, crushed kasuri methi and ½ tsp garam masala.
- Simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
- Season with kosher salt to taste.
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Ready when: Sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and a piece of thigh reads 175°F (80°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Tip: Keep the sauce at a gentle bubble. A hard boil can make the cream and yogurt look grainy.
10
Rest and serve
- Press Cancel and let the butter chicken rest uncovered for 5 minutes so the sauce thickens slightly.
- Scatter with chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice or warm naan.
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Ready when: Sauce is velvety and clings to the chicken.
Tip: If the sauce is too thick, thin it with 2 to 3 tbsp hot water.

Good to know

Tips

Grate the ginger and garlic finely so they dissolve into the marinade and sauce instead of leaving chunks.
Never stir the tomatoes in before pressure cooking. Layering is what prevents the Burn warning.
For a smoother restaurant-style sauce, use an immersion blender on the sauce for 10 seconds after pressure cooking, before adding the cream.
Add the cream only after pressure cooking. Dairy added before can curdle and scorch under pressure.

Make ahead

"Marinate the chicken up to 12 hours ahead in the fridge. The finished butter chicken can be made up to 3 days ahead and reheated, and its flavor improves overnight."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: airtight container up to 4 days. Freezer: up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers (cream may separate slightly, so whisk when reheating). Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of water or cream, stirring until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C), or microwave covered in 60-second bursts."

Substitutions

Kashmiri chili powder → 1½ tsp sweet paprika plus ¼ tsp cayenne. Approximates the color and mild heat of Kashmiri chili.
heavy cream → Full-fat canned coconut cream. Dairy-free option with a slight coconut flavor. Use the same amount.
boneless, skinless chicken thighs → Boneless, skinless chicken breast. Cut into 2-inch pieces and cook 6 minutes instead of 8. Pull at 165°F (74°C) to avoid dryness.
kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) → ½ tsp ground fenugreek or simply omit. Fenugreek is bitter, so use only a small amount.