Instant Pot Butter chicken with spinach
With a good dose of veggies, this butter chicken is a complete meal cooked easily in the Instant Pot to serve with rice or naan.
Main ingredients:
 | Fresh or frozen boneless chicken |
 | Frozen or fresh spinach |
 | Onion, white onion is preferable. |
 | Coconut milk (can substitute with heavy cream or yogurt) |
 | Tomato coulis or tomato paste for that tangy flavor. |
Spices:
 | Garlic powder or crushed garlic cloves |
 | Red chili powder for that lovely red color |
 | Dried coriander; you can use fresh coriander (cilantro) as well. |
 | Turmeric, traditional ingredient for flavor |
 | Ground cumin for a bit of spiciness |
 | Garam masala for more spiciness (garam means warm, and masala means spice) |
 | Ground ginger for a bit of a bite |
 | Olive oil to sauté the garlic and ginger |
 | Pinch of salt and pepper |
Accents for the curry:
 | Butter, since it is called butter chicken after all 😉 |
 | Lemon to cut into quarters and serve alongside the dish. |
Murgh makhani, also known as butter chicken, is one of the most popular dishes in Indian and Punjabi cuisine. This mild and creamy curry is cooked in a tomato based sauce with spices and butter.
While some Indian dishes can be quite spicy, butter chicken is relatively mild. And yet, it is packed with so much flavor that it will please the pickiest of eaters.
Traditionally the chicken is marinated for several hours before cooking, but in the Instant pot the flavors meld together easily, allowing us to skip that step. (You can also try my similar lamb makhani (butter lamb) recipe or pork makhani as well, for something different.)
Cooking Tips
- Frozen spinach usually works better in the Instant pot to cook at the same rate as the chicken. But you can use fresh spinach as well, it just will probably melt into the sauce.
- The traditional butter chicken recipe uses coconut milk, but you can substitute for heavy cream or plain yogurt. You can also use greek yogurt for a lower fat substitution.
- Be sure to add the coconut milk/cream/yogurt after the Instant pot finishes cooking the chicken, otherwise the butter chicken will curdle.
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Instant Pot Butter chicken with spinach
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of chicken approx. 6-8 large cuts chopped into smaller pieces
- 1 cup of frozen spinach
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 3/4 cup of tomato coulis or 1/2 cup of tomato paste
- 1 large onion sliced or chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons of red chili powder
- 2 teaspoons of garam masala
- 1 teaspoon of dried coriander
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 lemon to cut into quarters and serve along side
- pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, garlic and ginger into the instant pot and sauté for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except the coconut milk and lemon), and set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 14 minutes.
- Once the countdown has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Open the Instant pot and stir in the coconut milk.
- Press the Sauté button again for 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
- Let the butter chicken rest for 10 minutes on the Keep Warm function.
- Taste to add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Slice the lemon into quarters and serve along side the butter chicken dish.
- Serve while warm.
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
What to serve with it?
In India, butter chicken or murgh makhani is usually served with plain white rice or naan. (I usually have my rice cooker going at the same time.)
Serve it with some samosas as a starter, or a light salad.
How to store it?
This butter chicken can be frozen and stored for up to a month. Just let it cool before placing in an airtight glass container, before placing in the freezer.
