Sick of cooking after the holidays yet? This easy peasy Creamy Instant Pot Paleo Butter Chicken is a life saver. It’s creamy yet dairy-free and so easy and relatively quick to make.
The Instant Pot is the way to go with this recipe since you can make it using the pressure function. You can sauté everything directly in the instant pot and then just add in the other ingredients. It cooks in 15 minutes once the pressure has built up. What more could you ask for?
WHAT IS BUTTER CHICKEN?
This classic dish was created “by chance” in the 1950s by three Punjabi restaurateurs: Kundan Lal Gujral, Kundan Lal Jaggi and Thakur Dass. They mixed leftover chicken in a tomato gravy, rich in butter and cream. It quickly became a classic hit, it’s quite easy to understand why!
In this paleo version we’ll be replacing the butter with ghee and the cream with full fat coconut milk. Not only is this version healthier for you it’s also much easier to digest since it is dairy-free. The combo of ghee and coconut milk is so rich you won’t even miss the classic version.
What makes butter chicken so unique is the blend of spices. This recipe has the following:
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BUTTER CHICKEN
This recipe taste great with my paleo naan. If you can easily digest rice that’s also a good option or of course cauliflower rice. Potatoes would work well as a side dish too.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
If you love Indian spices try out these other recipes on my blog.
Whole30 Coconut Lamb Curry (Whole30, Paleo, AIP)
Instant Pot Curry Beef Stew (Whole30, Paleo, AIP)
Creamy Instant Pot Paleo Butter Chicken (Whole30, AIP)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless & skinless, cut into 1in pieces
- 4 cloves garlic , peeled and chopped
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 1 28 oz crushed canned fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup leave out for Whole30
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Butter Chicken Dry Spice Seasoning
- 1 tbsp garam masala powder
- 2 tsp smoked or sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
Instructions
- Toss the chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Set aside at room temperature.
- Set an Instant Pot to sauté on high. When the pot registers hot, add 2 tablespoons ghee and let melt. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
- Mix together all of the spices.
- Add the spice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and sticking to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, maple syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up the bottom of the pot. Turn off the pot.
- Add the chicken to the pot; stir to coat. Put on and lock the lid; make sure the steam valve is in the sealing position. Set the pot to pressure-cook on high for 5 minutes. When the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then turn the steam valve to the venting position to manually release the remaining pressure. Turn off the pot and remove the lid.
- Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee and full fat coconut milk into the pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide the chicken and sauce among bowls. Top with cilantro and serve with naan or rice.
This is so good! I had it over spinach and my husband had it over rice. I would definitely make this again!
So glad you made it and liked it!